I’ve done a lot of interviews lately on various romance sites, answering the usual questions. How did I get started in writing? What’s my favorite color? Favorite character? Favorite author? (Other than me, of course :) )
While answering those questions as faithfully as I could, I’ve always been struck that those interviews didn’t reveal who Tina Donahue truly is. The person without the mask. My belief systems. My aspirations, fears and hopes.
It’s not that I’m all that complicated or secretive. . .though I am a bit shy when it comes to talking about myself. I suppose that’s why the real Tina Donahue is revealed in one place only. And that’s my work.
You see, my characters speak about the things I can’t quite articulate. . .they experience what I have, while overcoming all the trials I’ve felt in my own life.
For example, Adriana in Lush Velvet Nights, feels the same pain I always did when guys would pass me by for someone hotter and far more self-assured. OMG, it happened a lot in high school and college. I was never the cool kid. Never the one everyone liked. I was quiet, shy, wore glasses and liked to read. So, I knew very well what Adriana experienced when she longed for alpha bad boy Nathan while believing she couldn’t have him. I lived that more than a few times in my life.
In Deep, Dark, Delicious, Eden’s pain over her childhood traumas were mine. We both knew the heartache of a parent who didn’t care, whose own needs came before the child’s. We both had to learn how to love again. . .and more importantly, how to trust that we could be loved.
For Danni, in Adored, she feared a man’s betrayal. We’ve all been there, right? When I think of the time it happened to me, I still wince a little. And I also cry when I read how Adam proved to Danni that he was a guy who wouldn’t use or abandon her. How wonderful it was when it finally happened in my life.
I suppose for me, my novels are a diary, recording past failures and my hopes for the future.
So if you’re ever curious about who Tina Donahue really is, just pick up one of my books. They can tell you about me better than I ever could. :)
*** And now for some terrific news. I just received the signed contract for my next erotic romance In His Arms, the story of a man who risks all to save the woman he loves from a ruthless human trafficker. Once I get the release date and cover art, I’ll post them on my website.
Please visit me at http://www.tinadonahue.com/
While answering those questions as faithfully as I could, I’ve always been struck that those interviews didn’t reveal who Tina Donahue truly is. The person without the mask. My belief systems. My aspirations, fears and hopes.
It’s not that I’m all that complicated or secretive. . .though I am a bit shy when it comes to talking about myself. I suppose that’s why the real Tina Donahue is revealed in one place only. And that’s my work.
You see, my characters speak about the things I can’t quite articulate. . .they experience what I have, while overcoming all the trials I’ve felt in my own life.
For example, Adriana in Lush Velvet Nights, feels the same pain I always did when guys would pass me by for someone hotter and far more self-assured. OMG, it happened a lot in high school and college. I was never the cool kid. Never the one everyone liked. I was quiet, shy, wore glasses and liked to read. So, I knew very well what Adriana experienced when she longed for alpha bad boy Nathan while believing she couldn’t have him. I lived that more than a few times in my life.
In Deep, Dark, Delicious, Eden’s pain over her childhood traumas were mine. We both knew the heartache of a parent who didn’t care, whose own needs came before the child’s. We both had to learn how to love again. . .and more importantly, how to trust that we could be loved.
For Danni, in Adored, she feared a man’s betrayal. We’ve all been there, right? When I think of the time it happened to me, I still wince a little. And I also cry when I read how Adam proved to Danni that he was a guy who wouldn’t use or abandon her. How wonderful it was when it finally happened in my life.
I suppose for me, my novels are a diary, recording past failures and my hopes for the future.
So if you’re ever curious about who Tina Donahue really is, just pick up one of my books. They can tell you about me better than I ever could. :)
*** And now for some terrific news. I just received the signed contract for my next erotic romance In His Arms, the story of a man who risks all to save the woman he loves from a ruthless human trafficker. Once I get the release date and cover art, I’ll post them on my website.
Please visit me at http://www.tinadonahue.com/
Congrats on the great news and thanks for sharing. It's wonderful when an author can put a little of herself out there--it makes the emotion in the books so much more real.
ReplyDeleteTina,
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting us get to know the real you a little bit better:-)I wasn't one of the cool kids either. Too bad we didn't know each other then!
Congratulations on the new contract!
Great post, Tina! Well said! There is so much we can probably learn from a lot of authors by simply reading their work. I truly believe an author's work is an extension of themselves -- for most anyway...
ReplyDeleteAnd congrats on the new contract! Can't wait to see the cover! Best wishes to you dear!
Sometimes our writing can be theraputic:)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the new contract!!
Congratulations Tina on the new contract! "In His Arms" sounds very dramatic.
ReplyDeleteXXOO Kat
Thanks, Paris - I always love to sign on the dotted line.
ReplyDeleteI do wish we could have known each other then. I was definitely a square peg trying to fit into a round hole. :)
I wonder how many writers were never the cool kids. Certainly I wasn't, and I'll bet that goes for lots of us. Congratulations on the new contract.....Jean
ReplyDeleteHey, Cindy, Renee, Molly, Kat, and Jean (already responded to Paris). Thanks for your kind words on my contract. Wouldn't it have been cool if we'd all known each other as kids? We could have formed a group and made the other kids envious. :)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! Your new book sounds absolutely wonderful. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Chasidyjean - I'm glad you enjoyed the excerpt. :)
ReplyDelete