Hey there everyone.

Today I have the utmost pleasure of speaking with a multi-genre author and extremely talented lady, who has several different series and a variety of novels to her name.

Please welcome Alianne Donnelly as she goes into more detail about her wonderful worlds, exciting books and brilliant writing techniques.

 

Hi there Alianne, I’m very excited to have you over at my blog today as our guest and can’t wait to find out more about your work.

Hi David! Thanks so much for having me. I’m very excited to be here. =)

Let’s start off with all of the different series that you are crafting with your novels. There is “Blood and Shadows”, “Dragonblood”, “The Beast Series” & “The Rebel Court”. Can you give us the lowdown on each of them regarding their specific worlds, characters and the story arcs that grace their pages?

I think, as an author, I go a bit against the grain. Most authors I meet tend to write one thing, one genre, or subtle variations of it. I’m kind of all over the place, and my different series reflect that.

Blood and Shadows is a futuristic sci-fi/paranormal romance series in which humanity has begun to mutate, and by observing them, scientists have found a way to alter DNA. As society slowly breaks down and bucks under tight government control, one such scientist combines human and animal DNA to create the first ever shape shifters. The individual stories center around the people she’s influenced, but you get hints throughout that the world is on the brink of something huge, and it all culminates in the very last book when rebellion blows up into full-on revolution.

In contrast, Dragonblood is all high fantasy, dragons, love, magic, Otherkind, and all the different ways they interact. In the first book, a woman is chosen to act as the king’s right hand, and a dark force she has to fight rifts the Veil between realms, which essentially marks the beginning of Ragnarok. The series as a whole is something of a turning of ages, and a clash of religions. It takes from Norse, Christian, and Persian myths and sometimes turns them on their head. As they did in our history, the different faiths collide, and it has a huge impact on the people caught in the middle.

The Beast Series and The Rebel Court are my own personal twists on classic fairy tales. The former is my all time favorite, Beauty and the Beast, reimagined into something dark and twisted. The latter is Snow White (or rather her seven allies) in a meld of high fantasy and urban fantasy, with a definitely erotic bend. It’s my first foray into erotica, and something of an experiment for myself in terms of format, presentation, etc. I am enjoying the challenge a great deal. LOL!

I also notice that you have stand-alone novels called “Wolfen” & “Virtual”. Do either of these books share any connections to the worlds you have created elsewhere in your series books or are they completely different entities? Please tell us more about them and the background information behind them.

No, these two are true to their name and are completely separate from the series and each other. I wrote them just to get them out of my head, so to speak. In the case of Wolfen, a small side project turned into a mega novel unlike anything I’d ever written before. For that alone, it’s one of my favorites now, and it seems to speak to a vastly diverse audience, too. Virtual was just for fun. I liked the idea of an unconventional hero saving the day without ever going near the heroine. I like how integral they became in each other’s lives before they even met in person.

If your novels were to be made into movies, who would you cast in the lead roles?

LOL! I must have thought about this a million times in the past and it always comes down to the same problem. I can come up with actors for every single side character, no matter how small, but when it comes to the main ones, no one is ever quite right. I think that’s because I have such a clear picture of them in my head I keep looking for those people but I never seem to find them in real life. Maybe that’s for the best.

Who are some of the authors in general that inspire you?

I find inspiration in every book I read. It’s kind of unavoidable. But there are a handful I return to again and again because their writing is like visiting with old friends, you know? For example, Kresley Cole is one whose books I’ve read two dozen times each, if I’ve read them once. I come back to them at least once a year. She is brilliant with her dialogues, and has a knack for writing side characters that bind her series together. You read the books as much to see them as to meet the new ones. I highly admire that.

What sort of research do you do to write your books?

I’ll likely get skewered for this, but the answer is little to none. If I research too much, my writing becomes a lecture rather than a novel, and I don’t even enjoy reading that, let alone writing it. My goal with my books is to immerse the reader, not to educate them. With the caveat that I am naturally a curious person, and always learning new things from articles, blog posts, etc. Mythology was my passion growing up, so most of the information on that is basically from memory of having read about it.

I will actively look up certain details I’m unsure of, but in general, I rely on my gut instinct about what works and what doesn’t. For the more scientific stories, again, most of it comes from reading articles on new scientific discoveries, gizmos, ideas, and future plans. A lot of what I write is theoretically already possible today but, for whatever reason, people just haven’t taken that small little step to making it happen.

Why do you write? What inspired you to become a writer?

