There was no need to find a premise. I found myself living in a story I knew needed to be told.
Diane N. Black – 1 June 2024
The Back Flap
IN A SMALL TEXAS TOWN, THE DIRECTOR OF A CHILDREN’S HOME TRIES TO SAVE THREE ADOPTED RUSSIAN CHILDREN LIVING WITH A SADISTIC WOMAN IN THE BACKWOODS OF CANEY HEAD.
A heart-stopping story that highlights the failure of the agencies we trust to protect the most vulnerable among us—and a truth more compelling and powerful than we could imagine. Abuse reports from neighbors draw attention to twelve-year-old Alexey who runs away to hide in the woods. The local child protection agency sends the director of the children’s home to visit Alexey and his younger sisters, Anastasia and Svetlana. But despite her compelling report the agency believes the denials of the adoptive mother and leaves the children in the abusive home. Knowing the horrible truth, the director faces one obstacle after another as she tries to find someone to protect the children from the unspeakable.
Dead Dog Road—a place where secrets are buried like the injured fighting dogs who are dumped there.
About the book
What is the book about?
Dead Dog Road is about a woman who tries to help three adopted Russian children who are being abused by a sadistic woman living in the East Texas backwoods.
When did you start writing the book?
When I was stranded at a hotel during Hurricane Harvey in 2019 I began the rough draft.
How long did it take you to write it?
After the first draft, I took long breaks to take creative writing classes, watch videos about writing, and read books about writing. The period of time from the first written word to the last was seven years.
Where did you get the idea?
There was no need to find a premise. I found myself living in a story I knew needed to be told.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
My biggest struggle was writing back story. The first draft was written in chronological order. I was gradually able to learn to transition from the past to the present and the other way around.
What came easily?
Writing scenes and dialogue felt natural to me.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
The story is true so are the characters. Some names were changed.
We all know it’s important for writers to read. Are there any particular authors who have influenced how you write, and if so, how have they influenced you?
I tend to read my favorite writers as opposed to my favorite stories. I think Stephen King is the best writer of our time. I also learned a lot from Kristen Hannah. Both of these writers are so good with description. I keep Stephen King’s advice in mind: Just tell the story!
Do you have a target reader?
I’m still learning who my target reader is. As I read my reviews and the messages readers send to me my perception of my target reader has changed. I thought my ideal reader would be a young people who had been in foster care or a person disillusioned with the child protection system. A month after publication, I see my ideal reader as a woman with children who is mature enough to understand that things don’t always work the way they’re supposed to.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
I think of myself as a pantser. I like to write random scenes related to my premise, put everything in chronological order, then fill in missing parts. Then I look for something to capture the reader and started there without using anything that had more value as a surprise later in the story. Unless you can engage the reader, it doesn’t matter how great your book is. I’ve also learned that while good technical writing is important, most readers don’t care about how flowery your words are or how big your vocabulary is.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
Even as a pantser, I jot down the main ideas that I know I want to address in the book. I also pay attention to where the inciting incident falls.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
I’m an editing fiend. I edit scenes and chapters as I go along. When the first draft is complete, I edit the manuscript until I don’t see any mistakes. Then I have a couple of people read it to check for formatting, flow, pace, word choice, grammar, punctuation. It’s almost impossible not to find a mistake. Most books end up published with one or two small mistakes despite painstaking work.
Did you hire a professional editor?
The value of professional editors can’t be overstated. A writer often sees what was meant, but not actually said, or doesn’t catch a mistake because the eye is no longer objective. Unless a writer learns the entire Chicago Manual of Style, many mistakes will be made. It’s best to hire a developmental editor after the first draft, a copy editor after the second draft, and a proof reader when the manuscript is complete.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
I write in silence, often late into the night. Whatever works best is the way to go.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
Yes. I had an agent for six months, but she was unable to sell my manuscript. Then I had a small publisher who I broke away from because we couldn’t agree on some things, and I realized I needed more control.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
It was a gradual process. There was a fair amount of interest among literary agents, but it was never enough. Unless a writer has a ready-made platform or great connections it’s almost impossible to be traditionally published no matter how good your story is. Over time, I’ve come to understand that new authors have more advantages going indie. The focus of a traditional publisher is on their proven authors, so most newly traditionally published authors don’t sell many copies. Being an author is a hard gig no matter how you go about it! We write because we have a story to tell.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
My idea about self-publishing is not to create a book that’s as good as the traditional publishing houses, but to make it better. Then, if it falls short of that, it will at least be as good. I hired one of the best in the business who has designed covers for the most famous authors out there, and I didn’t love it. The quality definitely didn’t match what she had done for others. It felt like she did subpar work because she thought my standards were lower as a self-publisher. I often woke in the middle of the night trying to convince myself to use it. But, I wanted a book cover I loved. After much searching, I found my designer, Ian Koviak, on Reedsy. He is amazing!
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
Even with a marketing plan the push to get a book noticed in a world full of books is like pushing a boulder up a hill. I don’t think any book can sell more than a handful of copies without a marketing plan.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Don’t believe everything you read. They’ll tell you to write and never give up and to never stop writing. This is true but only if you’re willing to learn the craft. They’ll tell you you’ll get better the more you write. This is also true but only if you study and practice technique, and read a lot of books. Tenacity is a big part of it, but it’s important to be tenacious doing the things that work. You can knock a hole in a brick wall with an ice pick like Andy Dufresne in Shawshank Redemption, or you can use a sledge hammer.
About You
Where did you grow up?
Mostly in Texas. I lived in several other states, but Texas has always felt like home.
Where do you live now?
North Dallas
What would you like readers to know about you?
That I try not to be afraid, that I try to remember to look at the beauty in the world, at the goodness in people, and to believe in eternal love, while writing about the very things that try to take these things away.
What are you working on now?
I’m in the process of researching a true crime before beginning my next book.
End of Interview:
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