Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Danika Stone. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Danika, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the story of how you went from this being just an idea to making it into something real.
When it comes to starting a project, the simplest approach for me is to remember that finished is better than perfect. There are two parts to this, of course. First, I must get the idea out of my head and onto the page, which can be a daunting task. As a writer, you ask yourself “what if”? Then answer the question, forcing the words out in whatever way you need. With my latest novel, INESCAPABLE, the “what if” was “what if someone asked a loved one who was dying to stay with them… but couldn’t get rid of the ghost once they arrived?” This spark of an idea came about during a traumatic time when my younger brother was dying, and once I had that seed of a plot, I couldn’t get it out of my head. I started imagining different characters and how they might interact with the ghost of their loved one. Suddenly I had a few ‘voices’ that wanted to be shared, and I began sketching out a novel. For about six months, I built and shaped the world of Aimee, trying to get past the death of her husband… and the arrival of his ghost. I let her tell the story.
The second leg in the process came during the editing process where I needed to stop polishing and put the book out into the world. I was fortunate that my previous publisher, Stonehouse Publishing, was eager to pick up INESCAPABLE (which saved me from having to query). However, It still meant rewriting sections and clarifying the motives of different characters. A little over two years later, I had a book in bookstores. This second piece of the writing puzzle is one many novice author’s overlook: that writing a book is actually a collaborative process. All traditionally books are built this way, and if you can remember that this, too, is a key part to getting to the final execution of the project, then you’ll create something even better than your original idea.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I’m a multi-genre author of young adult books (Macmillan) and mystery-thrillers (Stonehouse). My latest novel, INESCAPABLE, made the Edmonton Best Seller list for fiction, and my recent YA novel, SWITCHBACK, was selected by CCBC as one of their Best Books of 2019. I have a trilogy about Waterton park, AB, the small mountain town where I grew up, and many of my books take place there. I’ve been nominated for the High Plains Book Award twice—once for SWITCHBACK and once for THE DARK DIVIDE.
I’m proud of the diversity in my creative endeavours and in my life. I’m a hiker and painter, but I’m also a fangirl and a techmo. I obsess over more things than is probably healthy, and I spend an inordinate amount of time online. As strange as it sounds, both the mountains and the internet are my happy places. Lastly, I love talking to readers, so PLEASE reach out!
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I’ve always loved writing, but loving it and actually doing it as a professional are two different things. A decade ago, I made the leap. I wrote a book that I loved. I edited it. I queried it to agents… and I was turned down by all of them.
Now, a lot of people would just walk away at that point. Not me. I’m stubborn. (Like, really, REALLY stubborn.) One of the agents I queried gave me some advice I never forgot. He told me he really liked my book, but that the publishing industry was changing, and I was an unknown. He couldn’t take a risk on me. His advice was to make a name for myself. Get out. Get known. Do the groundwork.
Rather than dwelling on my failure, I took his advice to heart.
I spent a couple years building friendships in the indie publishing community. I read / reviewed / promoted for anyone who asked. I learned how to do things alone. I entered manuscripts in contests, (and in 2013, had one make it all the way to Quarterfinalist for Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel of the Year Award.) Meanwhile, I kept writing. And when I had another book I loved, I queried a second time.
This time, I signed with an agent.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
In today’s publishing world, staying in touch with your audience is more important than ever. There’s no scientifically proven way to build that audience, but here are three that work for me:
First, I try to be authentic. Many authors try to create a social media feed that is a glowing highlight reel of an all too perfect life. I’m here to tell you that you shouldn’t. Why? For one, because it’s not real. No one’s life is perfect, and pretending it is can turn anyone off.
Readers are people and they’re curious about the ‘real’ you. They want to know who you are and when you falsely represent that on social media, people can tell. I fill my social media feed with snapshots of my day. No matter what I’m doing, or who I’m with, if I have a moment that sticks out in some way, I try to capture it. Those moments—good and bad, happy and sometimes intensely sad—are the real side of Danika Stone. So whether it’s having a Tim Horton’s coffee while sitting in my Jeep, or wandering along a rocky beach in the mountains, I try to pull my readers into it. That connection is more real than any curated feed!
Second, I focus on joy.
Life is hard. Believe me, I know this. But the truth is, there are moments of joy hidden in the pain… you just have to look for them. When you step into the publishing world, you’re agreeing to allow other people into your writing life. Most readers are incredible, kind people; they will support you in ways you’d never imagined. But… some won’t. You can’t let your attention go to those folks. Forget replying to nasty comments or harsh reviews. Don’t say anything at all. Just move on. And if it’s something that concerns you, block them.
The joys of being a writer—if you focus on them—far outweigh the negatives. In addition to this, an audience—no matter what genre you write for—is created over time. Positivity can be created too, but it’s up to you to make that happen. Remember, joy is just a matter of where your place your attention.
My third and final bit of advice it to build your own Friends!Family. Maybe it’s my background in fandom, but I honestly think of my online friends as family. There are people I have gone on vacation with who I originally met on LiveJournal, Tumblr, and Twitter. (Yes, my 1990s the-internet-is-dangerous parents would have been horrified!) But the creation of friends!family is great for building an audience as well.
Being a writer online is a give and take. Yes, you are there to allow readers to reach out to you, but you’re also there to connect with them as peers. Build a friends!family with authors, bloggers, reviewers and readers, because—as intimidating as it may seem from the outside—the writing world is much more like a small town than a city. It can be lonely here, if you don’t know who to reach out to, so find your people. Cheer them on. Care for them. Do this and that audience of friends will stick with you forever!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://danikastone.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danika_k_stone/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danikastoneauthor
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danikastone/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Danika_Stone
- Youtube: @AuthorDanikaStone
- Other: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6574168.Danika_Stone https://us.macmillan.com/author/danikastone
Image Credits
i.m. ruzz Cirrus Stone Danika Stone