Donna L. Friess, Ph.D Interview Published on: 03, Feb 2016

My father bought me a professional writing course when I was in the fourth grade. It seemed overkill at the time for a child, but I have been writing fairly seriously ever since. During the twenty years I perfected my portrait skills, I wrote articles about my technique and such for international magazines. In the 90’s in the midst of the trial against my father for sexually abusing all of his daughters and many granddaughters, the detective suggested I write my story. The book from that was printed in seven languages and I was on Oprah for an hour. That started my book writing. I have now written seven books. I guess I have a passion for it. I also publish a bimonthly blog for 4000 of my followers.

The detective for our case inspired me about writing an actual book. I had been writing articles and newspaper stories all along.

My father and his girl friend gave away a baby in 1952 when I was nine years old. I always wondered what happened to him. Then in 2000 we found him. He is part of our life. I met a stranger once whose child had contacted her. She had not told her family she had given up a baby. That was the inspiration for my book. My book looks at the conflict between a mother's privacy and a chld's right to know and it also looks at the social climate of the 30'-70's when it was a disgrace to have an out of wedlock child.

For my memoir I changed the names for the privacy of my family, using only the first letter of their actual names. For the novel the name Shelby just came to me as did the names of the other characters. My granddaughter’s redheaded boyfriend is Cody and my character has a red beard and is Cody

I may write a book that I see in the"air" as other writers say. I know the story and the women in the book would be the characters in that story, so it would be a sequel of sorts.

In my memoir I followed a chronological pattern. I kept some stories in that were light, for example passing the candle to announce my engagement in the sorority and winning the big cross country horse race. I put those in purposely to lighten up the gravity of my sexual abuse and having to confront my father in a court of law to get him from continuing to molest the four year old granddaughter he was molesting!

I probably am writing more to women in mid life than any other audience, but men have teared up heavily over Shelby and enjoyed it. Cry the Darkness is compelling to both men and women.It has been required reading in many English reading classes in different parts of the world.

The Indie Book Awards review was excellent. The only criticism was they wanted my lines closer together (a format point).My books have won many many contests which I will list if you want. I have taken first place in Indie Excellent Books Awards in 2014 for Cry the Darkness and first in 2015 for The Unraveling of Shelby Forrest. I am very proud.

Pulling the reader in and holding them til the very end. I am an avid reader and celebrate when I find a good book.

Right now I am taking a break as have written three books in the last five years and am in my cowgirl phase right now for 2016 as I have a new horse! The next book will be the sequel to Shelby.

I write in the morning. I sometimes write all day if I am turned on to an idea.

I have hired a professional PR person and last year had an Internet social media person. I go to book clubs and have signing events. Many and much newspaper coverage. My blogs bring in readers and I can promote Quotesrain through my social media (instagram, twitter, FB, my website) and my blogs.

I feel blessed that people enjoy my writing.I am married to my high school sweetheart (years) and we have three adult children and eleven grandchildren and three dogs, five cats and two horses. We live in a big noisy family in Southern California. I am an international traveler and a half marathoner.