As the spooky Halloween air clears, Delia Colvin heats up November with a personal story about her writing life, and news about her series. We hope that you enjoy this special Friday morning interview!
Andrea: Can you briefly explain your health challenge that led to your drastic career change?
Delia: After day surgery, I was at home resting when I suffered from a massive number of pulmonary embolisms: blood clots that moved through my heart, nearly stopping it and then spattered onto the wall of my lungs so that despite my breathing, oxygen was not getting into my body.
I didn't believe I was going to live more than a few minutes. Suddenly I realized that I was born a storyteller and my "someday I'll find the time" had run out. I vowed that if I lived, I would change that.
Still, life is busy and it was exactly one year later when I acted on it. I was driving into D.C. when an epic storyline popped into my head in a matter of seconds. Three weeks later I had completed the rough draft to my first novel. A year after that all three novels (over a thousand pages) had been written, edited and released...and I was a bestselling author! Wow!
Andrea: Many people dream of being a full-time writer, but it's not always financially feasible for them. Did your spouse immediately support your desire to bring your dream to fruition?
Delia: Timing is everything and for me the timing was extraordinary! I was about to change positions in Air Traffic Control but was working twelve hour days. We knew there would be a brief time between the change of positions, but I wasn't there yet. So I wrote on my iPhone while walking the mile to work, while driving, while eating.
Because no one had ever read my stories, it took a tremendous amount of courage to allow my daughter, Jen, and husband, Randy, to read them. Randy is not a fiction reader and I didn't expect that he would like it. It was a very rough draft. But within a few pages, he leaned forward and I could tell he was engaged. I saw every turn of events lit in his eyes.
After reading Chapter Five he said, "Forget Air Traffic Control! You were born to write!" Since then I've been a full-time novelist. It's not always been easy, but it has been a beautiful life.
Andrea: How long have you been writing, how many published novels have you written, and have you received any awards or accomplished personal milestones since you began?
Delia: I've been writing all my life. I began telling stories at three years of age and I knew that was my future. But I allowed "practical matters" to dominate my life.
With writing, marketing and all of the travel that I do, I haven't yet taken the time to enter the books in contests. Still they've won several minor awards.
There have been, however, several major moments for me: Since last Christmas (when most Indies shut down their advertising due to massive competition), Book One and Book Two became Amazon bestsellers and dominated the lists. They've remained on those lists almost every month since.
Also, The Last Oracle, Book Three was released in September and became not only a bestseller, but one of the rare selections for Amazon's "Hot New Releases"! To top that off, it is also ranked the #1 best rated bestseller (with Book Two coming in #2 in some genres).
But for me the most rewarding acknowledgment was the emails and letters I received after release of Book Three asking me to continue the series. One reviewer wrote that they cried for thirty minutes after reading the last pages of Book Three, because they weren't ready to leave the world created in the novels. That was a wow!
Since then I've decided to continue the series and I'm writing Book Four now.
Andrea: I read that you were initially not a big lover of Greek mythology? If that is correct, has it influenced your highly respected writing in any way now?
Delia: I never decided to write Greek mythology and I'm not a fan as it rarely has a satisfying ending. Still it is an integral part of the storyline and I've enjoyed the research. For me I use the research for historical perspective on the story.
Andrea: How did you come up with the concept of The Sibylline Trilogy (Oracles Series)? For readers who are not familiar with the trilogy yet, can you briefly explain what it is about, and if the meaning of the name is symbolic?
Delia: The novel takes place in modern day Manhattan and Italy and has a strong romantic element, like Outlander. The concept is that the main characters are oracles (sayers) created by the Greek god Apollo. A female oracle was often called a sibyl and sometimes a sibylline oracle (which is also the name of a book of prophesies).
The oracles were given immortality. But for some reason the main character, Cassandra/Valeria isn't. Her soul mate, Alex, is cursed with visions of her various deaths, as she reincarnates only to die by her twenty-seventh birthday. This time Alex is determined to change all of that with the help of the small family of remaining oracles.
Andrea: What genre do you consider your trilogy?
Delia: The challenge with genre is to find your readers and present it to them. I originally called it Fantasy. But because there's such a strong romantic thread in the series, I've shifted it to Romance sub-genres. I've been calling it Paranormal and Mythology. Recently the former chief editor from Harper Collins called it "Smart Women's Fiction". However, I do have many men that also read my books.
Andrea: You did your homework on the publishing industry, turned down an attractive book deal, but still managed to become a best-selling author. Do you intend to keep self publishing? If so, what two pointers would you give an aspiring writer about the publishing business?
Delia: The world of publishing is changing at a very rapid pace. I've never been adverse to going the traditional route. But as a new author I felt the need to have a successful track-record of sales.
My two pointers would be to 1) Put out a professional product! Write the very best book you can write and then get professionals to help take it to the next level. 2) Take a marketing course from a legitimate source. My recommendation is the inexpensive, but phenomenal courses offered by Melissa Foster and Fostering Success.
Andrea: I also read that you wanted readers to experience historically accurate scenes in your novels. C. Kerenyi, a researcher on ancient Greece, seemed to be a great resource for you. How important is detailed research in your writing regiment?
Delia: You know, it's quite easy to say, "It's fiction. It doesn't require accuracy." But for me I wanted accuracy and had many arguments with myself when I had difficulty resolving questions. Mr. Kerenyi's books are quite brilliant and they sit in hard copy next to my thesaurus and dictionaries.
Andrea: Do you favor happy endings in your stories, and do both men and women read your work?
Delia: I do prefer a happy ending--or at least a satisfying ending. I want readers to feel an arc of emotion and come away feeling good.
As far as readers, most of my marketing is to women. But a surprising number of men seem to enjoy the books.
Andrea: As a writer, what would you say is the most important part of executing emotion in your storylines?
Changing emotions is vital to a story. I want readers to feel a full range of emotions throughout the books and to feel a continuous thread of tension. As far as executing those emotions in a story, I seem to have an internal meter that tells me, "Oh something needs to happen here!" But in the end, if I don't feel the emotion, I re-write it until I do.
Andrea: I write because_______. It makes me feel ________!
Delia: I write because that is who I am. It makes me feel like alive! (note: in fact, my husband will attest that I am not a very pleasant person when I haven't written for a few days.)
Delia's website: www.deliacolvin.com
Her Amazon link: bit.ly/Sibylline
Contact Delia at DeliaJColvin@gmail.com.
Join Delia's Goodreads discussion group: bit.ly/DeliaColvin
It was a pleasure learning more about Delia. I wish her continued success with her writing endeavors.
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