There are worlds inside my mind, and writing about them makes them real to me. =)

That’s basically what it comes down to. I know these people I write about. I walk their neighborhoods. I chat with them on a regular basis. It’s been that way since before I could hold a pen; it’s part of who I am. So I guess the better question is what inspired me to publish, and the answer to that is quite simple: The faith and encouragement from my high school English teacher. None of my books would ever have seen the light of day if she hadn’t made me believe it was possible.

What keeps you motivated during creative slumps? How do you deal with Writers Block?

I get two kinds of writer’s block. One is where I start to dislike what I’m writing more and more, until I realize I made a mistake somewhere. When that happens, I have to go back and fix it, which sometimes means scrapping paragraphs or entire chapters and taking a different route.

The other is when I just burn myself out. I write in cycles where I’ll write like mad for a few weeks, and then get exhausted and can’t think of a single new sentence for months. In that case, I can’t force it. It’s frustrating at first, but what helps me more than anything is setting it aside for a while and just living life, reading something new, taking a break. Eventually, the itch to write again comes back and I pick up where I left off.

How do you spend your free time when you are not writing?

Well, having a full-time job takes a huge chunk out of my free time. The rest is spent on marketing efforts and sleep. 😉 But when I do have some actual, real free time, I read a lot, and watch movies, or TV series with great story lines. Yes, I am a bit of a hermit. LOL! But it works for me.

Tell us more about your upcoming projects. Are you working on anything specific or have plans in the pipeline?

With Book 2 in Dragonblood just finished and releasing 9.3.16, I have started working on Book 3, titled Prince of Deceit, while at the same time getting the next instalment of the Rebel Court together. They are vastly different story lines, so I’m crossing my fingers that I don’t screw them up. Side note: working on two books at the same time from writing to production is exhausting!

Finally, are there any nuggets of wisdom that you can impart to other aspiring writers?

Learn from everyone, but emulate no one. Every single writer out there has something to teach you, whether it’s about writing, marketing, or publishing. Their stories are worth listening to. But in the end, it always comes down to you, and what you want to write, and how you want to see it published. There’s no right or wrong way to do any of this, so trust yourself. The only obligation you have is to create the best story you are capable of writing.

And that’s a wrap!

Thanks again! I really enjoyed this interview. =)

Bio:-

Alianne is an avid lover of stories of all kinds. Having grown up with fairy tales in a place where it almost seemed they were real, it was no surprise when she began making up her own stories. She loves books, music, hiking, and archery, and won’t shy away from travel and zip lining. Alianne graduated with a business degree and when she’s not off in the land of fantasy, she lives in California.

You can contact Alianne via the following Social Media platforms:-

Subscribe to her newsletter:- Alianne Donnelly Newsletter
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Goodreads:- Alianne Donnelly (Goodreads Author)
GooglePlus:- Alianne Donnelly (GooglePlus)
Instagram:- Alianne Donnelly (Instagram)
Pinterest:- Alianne Donnelly (Pinterest)
Twitter:- Alianne Donnelly (Twitter)
Website:- The Website of Alianne Donnelly – Multi-Genre Author
YouTube:- Alianne Donnelly (YouTube)

You can buy Alianne’s books here:-

Canada:- Buy Alianne Donnelly’s books in Canada

UK/Europe:- Buy Alianne Donnelly’s books in the UK/Europe

US/Rest of the World:- Buy Alianne Donnelly’s books in the US/Rest of the World

If you too would like to be interviewed on my blog at TooFullToWrite and you have a book or a series of books that you would like us to chat about then fill out the Contact Me form here with your details and we can arrange a future interview slot.

Still want more? Well, one of the books in Alianne’s Blood & Shadows series is called “Blood Moons”. The moon is an incredibly beautiful and sensual muse. For more blog posts based on the theme of the ‘Moon’, check out the links below:-

