Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Donna Everhart. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Donna, appreciate you joining us today. We’ve love to hear an interesting investment story – what was one of the best or worst investments you’ve made? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)

When I began writing seriously in 2011, I started following a couple of literary agent blogs mostly as a “lurker,” hanging out to read what they and other followers had to say about the publishing industry. The most consistent piece of advice given between these two agents, (who didn’t work for the same agency) was to hire a freelance editor. That was the best FREE advice ever.

I found my first freelance editor via a specific Google search related to a book which had influenced my writing, ELLEN FOSTER by NC writer, Kaye Gibbons. This editor not only edited that book, but had acquired books by some top writers for various publishing houses over the course of her years as an acquiring editor. Lucky me! This editor was now working freelance. We communicated, and for a single read through of my manuscript, it would cost $1,500.00. Even by today’s standards I think that’s a lot of money, and this was twelve years ago. She also said if it had a “fatal flaw,” she couldn’t work with me. Fatal flaw? Nah, not my story! I happily sent her my work. I was SO naive about writing back then and needless to say, it had a fatal flaw. Of course she told me what it was, and what else was wrong.

The best thing I got out of the money I spent for her to tell all the things wrong with my book is she referred me to a friend of hers, another freelance editor who dealt with first-time authors. That editor ended up being much more reasonable cost-wise, but even more important, she became my gateway to publication. She had lots of contacts in NYC because she too, had worked for some of the top houses. Her freelance model was if she believed a manuscript had potential, she would act as the mediator between a literary agent and writer. After working with her for a year, she said the manuscript was ready. She began soliciting agents, one at a time as an “exclusive submission,” and the third agent offered a contract.

Donna, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, and have lived in my home state all my life – except for a short stint in Michigan during my 3rd and 4th grade years. (quite traumatic for a young Southern girl – something to do with my accent)

During my adulthood, I worked in IT for thirty-five years. Some find this interesting because working in technology then becoming a writer is like saying you’re deathly afraid of heights and decide rock climbing is your new sport. I’m also a Stage IV cancer survivor. I used to run marathons, but my health sidelined that. However, I’ve always had a passion for reading, and this eventually turned into a passion for writing.

The way I became a writer . . . is like that old adage of being pushed off a cliff. My company went bankrupt. I’ve often said if they hadn’t, I’d likely still be there working toward my retirement. I’d been with this particular company for twenty-five years, with the ten previous years at another technology company, also no longer in existence. I suppose this is to say I’m not a risk taker. I’d only dabbled with writing, and had this “thing” on my laptop I called a manuscript, but I wasn’t about to quit to write. I didn’t take it seriously because I understood how complicated and difficult it is for any sort of creative to “make it.”

But then, in late 2008 when the company went Chapter 13, well, that was the shove I guess I needed.

I stuck with them as they began to transition, selling off parts of the business in the process of shutting down. It was a pretty toxic environment where colleagues I’d worked with for decades were walked out the door every day. I’m proud to say I also went back to school, got a degree (in case the writing didn’t work out) and continued to fix that “fatally flawed” manuscript when I had time. The good news is I was paid bonuses for staying with the company during the Chapter 13 shutdown. I saved those bonuses, like a nest egg, for that dream of becoming a full-time writer. Of course I was finally let go, but when that happened, I’d just signed with a literary agent.

I’m also proud I’m persistent and dedicated to a fault once I make my mind up about a goal – even when that goal doesn’t seem likely.

On my website, it says that I write vivid, authentic Southern fiction. I love writing stories about family hardships and troubled times in a bygone South. I suppose I love writing about times in the past, to not only show the realities of what people endured, but also because it’s what I love to read. I hear from lots of readers after they’ve read one of the books, and they often say these stories remind them of how tough it was, and that they’re grateful for what they have.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I mentioned I’m a Stage IV cancer survivor. I’ve had many people ask how I kept writing during chemotherapy, radiation, and side-effects. It wasn’t easy, but I found that when I worked on a project, I went somewhere else. I would forget about radiation burns, nausea, the fact my hair was falling out, and that I didn’t know if I WOULD beat it.

I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in August of 2017. I’d only just begun my journey as an author. My debut published in October, 2016, and my second book launched in December, 2017, and I was under contract for books three and four. I went to events wearing hats. I took Zofran to combat nausea. I talked around the mouth sores I had, and ignored the low white count which made me vulnerable to illness. I persisted, INSISTED in continuing because publication had happened, and I didn’t want cancer to steal my dream away.

I’m five years post diagnosis. I’ve had a strange journey with cancer over the years. Lots of scares of recurrence, then what seemed to be a recurrence, more chemo and then, my own mother getting esophageal cancer in 2019, and passing away from it within six months. I was her caregiver, and was getting chemo again at the time I gave her eulogy. It’s been a rough go, but I’m on the other side of it at the moment.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Mostly, I write for the love of writing. If there are any goals tied to my creative endeavors, it would be to explore lost history, or explore lifestyles and cultures through storytelling by revealing lesser known events, or even those which have never been heard of. If I choose to write about something well-known, I want to somehow share what it was like to live during that time through my fictitious characters.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.donnaeverhart.com
• Instagram: donnaeve2
• Facebook: donnadaviseverhart
• Twitter: wordstogobuy

Image Credits
MWalsh Photography