I'd like to give a warm Stitches Thru Time welcome to author Dawn Cahill. Draw up a chair and get to know this interesting woman!
Linda: You’ve been writing since you were young. When
did you know you want to pursue publication?
Dawn: The idea of publication was always a given. But it wasn’t
until last year, when I finished my first novel, “Sapphire Secrets,” that I
actually had anything to publish.
LM: Your most
recent book is “Paint the Storm.” (available for pre-order now, with a release
date of October 10, 2016). Where did you find your inspiration for the story?
Dawn: Paint the Storm was the first novel I ever completed, and
it was due to my sister’s encouragement. This was 3 1/2 years ago after the
last of my sons had left for college. My sister and I both realized, this is
the perfect time to take that writing dream of mine off the mothballs and turn
it into reality.
LM: Do you have
an unusual research story to share?
Dawn: Yes, a couple years ago I had a chance to visit San
Francisco, where Paint the Storm is set, with a band I was part of at the time.
We marched in the Chinese New Year parade which took us through the Financial
District, where I had set my opening scene. So I was able to tweak the scene
and add in real-life details. The best perk? The trip qualified as research, so
I was able to claim the trip as a business expense.
LM: The age old
question for writers-are you a “pantster” or a plotter?
Dawn: Most definitely a pantster! I may have a general idea
where the story is going, but mostly my characters and the story itself decide
where they are going to go. That happened in Sapphire Secrets. In what I like
to call my “epiphany moment”, the big plot twist suddenly made itself known after I was well into the manuscript!
LM: What is your
favorite scene in “Paint the Storm?”
Dawn: Ha ha, it would have to be when Meg’s friend Camille
teases her for blushing over the hero J So of course Meg blushes
even more!
LM: What is your
next project? Perhaps “Mitch and the Martian? LOL!
Dawn: Oh, I’d love to finish that one! But of course, we have
an up-close and personal knowledge of Mars now. So much of it will have to be
tweaked to account for that. As you know, no sign of life was found on Mars. So
how do I make Mitch and his friends believable? Well, that’s a secret, and
you’ll find out if/when I ever finish it!
LM: What are your
passions outside of writing?
Dawn: Dancing, singing, and hiking. I do all 3 every chance I
get.
LM: What else do
you want folks to know about you?
Dawn is my pen name, also my childhood nickname. Only my
closest friends and family know about my writing career, and I’m going to keep
it that way for awhile, for various reasons. Someday when I retire from my job,
I’ll tell the world!