1. Writing Insight: August –The Honeymoon Phase – Writing through Career Transition
2. Madeline Scribes – the key, the muse, and everything else
3. burntbreakfast – Day 31: Moon
4. The Daily Post – Espiritu en Fuego/A Fiery Spirit – Moon
5. Water of Rain – If You Had Loved Me
6. My Mixed Blog – Venus Via The Moon
7. Vivid Dreamer – Eyes of the Moon
8. Moon Over Michigan – Bolognese’s Blog
9. Your Time Will Come – The Chaos Within
10. When Titans Profess Love – november child
11. Dreaming of Harvest Moon – lullueblog
12. The Moon, The Night and You – Know Your Folly
13. On In-betweens and Coffee Talks – Cynthia Goes Online
14. Silvery sea ‘neath Silvery moon – Ink ’em Down
15. The Fighter Moon – The Beauty Of Doing Nothing!
16. Slivers of Moon – stephentotheplate
17. artifiswords – MOON
18. 2 Geeks @ 3 Knots – Sturgeon Moon
19. Full Moon thoughts – Nomadic Adventurer
20. Indira’s Blog – Moon- The Daily Post
21. Ken and the Night Sky – Kevin Army
22. Run – indisputably inconclusive
23. Willow’s Corner – A fishy moon
24. Just call me Moon Child! – When I thought I was fat
25. Mainline_Matter – Beware Moon
26. Mystic Moon Big and Small – Progressing into Solitude
27. Moonlight – Mac’s World
28. To the Moon – Love it Now
29. Howling At the Moon? – that little voice
30. Riding my Demons – Dreamer’s Paradise
31. Purposive Writer – One Rare Morning: Day 22
32. Moon Goddess Chant – Labeled Disabled
33. Serene – Life at 17
34. haibundrafts – Brought on Hummingbird Wings
35. His Smile – paperdollsletter
36. A word on moon – ioanaazoica
37. How We Cripple Our Women – Get Lost
38. To the Moon and Back – mum’s going nuts
39. Haiku: Moon Child – whippetwisdom.com
40. Loneliness in the Sky – mySestina
41. the moon hums lullabies – REVERIES
42. Moon-Walk – StrangeLander2015
43. Avid Thinker – Why Not To Ask Who The Older Sibling Is!
44. On nights like this – KangaWithoutRoo
45. Annette’s place – Daily prompt/moon/8/18/2016
46. helen meikle’s scribblefest – Daily prompt: Hi moon, hi mum
47. A Full “Moon” Night ( Poornima ) – manipurikeisham
48. AN OCEAN OF NOTIONS – other weather
49. Moonlight Reflections – Moon
50. GrannyMoon’s Morning Feast – Fun With Werewolves
51. Moon – my creative life
52. New Experiences – A Little Piece of My Mind
53. witchlike – Fun With Werewolves
54. 3ckThoughts&Things – Monsoon Moods
55. Still a Runner – HARRC in the Dark runs under a Sturgeon Moon
56. eladybug52 – Love You to the Moon and Back
57. inspiration in progress – Moon – 50 words
58. Moon – Serendipitous Web Life
59. Creative Inspiration – Onto My Next 40 Years
60. MY ENDURING BONES – The Death of Andela Palmira
61. Just like the Moon…  – CrossGear
62. A Dreamer Finds His Way by Moonlight but Sees Dawn Too Soon – Blog to Memoir
63. Shoot for the moon and transform me – My Daly Bred
64. Done For Today – A lot from Lydia
65. Scouting For Sanity – Daily Writing: Moon
66. Moon Fishing – Scattered Showers in a Clear Sky
67. Sun Dance with the Moon – Jacki Kellum Poetry – Blog to Memoir
68. Mother Willow – Circle Dance
69. Moondance in Mississippi – Jacki Kellum Memoir Poem – Blog to Memoir
70. Ellipsis – Making Sense of Complications
71. Have You Released Your Writer’s Muse? Try Taking A Nap – Moonlight, Muses, & Sleeping – Jacki Kellum Poetry – Blog to Memoir
72. Sacrificial Chain Breaker – ODE TO THE MOON
73. No good summonings happen after 2a.m. – 5beatspersecond
74. hidden love – know my heart
75. Hey Moon – A Walk in the Woods
76. Summer Paradise – Fenix Verde
77. Le Drake Noir – Moon walking on earth
78. My Memories of Tent Revivals and Moonlight in the South – Jacki Kellum – Blog to Memoir
79. SoundEagle – If My Name Were Moon Tonight
80. 2 Poems about the Moon Inspired by My Memories – Jacki Kellum – Blog to Memoir
81. Welcome to the World of gALIXy! – Red, Red Moon
82. Wife and Mother – Nighttime run
83. simply.cindy – Moon Over Osoyoos, Okanagan Valley
84. Midnight’s Call – Topographical Heart
85. Dear Moon – Who I Was
86. Changes in the Night Sky – Martha’s Daily Writing
