Interview With Author Denise Haynes

 

 

 

1. What inspired you to write this book? My interest in family as the foundation for who we are.

 

2. What exactly is it about and who is it written for? It is about the human need to be seen and heard.  This is developed by exposing readers to the internal life of a large family narrated initially by the father and then by the children and finally by past and present generations.

 

3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book? A sense of understanding themselves, their fellow family members, and the realization that we all see ourselves differently from the way others see us. I'd also hope that the book brings an understanding of parenthood and the changes it brings on a personal level.

 

4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design? After writing the book I realized that I had used the motif of a talent show.  While writing I had a visual of contestants in a talent show and realized that they were like children in a large family.  From there I developed the cover design.

 

5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!? Keep writing, keep listening, keep observing.  Make notes of snippets that you hear and use them in your work without forcing them in.  Some parts of my book were written many years before out of a need to simply write them.  It was only in writing Talent Show that I realised that some of them were a natural part of the story.

 

6. What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading? I see a shift in the way readers are exposed to books.  Not everyone has the time to go to the bookstore.  Not all countries have large bookstores.  Individual efforts can now have more weight with social media and online opportunities.  The writer can now find a publisher and feel out her home market for ways to share the book.  The days of languishing unless an agent is involved are thankfully over.  Agents are still important but not vital, depending on how willing the writer is to be part of the process. The writer can take the reins if she wants to.

 

7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book? My years of teaching literature definitely built some foundation, as well as experiences with my family and observations of the families of others.  

 

8. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to? I write in my own way.  I don't know if there is any similarity to any writers but I have admired Margaret Atwood, V.S. Naipaul, Earl Lovelace, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Anita Desai, Jhumpa Lahiri and Mario Vargas Llosa for many years.  These are great writers and I'm not suggesting in any way that I am of their stature and accomplishment, but they certainly may have influenced my aspiration in terms of style and kept the desire to write alive.

 

9. What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book? The challenge of procrastination.  In a big way the pandemic was responsible for me overcoming this.  It was such an unusually isolating time and the world seemed to have fallen away, leaving me with my dreams and aspirations and plenty of time and space to work on and with them.  Writing became my daily solace, instead of the occasional one it formerly was.  

 

10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours? Everyone can identify with the story. I've received so much feedback along these lines. It seems there is a universal appeal and resonance.  It may even help people to understand themselves and their families, or at the very least become aware of the layers of life within a family.

 

About The Author: Born on the island of Trinidad, Denise Theresa Haynes is the youngest of ten children. After studying French and Spanish languages and literatures at University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill, Barbados, she taught at UWI before studying law. Denise was a runner up in the Commonwealth Bureau’s Short Story Competition in 1999 and has written articles for magazines and journals. Having practiced law for 16 years, she now dedicates her time to writing. She is married and has two children. She is an avid gardener, walks every day and enjoys cooking and reading.

 

Need PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over 3.9 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 3.9 million pageviews. With 4,900+ 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, BookCAMP, 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.