Author Interview - Denise Dowdell-Stent @valaoakley

 

Tell us a bit about your family.

I am married with an exceedingly intelligent young son who shares my love of history and the paranormal. My parents live a few blocks away, and I have a large extended family in London and Australia.

How do you work through self-doubts and fear?

I just continue to do what I always do – whatever I have planned for that day, whether it be a writing endeavor or something else – I keep on going, and try to ignore any negative mental chatter in my head.

What scares you the most?

Anything bad happening to my close family, particularly my son – as a mother, the protective instinct is especially strong. I also have an irrational fear of spiders!

What makes you happiest?

Being with my family, but also being truly in the zone when I am writing and accomplishing several chapters in one day.

What’s your greatest character strength?

I am very passionate about everything that matters to me, whether that involves being a good mother to writing something evocative and meaningful.

What’s your weakest character trait?

I tend to be rather over-sensitive and very easily hurt.

Why do you write?

Writing is my passion and provides an escape route from real life allowing me to indulge in my imagination and fantasies. When I am writing, I am living vicariously through my female protagonist, feeling her emotions and thoughts.  I believe this really helps create an authenticity and realism that would not otherwise be there. However, although I find writing provides solace, it can also be quite isolating at times; this is part of the reason I enjoyed making my trailer – it was a wonderful experience to work with others who shared my vision and we had a lovely camaraderie between us.

Have you always enjoyed writing?

Most definitely, yes! I have been writing stories from the time I could form coherent written sentences at six years old – I have always had a wild, untamed imagination and writing provided a means to structure it and share it with the world.

What motivates you to write?

It is a truly immersive experience and allows me to explore a different reality as a different version of myself, albeit vicariously. I also love inventing stories and being able to share them with others.

What writing are you most proud of? (Add a link if you like)

Actually, the writing I am most proud of is my debut novel ‘Eternal’: (see www.eternaluk.com for all retailer links and a free sample chapters download)

Amazon (UK): http://amzn.to/1fU46yX

Amazon (USA): http://amzn.to/1ecaVA8

About the Author

Denise Dowdell-Stent is a YA Fantasy Fiction author but also writes scripts, poetry (published in various anthologies such as 'A Passage in Time' and 'Speaking of Love' by Forward Poetry), song lyrics, and maintains a blog at http://www.eternaluk.com.

She has just released her debut novel, Eternal as an ebook on Amazon, iBookstore, Kobo and Google Books (retail links on website). She lives in Cambridgeshire, UK with her husband and young son. Eternal is a YA Arthurian themed Fantasy, chock full of adventure, romance, suspense and intrigue.

Website: http://www.eternaluk.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/eternaltrilogy

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/valaoakley

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRIOmPViSbI

Amazon (USA): http://amzn.to/1ecaVA8

Amazon (UK): http://amzn.to/1fU46yX

Vala believes she is just an ordinary teenager trying to find her place in the world with her closest friends, Jelly and Max. But her splendid normality is quickly turned upside down when she happens upon Elvar, a handsome fae boy that Vala finds impossible to resist. The connection between Vala and Elvar is electric but their euphoric bliss quickly comes crashing down as Vala discovers the truth about her family, revealing who she really is.

Little does Vala know, this truth would be the catalyst for her parent’s disappearance and the reason for the darkness hovering over the fae realm. With friendship and love as her only allies, Vala must face her fears in order to triumph against the evil that has beckoned her.

You’d better be prepared to put everything on hold as Denise Dowdell-Stent’s enthralling Young Adult Fantasy will keep you gripped right to the very end. This first book in the Eternal Trilogy fantasy series, is the start of an epic adventure.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre - YA Fantasy

Rating – PG 13

More details about the author and the book

Connect with Denise Dowdell-Stent on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://www.eternaluk.com