I pull out different facets of myself and the people I’ve come across, to create my characters, with their challenges and their dilemmas. I then infuse the plot with my knowledge of supernatural lore and my recollections of true crime stories.
Daniela Valenti – 9 June 2021
The Back Flap
Amanda’s medical school graduation is unlike any other. A solar flare awakens her super-psychic powers, enabling her to fight evil, supernatural and human alike. She is the Sentinel 10, the most powerful warrior in a secret society of similarly endowed people. Her life becomes a whirlwind of international travel and exciting paranormal challenges. But all is not as it seems. Soon Amanda discovers that the man she loves has an evil alter ego and that her own powers have a dark side. Her first year as a Sentinel will push the limits of her resilience and put her own humanity to the test.
About the book
What is the book about?
The Kirkus Review that The Diamond Rose received really hit the nail on the head with its logline: “A young woman suddenly gains potent psychic abilities and grapples with an inappropriate romantic attraction in this debut novel.”
In my own words, Amanda Griffith discovers her super-psychic powers and the different faces of evil in the world, be it human or supernatural. She also finds her very first, dramatic love interest. With all her love, and all her powers, can she save this man from the evil lurking within his soul?
When did you start writing the book?
On my flight back from Prague, July 2017. I went to Prague on a forensic psychiatry conference, and everything just clicked, resulting in the fully developed storyline for Book 1.
How long did it take you to write it?
The first draft of Book 1, The Diamond Rose, took me a month.
Where did you get the idea from?
The original kernel of an idea appeared back when I was 20 years old and was still watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the 1999-2003 TV series. The name came from that. Slayer, Sentinel. It was but the vaguest idea with little substance. But my imagination was still with me, waiting for the right mix of circumstances. Fifteen years later, I had accumulated enough life experience and knowledge to suddenly deliver an actual plot. It was a moment when many aspects of myself, my life experiences, and my interests came together, like a self-assembling puzzle.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
You wouldn’t believe how long it took me to get inspiration for Amanda and Alain’s first date! Originally, they were going from a dinner at a restaurant straight to taking their clothes off at her place. It was really hard to dig up the actual date! The characters weren’t talking to me, I guess. Ha ha. It was a much later addition to the original story.
What came easily?
Everything else! The story poured out of me, as if it had a life of its own. It came as a movie inside my head, and I initially wrote it in a cinematic style.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
A writer’s characters are a part of themselves. They’re rarely created out of thin air. The animated movie “9”, in 2009, illustrates this concept: the creator breathes in parts of his soul into each of the nine characters.
I pull out different facets of myself and the people I’ve come across, to create my characters, with their challenges and their dilemmas. I then infuse the plot with my knowledge of supernatural lore and my recollections of true crime stories.
The villains, especially, are inspired by real people. As an example, in Book 3, there is an evil girl with a burn on her hand and a snake ring on her finger. Totally inspired by a real person. Another villain is very loosely based on my ex. Shh… Don’t tell him. Ha ha.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
Truthfully? My stories came out of me, spontaneously, as a culmination of life experience and my reflections on the nature of love and evil. However, I was influenced by the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Do you have a target reader?
My comp titles include the Hidden Legacy series by Ilona Andrews, and others, such as Nalini Singh, Karen Moning, and Patricia Briggs. That’s what my editor came up with.
I’d say that my target readers are women 18 to 39, with the same range of interests as myself: supernatural lore, true crime, secret societies, glamorous travel destinations, stylish clothes, psychological concepts such as narcissism and psychopathy, popularized quantum physics, interesting “bad boys” that adore you… Quite an eclectic mix! Basically, I’m looking for stylish, smart, imaginative, and courageous yet sensitive young women, looking to escape everyday life. To escape into a glamorous world of exotic destinations, supernatural adventures, and creative twists on old concepts. A life with superpowers, a great career, true love and friendship, and occasional romantic interest from fascinating guys, and the resulting complications.
