Denise Turney Interview Published on: 18, Apr 2024

When I was a kid, I was an avid book reader! It wasn't uncommon for me to read 30+ books a week, Pippi Longstocking, Judy Blume books and, later, Mildred Taylor stories being among my favorites. It was while I was reading a book by Gwendolyn Brooks that it was revealed to me that I am a writer; I was 10 years old. My sister was the one who brought the book home from the elementary school library. She dropped the book on the bed we shared and ran back downstairs and outside to play, leaving me alone to read the book that would set me on a course I've been on for decades.

As far as influencing my writing style, I always wanted to pattern my writing off of authors who wrote "classics". Fortunately, I found my own voice and much prefer writing intriguing stories using my own, unique style and voice. This is actually a lesson I learned early in my writing career; so glad that I respected and still stick with this lesson.

Study the market. Study the industry. As with other industries, the book publishing industry is ever changing. Therefore, it's important to keep up with trends and shifts, including publishing format (e.g., paperback, hardback, eBook, audiobook) processes, outcomes, and options. Study associated costs, including editor rates, literary agent fees, print costs, translator fees, cost-per-click ads, etc. The more you learn, the better able you may be to negotiate good deals whether you self-publish, are traditionally published or are a hybrid author.

Portia started as a series of letters I wrote my family, searching for a way to tell them that I had breast cancer. Turns out, I didn't have cancer but the experience of thinking I did have the disease when I was only in my 20s was significant. I decided to turn the letters into the inspirational story that became "Portia", a story about a successful Chicago defense attorney who uses her faith and the love of her family to face and overcome breast cancer. Many of the book's readers have passed the story along to their relatives and friends. If I've written a classic, it might be "Portia" as it may be the first inspirational fictional story of an African American woman dealing with breast cancer.

At its core, Spiral deals with the effects of unchallenged/unfaced "fear". The story finds two prominent families in Memphis, Tennessee dealing with a string of events that are causing great worry and fear in the community, the type of place where people may say, "These types of things don't happen here". Oddly, it's two seemingly unsuspecting young people with an ability to see into the future as well as decipher past traumas that help break what happens in Memphis wide-open.

Long Walk Up came to me in a way no other book I've written has. I was driving up Route 1 in Princeton, New Jersey when I was guided to write a story about a girl who had a traumatic childhood but an amazing and profoundly impactful adulthood. The girl in the story who is orphaned at six-years-old becomes Africa's first woman president.

Readers who appreciate a complex love story may truly enjoy reading Love Pour Over Me. Central to the story are Raymond Clarke, an exceptional middle-distance track and field runner who was raised by a hard alcoholic father, and Brenda, a beautiful 20ish woman whose family is from the "right" side of the tracks. Although Raymond and Brenda meet at college, their deep love carries them across decades, a journey of love readers get to join. Hint: A murder mystery is also central to the story.

Oh! Rosetta The Talent Show Queen is my first middle-school book! I absolutely love Rosetta! She's bold, spunky, courageous, outspoken, and a bit mischievous. She's also loads of fun! In Rosetta The Talent Show Queen, 10-year-old pigtailed Rosetta does all she can to outdo her arc nemesis, Jennifer, the teacher's favorite student! It's time for the school talent show. Rosetta has an idea that could make the fifth graders the stars of the talent show. But her arc nemesis has other plans. The story teaches young readers about teamwork, communication, self-esteem, and understanding others.

You're absolutely right! Pathways To Tremendous Success is a self-help book, focusing on topics such as the power of belief, overcoming fear, goal setting, shifting out of erroneous thinking, getting your brain off autopilot and more - all to support your efforts to live the life you were created to live.

I love to write! Crafting a new novel in itself is a great reward for me! I also value sharing lessons I've learned which leads to research and motivational and inspirational self-help books. My greatest motivation comes from how it was revealed to me that I was a writer when I was 10 years old. I'm doing what I came into this world to do - write engaging, intriguing and entertaining stories!

When it comes to writing, I'm what folks call a "pant-ser". I've tried using an outline but feel most effective when I simply sit down and start writing. It's during the self-editing process that I truly start to mold and sharpen a story. Yet, the most important part might be simply getting the story on paper. After several (and I do mean several) rounds of self-edits, I start working with an experienced, professional editor to tighten the story even further.

Earlier in my writing career, (except for conferences and festivals I attended) chistell.com was mainly how I interacted with readers. Today, it's more thru social media. Thanks to the blog at chistell.com, Off The Shelf Books podcast and The Book Lover's Haven newsletter, I regularly reach hundreds and thousands of readers, results I truly appreciate.

Other creative pursuits include podcasting (Off The Shelf Books), a literary newsletter (The Book Lover's Haven), and being out in nature. Love taking nature walks, visiting museums, and learning!

Be on the lookout for Reclaiming Enduring Success: Living Beyond Fear, a self-help book with 365 daily empowering success quotes & personal growth exercises. I'm also finalizing The Whooten Forest Mystery, a suspenseful thriller set in a New Jersey forest, a story with ties to Bucks County, Pennsylvania and Atlanta, Georgia. Then, there's the third book in the Rosetta series that's coming soon!

I joined AllAuthor several years ago. Love your author interviews and the opportunities for authors to connect and support each other's creative efforts. Also appreciate (and love) the social media book mockups that AllAuthor creates! Thank you for this interview and how you support authors, readers, literacy, entertainment, and ongoing learning!