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AUTHOR
STATS:
FAVORITE COLOR: Yellow
FAVORITE ANIMAL: Camel
FAVORITE FOOD: Hamburger
FAVORITE SMELL: Vanilla
WORST SMELL: Vinegar
FAVORITE AUTHOR(S):
Mark Twain
Kimberly Willis Holt
Stephen King
JK Rowling
FAVORITE BOOK: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
FAVORITE ARTIST: Varies
FAVORITE MOVIE: The Exorcist
FAVORITE CARTOON CHARACTER: Wacko Warner (Animaniacs)
A SUPER POWER YOU WISH YOU HAD AND WHY:
Telepathy. I'd like to be able to read politicians' minds in order to
better understand their ridiculous actions.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU:
Compliments
and money
YOUR GREATEST CHALLENGE: Staying awake.
PERSONAL WEBSITE:
www.dottienderle.com
www.fortunetellersclub.com
PERSONAL QUOTE:
"The journey of a completed book begins with a single word."
To learn more about Dotti
and her books, visit her websites!
Write
to Dotti
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The Savvy
Click Magazine
This
interview is brought to you by The Savvy Click
Magazine. All rights reserved 2003 - 2007.
For
more information contact Tabatha
Jean D'Agata.
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THE
INTERVIEW:
Savvy Click: Tell us a bit about yourself: married, children,
interests or maybe a few personal peeves?
Dotti: I've been married for over 19 years now. That amazes even
me! I think it's because I have two daughters (17 & 13). I'm sort of a
martyr mom. I wish I could tell you that my interests include sky diving,
knife throwing, and snake handling, but mostly I just read and write. A
lot!
Savvy Click: When did your writing career begin?
Dotti: I started writing seriously in 1995. I sold lots of magazine
articles, stories and poems. So that's when my "writing" career
began. My career as a book author came much later and has been more
enlightening.
Savvy Click: How has being a writer changed your life?
Dotti: I see things differently now. All stories have a beginning,
middle, and end, and contain a conflict. Anytime there is a conflict in my
life, I know that like my story characters, I can deal with it until the
end.
Savvy Click: What kind of obstacles or challenges have you
experienced as a writer?
Dotti: My
biggest challenge has been booksignings and speaking engagements. Some
folks are worried that my Fortune Tellers Club series will offend a chosen
few, so to play it safe, they decline having me for an author visit. But
I've learned not to let that bother me.
Savvy Click: What do you feel as been your greatest accomplishment
as a
writer?
Dotti: Entertaining
children. I get lots of fun letters and emails from my "fans."
Savvy Click: Reflecting on your own experiences, what valuable
piece of advice can you offer a beginning writer on the process of
succeeding publication?
Dotti: Reading
is priority. And not just 'how to' books. Read everything published in the
genre you wish to write in. I like to use a highlighter to dissect books
from my favorite authors. I highlight how they use dialogue, what strong
verbs they use, and what special ticks the characters have that make them
special. I also note when the character's feelings come into play. I think
that is one of the biggest weaknesses of some fiction writers, not taking
the time to tell us how a character feels about the situation she finds
herself in.
Savvy Click: Do you keep a writing journal? If so, what might we
find inside?
Dotti: I
don't keep a journal because I don't have time. But if I did, you'd
probably see me venting. I don't get much of a chance to do that.
Savvy Click: What types of books do you write?
Dotti: Everything
for kids, but mostly middle-grade fiction. My Fortune Tellers Club series
really keeps me busy. I've done well in the educational market too. I've
sold 5 books to Teaching & Learning Co. Four are part of a series. I
write a lot of pictures books as well, but I've only sold one to date.
Savvy Click: Please tell us about e-books: what are they and why
did you choose this medium for your children's book "MAKING
CENTS"?
Dotti: E-books
of course are electronic books. I chose Making Cents as an e-book because
it was short, but also because I can offer it for free. I like having
something for free at my website. And Making Cents is not only fun, but
educational. I've gotten lots of response on it. It's in print
now too, and the print book is also free.
Savvy Click: What do you feel are the advantages or disadvantages
of electronic publishing?
Dotti: For
me the advantage is to have something I can offer the people who come to
my website. The disadvantage of electronic publishing comes when you
expect someone to pay for an e-book. Sales are poor.
Savvy Click: Dotti, tell us about the Fortune Tellers Club series.
Where did this series idea begin and what has it grown into today?
Dotti: Fortune
Tellers Club grew from my own childhood. When I was a kid, my girlfriends
and I played with a Ouija board. We always wanted to know who we were
going to marry, if he'd be rich and famous, etc. When my older daughter
was 12, she had a sleepover, and she and her friends pulled out the Ouija
board. That sparked the idea for FTC right then.
The first book seems pretty tame compared to the later ones. In The Lost
Girl, the Fortune Tellers Club uses divination to find a missing girl. The
later books deal with more supernatural realms. However out of my own
experiences, Book 7 will deal with censorship.
Savvy Click: Dotti, who are the main characters is the Fortune
Tellers Club series? Please introduce us to these characters and share a
bit of their personalities.
Dotti: The
Fortune Tellers Club consists of three 12-year-old girls, and each book
focuses on a different member. The members are:
Juniper Lynch, the truly psychic member of the group. She has a tingling
when using divination. Her intuition is quite strong. She is an honor
student who is involved in dance classes.
Anne Donovan is the cheerleader. She's the "girly" one, who all
the boys flip over. But despite her feminine exterior, she loves the
metaphysics, and anything that deals with the supernatural.
Gena Richmond is the tomboy. She plays volleyball and could care less
about boys, other than having them for friends. She's also the jokester.
Always making funny remarks. She seems tough on the outside, but inside,
she's a real scaredy-cat.
And of course they have their nemesis, AKA, The Snotty Twins. These girls
live up to their names.
Savvy Click: What type of research went into developing a series
like Fortune Tellers Club?
Dotti: I
never thought about it before, but I must have been researching this
series all my life. Besides the Ouija board, I got my first deck of tarot
cards at age 14. I include lots of standard divination in FTC, but some of
it I make up myself. That's the fun part.
Savvy Click: How much work does an author put into the marketing
part of a book? Please give us an idea of what you do to help promote your
work.
Dotti: This
gets tricky. Sometimes you can spend all your time marketing, and lose
valuable writing time. I've had to learn to balance the two. I do
booksignings, presentations, hand out bookmarks, and I've even paid for
some advertising myself. Some of my best promotion has been giving away books to girls I see reading in restaurants or airplanes. I'm not shy.
Savvy Click: Where can we find your books?
Dotti: Just
about any bookstore, particularly Barnes & Noble. And of course,
online.
Savvy Click: Dotti, if you reflected on one glorious moment as a
published children's book author, what would that moment be?
Dotti: Just
one? That would have to be when a 6th grade girl ask to interview me as
part of a school assignment. They each had to research and write about
their favorite author. She chose me. Cool, huh?
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