Maybe it’s also a series for those who harbor the same old wounds as Amanda: abandonment, narcissistic parents, and a longing for a real, attentive, benevolent father figure. Basil Blake, Amanda’s advisor, is the ideal father.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
Yes, I jump between different scenes, even different books in my series. I write up a scene whenever the inspiration hits, depending on my mood, on that particular day. I come up with the actual plot while driving to and from work. It takes me an hour each way, so I have lots of time.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
The outline is in my head. But, sometimes I write up a chapter very quickly, like a summary.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
Back when the stories were pouring out of me, I could barely keep up. I’d write on lunch breaks, any chance I got. I wasn’t editing anything, I just kept writing. I lived in that world. It doesn’t happen this way anymore, the fountain dried up after 18 months. Nowadays I edit to get into the mood for the next scene.
Did you hire a professional editor?
Absolutely. I have two developmental editors, in fact, plus a copy editor.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
Ooh, yes! Glad you asked, it’s always exciting to discover that I’m not the only one in my way of doing things. Epic (cinematic) music is what usually inspires my writing, but there are exceptions. On occasion, the words of a particular song jump start the wheels of creation. Since I drive an hour to and from work every day, I listen to a lot of music and have a lot of time to come up with stories.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
Yup.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
I wrote the first book in July 2017, and by the time it was ready, edited, and re-edited, it was May 2019. It took a very long time to find GOOD developmental editors, through trial and error. Then I tried to pitch some agents. The agents don’t work in the summer, and many don’t work in the fall, either. From August to November 2019, I went to writer’s conferences, pitched a few agents there, and worked on improving my pitch and my query. Basically, everyone submits in January. Then you wait.
I did not get an agent on my first round of applications. A couple of agents requested the full manuscript, including a Triada agent. The pandemic delayed things, too: I got my last rejection in June 2020, and I had applied in January! I have 12 books in my series. I decided I don’t have the time to wait and try next January.
I was told that my novel is a bit of a mix, not pure paranormal romance, which makes it more difficult to land a deal. Agents like things to fall squarely into a spot on the shelf.
I also kept hearing that once you have an agent, it can take time to land a publisher, and then that publisher may postpone publication for another year, etc. I have 12 books. I really want this story to get out there.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
Professionally.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
I’ve been doing my “darndest” best to market this! My plan was to hire a publicist and a marketing consultant. I still have the publicist, she’s doing her best, but the marketing consultant was a money grabbing fraud. I tried a second marketing consultant, and that one was not exactly a fraud, but close enough. Yup. Sorry to sound negative, that is the reality of it. So now I’m learning about marketing myself. Signing up for seminars and such. Trying my best.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Watch out for people looking to take advantage of you. Trust, but verify. Minus the trust! (insert evil face emoji here) Seriously though, as Amanda J. Clay said at the SFWC 2020, people will charge you an arm and a leg for the most basic services.
And they will do it with a straight face. They will gaslight you for as long as they can, to keep you confused and uncertain and hopeful.
Don’t hire someone on an open contract, that is even worse.
Don’t think that because they’re expensive, they’re any good.
And when you start out, beware of true scammers. A hundred percent, bone fide scammers and vanity presses. They even find your phone number, sometimes, call you out of the blue talking about contracts with traditional publishers. Check out https://www.facebook.com/WriterBeware
Attend conferences, sign up for online seminars, choose one social media site and post every day. Choose something: FB, IG, Twitter, Pinterest, whatever works for you. Don’t spread yourself too thin. Engage with other writers and consider teaming up. By the way, I’m still looking to team up with like-minded souls. Dedicated, honest individuals with good editorial reviews 🙂
About You
What would you like readers to know about you?
I’m a little obsessed with understanding the concept of narcissism. One of the points my Sentinel 10 series makes is that a narcissist can only be cured by supernatural intervention!
A narcissist, a true narcissist, is never going to change. It comes down to their lack of a real self. If they were to confront the reality of who they are, they would fall apart. It calls to mind the story of Dorian Gray, the fictional character whose portrait aged but he didn’t. The parallel with narcissism is that being forced to look at his portrait was lethal to Dorian. Being confronted with their true self can be devastating to a narcissist.
These are the kind of allegories that inspire my plots. Sometimes!
What are you working on now?
My second title in the Sentinel 10 series picks up where The Diamond Rose left off. It’s titled The Crystal Skull and is due out this summer.
End of Interview:
For more from Daniela Valenti visit her website and her Instagram account.
Get your copy of The Diamond Rose from Amazon US or Amazon UK.