Collen Donnelly Shares a New Pre-WWII Romance
Please welcome Colleen Donnelly, a fellow Rose. She has a brand-new romance releasing this May. She here to tell you about her writing journey, what she has learned, and she has a great tip for writers, too.
Is there an event in your life that affected you as a writer?
Yes, the boost I got to write seriously sprang from a journal I kept while traveling in a foreign country. I shared it a day at a time with a few friends via email, but the completed journal ended up in the hands of the travel section of a newspaper, who surprisingly snatched it up. Shocked at their eagerness, I was even more stunned when they assigned an editor to me, who further floored me by proposing we turn my journal into the next “Romancing the Stone” type of screenplay. He began talking about romance entwined with adventure, the humorous plotting of the naïve soul in a foreign country, story arcs, and black moments, while my head spun. That experience added craft to my passion for the first time and plunged me into the work real writers have to do.
Where do you get your ideas?
This is important for anyone who is considering writing fiction. I don’t think I have ever sat down and successfully wracked my brain for a story idea. The ones which were right and worked for me came by inspiration as I watched and waited, expecting something to eventually strike a chord deep in my soul. Anything which came with less impact than that turned into nothing more than words on a page. That said, here are how some of my novels came to be: 1) The title came to me first. No story, just the title, as if God dropped it out of heaven. 2) Someone made a flattering comment about a relative, and from that one remark, a whole book was born. 3) Learning about the place my grandparents met was enough to set my creative wheels spinning. 4) An old funeral notice wherein someone penciled a note of gossip about the deceased. 5) A dream.
As I said above, each seed for a story must come with inspiration. Enough to carry that initial inkling into full bloom.
What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?
My answer to this question mirrors the one I gave above regarding advice for other authors. The toughest criticism is the one I can’t afford to take to heart. Early on as a new author, I was devastated by things other writers said to me until I realized they weren’t focusing on my craft, though they made it appear that way, but instead were targeting me and tearing me down. It was personal, not professional. Their remarks almost caused me to give up writing more than once until I realized the intent of their comments (attacks). I absolutely believe in belonging to a critique group, and I relish comments that point out things in my work that need improvement. Those are critiques, not criticism. When it becomes personal and directed at you, no matter how much they couch their remarks within the framework of what you have written, it is deadly to creativity. At that point, walk away.
The best compliment? Readers. I printed and framed two emails I received after my first book, “Mine to Tell” was published. One was from a retired sailor who was pretty much homebound. He thanked me for the best day he had experienced in ages, that day being when he read my book from front to back because he couldn’t put it down. The other was from a young girl who read the same book. I could feel her shyness as she explained she had never contacted an author before, but my book had affected her so much, she had to let me know.
Do you have a writing tip or advice for other authors?
Be thick skinned. Understand and expect that not everyone will grasp what you intended through your work, enjoy it, or speak highly of it. Decide at the outset of your writing journey to keep your focus on your craft, and maintain the singular goal of seeking ways to improve it. Don’t engage in, especially publicly, a battle against negative feedback. Let it go and don’t look back. Receive and cherish constructive “criticism” that is given to improve your work. Wear thick skin for both, because this is about your writing and making it the best it can be.
Do you have any websites, blogs, or books about writing that you would recommend?
I discovered that taking in too much information diminished my creativity. Rules and plot patterns stifled my passion, so I learned to glean what I needed from a few good sources. Sometimes all I needed was the title for me to see the light. Therefore, I recommend for consideration the books which gave me my greatest “aha” moments: Hooked by Les Edgerton; Writing a Romance Novel for Dummies by Leslie Wainger of Harlequin Books; Goal, Motivation, and Conflict by Debra Dixon.
Hooked introduced me to great beginnings; Writing a Romance Novel for Dummies showed the writing process from beginning to end, which I found applied to more than the romance genre; and Goal, Motivation, and Conflict was very eye-opening when it came to composing a hard-to-put-down story.
Jim Turner writes crime but doesn’t live it. He respects his grandfather’s tales of heroes but doesn’t believe them. When his failing grandfather sends him to a remote peninsula to write the end of his own heroic love story, Jim includes a war criminal interview to maintain his edge.
Chastity is an anomaly, a misfit in pre-WWII culture as well as in Jim’s life. Her spritely charm and endearing features turn Jim’s world upside down, especially when she reveals his grandfather’s peninsula as the site of her upcoming wedding.
Do good journalists flee when their interviewee is murdered? Do heroes write fiancés out of someone else’s story and put themselves in? “The End” become the hardest words for Jim to write.
This book releases on May 21st, 2025
Learn more about Colleen Donnelly
Colleen L Donnelly put her science education to use for years and then put it behind her to pursue other passions. Her first love is writing and her second is hunting, that is hunting for that next good story, hunting for shed antlers or mushrooms in the woods, and hunting for the next good author to read.
An avid believer in work hard/play hard, Colleen splits her time between indoors and out, always busy at something.
Social Media Links:
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/colleen-l-donnelly
Website: http://www.colleenldonnelly.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ColleenLDonnelly
Goodreads: http://www.Goodreads.com/colleenldonnelly
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colleenldonnelly/
Amazon: http://amzn.to/37vcnO4
Twitter: https://x.com/ColleenLDonnell/
Thank you, Zara West, for allowing me to share with not only readers, but those who feel an inner urge to write, a sometimes bumpy but worthwhile journey!