87. Lisa’s Journal Blog – I Couldn’t Find The Moon
88. If I Could, I Would – A mile in my shoes
89. Derelict Heart – Beckoning Moon
90. Macedonia to Serbia – Travel Day – Thirty by Thirty
91. Cage Dunn: Writer and Author – Moons, Madness and Machines
92. The things we forget to appreciate – Painted in words
93. dinamicdynasty – Moon
94. Ruminations – Moon eye
95. Moon Scars – 1withthepen
96. Fluffy Pool – Where, Where?
97. Ken and the Night Sky – Deep Fried Rat
98. Moon – Image & Word
99. Making it write – Under the stars
100. April’s Perspective
101. Light Motifs – Moon Times Two
102. Writing and Works – Not Of This Era
103. Lakeland Musings by Irwin – Various ways to use the word “Moon”
104. Words on Words on Words – To The Moon And Back
105. Suddenly Single in Marin – The Manly Nen over moon with Dating Rules?
106. Whispering Sea and Moon… – Writcrit
107. Moon – A Thomas Point of View
108. wordsareallihavesite – Moon
109. My constant companion – howdoyoudoweb
110. Original-Dante – All That Remains.
111. La Tour Abolie – Golden Apple Earrings
112. Clare’s Cosmos – I Love the Moon
113. Shoot the Moon – My Second Act, Scene One
114. Tales of Virginia – Obscurious – Project A119, A Study of Lunar Research Flights
115. Once Upon Your Prime – OMG! God Is Everywhere. . . Online!
116. Moon – Just me musing
117. America’s Dairyland/Moonland – By the Wayside
118. Quest for Whirled Peas – Tanka
119. B_ up to date – Moonlight Universe
120. manvsloneliness – Day 47: The Man and the Fortuitous Madness; ‘Moon’
121. Jake’s bites of wisdom (stuff the dog taught me) ⋆ Obsolete Childhood
122. Alpha Butler Charlie – Two little girls
123. Moon – The Inkwell
124. A star for you – Bloggers Paradise
125. Moon – Daily Prompt – dawnhinsley
126. The prisoner – Words in verse…..
127. Ease Back Into Running – Sneakers on Pavement
128. The Gad About Town – A Moonless Night
129. MOON IN A JAR (A Quadrille) – MY WALL
130. Dreams in Alaska – Moon Dreams
131. debooWORKS – New Moon
132. Her Last, With Moon ! – miraclegirlblog
133. Saint Ides Heaven-Elliott Smith – She Who Hears
134. Autism in Our Nest – Seeing Things For the First Time
135. Hey Lollygagger – Ayoka
136. Moon – Covert Novelist
137. Moon – thepathtocreativity
138. Chand pe bhi daag hota he| It’s all about perception! – Journey
139. Moon Garden – genusrosa
140. The Moon – Think, Dream, & Believe
141. Happy Aries – Moon
142. Moon – disue
143. Sturgeon Moon – Oh, border!
144. zeal4zenith – Open Letter to a Friend
145. Touch – indisputably inconclusive
146. Casting a shadow on solar – The Mono-Economy of the New Millennium
147. Common Pursuit – New and Full
148. My eclectic night sky – PLEXIUS
149. A Dream – cirque de la nuit
150. love story. – lemonadeletter
151. DaringToJess – Moon’s What’s App to Earth.
152. Optical illusion #poetry #Haiku – lovelyricism
153. Moon – Daily Prompt – ladyleemanila
154. Barryjack’s Place – Moonrise
155. charlesewaugh – A Taste of Nu Book 2
156. lifelessons – a blog by Judy Dykstra-Brown – Two Poems from a Night with No Moon
157. Flowers and Breezes – Moon
158. Riley Central – Movie Preview: The Family Fang
159. A Beacon of Light – Writer 4835
160. Tryst (A Tanka) – Emotional Spaces
161. Moon – Her Snippets
162. Behind closed doors! – The Cliffhanger Chronicle
163. A Pensive Writer – Word to Word
164. Screw the odds, I’ve got a water bottle – ink and toast
165. Daily Post Prompt: Moon – The Happy Wordcrafter
166. 11 Habits of High Achievers – SUCCESS STRATEGIES
167. Moon – A Novice blogger
168. Think About It – Blame it on the Moon
169. Success Inspirers’ World – Be the sun
170. 83 Unsung Heroes – Why Do We Dream?
171. The Dark Side Of The Moon – Odyssey In Atlantis
172. not at home – Full Moon in the Dolomites
173. Oh how I love my boys – Let The Light In ~ Reflections
174. My Steadfast Companion – Tell Me What to Write
175. Can You Paint with All the Colours of Taiwan- Downtown Taipei – The Looking Glass
176. Sandmanjazz – A Commodity that Becomes You
177. The Black – A Short Conversation
178. multiplemyelomaandme – Moon
