Interview with Author Delphine McClelland

Questions: 
1. What inspired you to write this book?

2. What exactly is it about and who is it written for?

 

3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book?

 

4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design?

 

5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!?

 

6. What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading? 

 

7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book? 

 

8. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to?

 

9. What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book?

 

10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours?

Answers:

1)  The inspiration to write Dark Obsessions came from my co-worker John Voldstad who some of you may know as the other brother Darryl in the New Hart Show. I was and still am a big fan of reading paranormal books. John became interested in the stories that I was reading and found the way in which I would retell those stories interesting. One day out of the blue he suggested that I write a book and would not stop saying it no matter how many times I laughed at the idea. He continued to push the idea of me writing until one day I had a great idea for a book and I grabbed a pen and some paper and started writing. 

2) Dark Obsessions is not your typical vampire romance novel. This book was written for me and people like me and who look like me. African Americans are not typically portrayed as the main characters in paranormal romance novels and I wanted to change that idea as well as the idea that vampires are these evil demonic creatures. In this novel the vampires are not evil creatures but became evil based on the treatment that they received. I see vampires as misunderstood creatures who have been labeled one type of way and because that self hate and evilness was poured into them that is what they became. I see a parallel to vampires and the African American male who are often labeled before they are given the chance to show you who they truly are.   

3) I hope readers see how our treatment of others and the labels that we force them to wear ultimately shape who they are and what they become. In a sense by labeling people as one thing and forcing them to see themselves through your hate filled eyes create the monsters that we fear.  

4)When I was deciding on a cover for Dark Obsessions I knew I wanted something different since the book itself was different. I actually looked at several paranormal romance novel covers and noticed that several of them had the same pose and a similar guy and girl. I knew what Kairo, the male lead character, looked like to me and I did not want to force that image onto the reader. I wanted them to decide what Kairo and Skylar looked like to them and since the book talks about the energy between them I wanted that to be the focus of the cover. The book takes place in Charlotte NC and I wanted to see my city on the cover of a book. The title of the book came as I was writing it and wanted to highlight each of the character’s dark obsessions.  

5)The advice that I would give to any writer is to keep your book to yourself until you reach the point of no return. When I started writing Dark Obsessions I was scared to tell anyone, even John who gave me the idea. I was scared that my friends and family would tell me that I could not do it. I did not want that negative energy to make me give up on something that I was enjoying so I stayed quiet about Dark Obsessions until I reached a point where I was too invested to give up. Once that happened I did not care so much about the opinions of others.  

6) I see a lack of creativity in visual media, tv and movies. It seems as if more and more new series and movies are based on a book. I think that it is equally important to write a great book for the reader but also one that would make a great movie or tv series. I can only hope that I have done that with my debut novel.  

7) In a way, yes there is. The idea of Dark Obsession came because of my love of vampires and halloween as a child. I grew up in the church and learned that “vampires” and “halloween” were evil and not in line with my Christian values. I did not understand what they made me, since I gravitated toward these dark and evil things. I knew that it was not right that I liked these dark things and wondered if I was a bad person. As I got older I realized that I was not a bad person or evil simply because I liked something dark. I asked myself the question why do vampires have to be evil so I changed that model for my book. Vampires do not have to be evil. The violence and evilness that they do could have been something that they learned along the way  

8) I would describe my writing style as uniquely me since I have not seen too many books written like Dark Obsessions. When I read books I find myself wondering what is going through the other main character’s mind and I did not want that for my book. I wrote Dark Obsessions in third person so you as the reader can see and understand both main characters and never wonder what they are doing or thinking. Dark Obsessions has a similar vibe and feel to a lot of the paranormal books that I have read such as Twilight, the Vampire Awakening series, The Touched Saga and even some Jennifer Armentrout influences.  

9) Aside from the publishing issues that I had, I overcame my fears. I overcame my fear of sharing what I wrote because when I started writing this book it was meant for me and me only. I had no plans to publish it and share it with anyone but as I continued to write I developed the confidence to share it with my friends and family. That drive grew and I wanted to share it with the world and I would love to see my fan base grow to a Twilight status.  

10) They should read Dark Obsessions because it is not only entertainment but it is a relatable story to people today. While there is some dark and graphic violence in the story I believe that readers will be able to relate and understand who the characters are and why they do things that they do. I tried to make these characters as real as I could and I hope the reader can relate to how they themselves think, act and move. 

About The Author:  Delphine McClellad was born in Statesville, North Carolina where she is a graduate of Statesville Senior High School. After graduating from high school she took her dreams and passions to Knoxville, Tennessee where she attended and graduated from The University of Tennessee with a degree in Anthropology. Her career path was set until life happened and on the advice of a co-worker she took her passion for reading and channeled it into writing her first novel Dark Obsessions. When she is not writing Delphine is known to be spending time with family and friends watching the Vol play on Saturday and the Cowboys play on Sunday. She is a member of the Throne of Grace Church. For more about Delphine check out her website at www.delphinemcclelland.com.

 

Need PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with 3.6 million page views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors promote their story, sell their book, and grow their brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.6 million pageviews. With 4,800+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.