Island Pond, Vermont was every child's wonderland, with looming mountains and small towns nestled in the valleys, its simple lifestyle gave Dawn the ability to let her imagination run wild, thus creating her unique style of writing, where the stories speak for themselves. Big city living, in her teenage years to the present, allowed her to harvest that energy and creativeness to bring to life some of the most unique characters, such as Michael Raven and Julian Deveraux. Although vampires are her most used basis for characters and settings, Ms. Gray's novels also venture into those of other supernatural realms, with ghosts, witchcraft and werewolves coming into play in several of her upcoming manuscripts. Read on to find out more about Dawn's inner workings, based on how she answered the questions provided. After the interview are her links so that you can find her easier!
*Where are you from?
I grew up in Island Pond, Vermont. Then I moved down to Massachusetts with my family, when I was younger, and moved back to Vermont with my own family.
*What was your life like before becoming an author?
I have always been a writer, my friends and I made up stories after school and I would write them down when I came home. After Raven was published, nothing really changed. I had all of my children, they kept me going and I think that they put the reality in my imaginary world.
*What sparked the idea for your series?
It was a trip to the Waterford mansion at Harkness Memorial State Park. One day in 1998, I had an experience that introduced me to my main character Julian Deveraux. I believe I saw him there at that house, and from there the rest of the story developed.
It was a trip to the Waterford mansion at Harkness Memorial State Park. One day in 1998, I had an experience that introduced me to my main character Julian Deveraux. I believe I saw him there at that house, and from there the rest of the story developed.
*How personal is your writing?
I have had a lot of my personal experiences woven into my stories. Friends say that you can tell the mood I was in by the way the story goes, maybe not the whole story but certain scenes, or chapters.
*Which comes first? The character's story or the idea for the novel?
Sometimes they come at the same time. I see little scenes in my head of certain character and what they are doing and the story wraps around that, or I have a story that wants to be told and the characters develop as the story goes on.
*When and why did you begin writing?
I needed an escape, and television never worked for me. I loved to be in the woods with my friends, but I never wanted the adventure to stop when I had to come in the house or go to school, so writing was my way to stay there.
*When did you first consider yourself a writer?
That one is a hard one. I have always been one, as I said before but I think I would consider myself an escape artist before a “writer” because writing is just my tool to escape the real world.
*What inspired you to write your first book?
My first written novel was called “Forever Vampire” and it’s a diary of a 747 year old female vampire who tells her life through the ages. My first printed novel “Raven” was inspired by an old friend who wanted to be a character in one of my stories, and it took off from there.
*What advice do you have for someone who would like to become a published writer?
Take your time, write for yourself first. I know it sounds selfish but if you don’t like what you are writing, and it is not part of you, then there is no heart in it. Make all of your stories your own.
*If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
That is definitely a hard one. It would depend on what I was writing at the time. Right now I am researching Brunswick Springs, VT and would love to have a chat with the man closest to the legend, John C. Hutchins.
*What was the hardest part to write in the book(s)?
The middle. No matter which book it is, there seems to be a point when you want to get from this idea to this other idea but there is something you have to put in between that might make you stop and think. There are times that I have written whole chapters and erased it because it didn’t fit that one middle point.
*Tell us your latest news?
My latest news. Book 5 in the Vampire Legacy Series is going to pre-publication, where they do the first text-format and galley proof which I should receive within the month. There are two others after that, all completed that will be going in next year.
Dawn's Links:
Thank you for reading about Dawn today! I hope you've enjoyed her interview, and books, as much as I have. Have an amazing day!-Melissa
A room without books is like a body without a soul. -Cicero
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