Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Interview with Author D. S. Milan

D. S. Milan's A Year of Starless Nights has just been released and is already becoming a hit on Kindle! It has four spectacular reviews, three of them five-star! I asked her a few questions and she answered with admirable conciseness.

JK: How long have you been writing fiction? 

DSM: I'm embarrassed and proud at the same time, to say I've been writing fiction for far too long... however, now with my children grown, I can focus on it. I finally know what I want to do when I grow up! 

JK: No hurry! What inspired A Year of Starless Nights

DSM: Many things, but the concept was born after the birth of my own daughter. I thought about how so many cultures have no value for girl children. I just could not fathom not loving my tiny daughter completely and absolutely. Also, I had just returned from a trip to India, and I knew I had to include the juxtaposition of the serious and the silly that one encounters so often over there.

JK: That mixture is what makes A Year of Starless Nights so much fun to read. What kind of research did you do for the book? 

DSM: Actually, I was sitting in my neighborhood library when I thought up the first draft, so I did a lot of my research the old fashioned way, with books and printed articles. Of course my trip to India helped immensely. Ultimately, I did use the internet as well. 

JK: What attracted you to Loose Leaves? 

DSM: I saw that Loose Leaves was interested in YA, and women's fiction - I think my book qualifies for both. And then I noticed that they do not want 'gratuitous sex and violence' which is aligned with my own philosophy! Maybe a bit old-fashioned...but there it is. 

JK: We think of it as not having read a lot of things we would never pick up, anyway! Thank you for being here and congratulations on your amazing first book.

A Year of Starless Nights is available in KindleNook, and Kobo and in softcover from Loose Leaves, at Amazon, and Barnes and Noble, or request it at your favorite bookstore or library. Visit D. S. Milan's website, too!

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