179. Moonlight Romance – eddaz
180. Unexpected kindness – zorazebic
181. “panik tahap bulan?” / “moonly panicking?” – 0.0
182. Moon-Love of Stars – Akanksha
183. Night – Little April Shower
184. I’d like to kick my daughter to the moon! – Franky tells it like it is
185. Blood Moon Eclipse – Do Not Annoy The Photographer
186. Reflections – CANEST
187. Martha L Shaw – HOPE OVER FEAR
188. UTOPIA? – themanbehindtheglass
189. Like the Lamp – Where Do Lost Things Go?
190. Laurel Grove loves… – August full Moon…fleeting
191. High Valley Lunacy – Where’s the Windmill?
192. Twin-moon – Afterlife Love Story
193. Night Swimming – indisputably inconclusive
194. HarlemATL Inner City Blues – Katt Leya: More Than I Can Handle
195. lifeafterbefore – Moonshine magic.
196. The Curse of the Fair Queen – ARJUN SHIVARAM
197. Dances In The Moonlight – Odyssey In Atlantis
198. Michael J. Fite – What Makes You And The Moon So Similar?
199. Shell’s Studio – Moon
200. Petra Omoregie Caroline – Hiding moon
201. masihbersambung – The Moon and Two Songs
202. Moon that makes us bloom – Yourâ““vibes
203. Relax – With
204. Shell Games – Moonstruck
205. debooWORKS – Full Moon
206. prompt: moon – Lilac, or When I Looked Into Heaven And Heaven Smiled Back
207. words for ghosts – The Moon
208. No Scars – Fifteenth Concession
209. Moon and the Corals! – WazirNama
210. Random Brain Musings – Pull of the Moon on the Tides
211. Blame it on the moon – writemebad
212. The Cat Chronicles – Daily Feline Prompt: Meow Moon
213. Green Cheese Stinks. – Insidious Temptation
214. kristinakoti – Moon and Sea
215. The Wolf and The Moon – atrangizindagieksafar
216. Moonbeam Reflections – Wind Rush
217. Life with Jess – Just The Moon and Me
218. Memories – LIVING AND LEARNING
219. Hello Darkness, My Old Friend. – Blog to Memoir
220. Walking on the moon – Bum Tales
221. theblackwallblog – Thursday’s Thoughts
222. SERENDIPITY – MOON OVER
223. The Moon and the Child – Dreamer on a Cloud
224. MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO – The Freedom Of The Moon
225. Zombie Flamingos – And it’s…yes it is….Kitten Thursday!!
226. I wrote a book. Now what? – Doubt clouds out creativity
227. Queen of a Full House – Moon
228. A Vibrant Palette – Sun and Moon
229. The Buoyancy of Light – HemmingPlay
230. thelonerose – Feels like home
231. Chronicles of an Anglo Swiss – The problems with the moon
232. Almost a Supermoon – The Soler Power Life
233. Greediness – Eman Sherif
234. kStan(ly) kSays – sleepover
235. Waxes n Wanes – pins & ashes
236. Science Traveler – Goodbye Neil Armstrong, The First Man to Do the Moon Walk
237. A Writer in Umbria – She took my mother with her
238. Devil Doll Musings – Dancing In The Moonlight (It’s Caught Me In Its Spotlight)
239. Meet me at the Moon – …Illusive…Road…
240. vertical combustion – my dear, we’ll be
241. kStan(ly) kSays – 15 more years
242. On the 15th day in the 7th month…. – Singledust
243. Full Moon, Wind – and Armageddon! – Chronicles of an Orange-Haired Woman!
244. Hot White Snow – Hot White Snow
245. The Martian and the meteor shower – yasminmay
246. the15thday – put it away, mister! right now…(a haiku, if you please!)
247. A Quiet Place – Redhead Reflections
248. Reflection – Pete Gardner Psalms
249. Roses & Silver Fountains – Postcard from a Pigeon
250. Sure Scribbles – Full Moon happiness
251. Who cares that much? – Ms Skyfall
252. Moon’s What’s App to Earth. – PsychPerspectives
253. MOON – My QuotesVilla
254. The Gad About Town – Moonlight Madness: A Non-Quote
255. Boring Bug – Paradox Tolerance and the Freedom of Expression
256. Mr Moon – Just Writing!
257. Vexing Point – Moon
258. Lost Property Repository – Buicks to the Moon, a muscial interlude
259. ….on pets and prisoners….. – daily prompt: moon
260. A Monologue of the Heart. – The Moon
261. Designer Sophisticate – No, classical music doesn’t suck.
262. Passion through Poetry – Darker Shade of Grey
263. A Moon In Dark – Blog of Hammad Rais
264. The Wandering Poet – When the moon forgot
265. Frank Prem – half-moon at the trapdoor