The Write Spot: Donna Fasano

Donna Fasano has been writing romance novels and women's fiction for more than twenty-five years. Her very first book, Mountain Laurel, was a finalist in the Romance Writers of America RITA contest. The book caught the eye of editor Tara Gavin, and once the book was published, Donna finally felt she could call herself a professional writer. Her stories have been published by Silhouette Books, Harlequin Enterprises, and Montlake Romance. 

Donna is a three-time winner of the HOLT Medallion, a CataRomance Reviewers Choice Award winner for Best Single Title, a Desert Rose Golden Quill Award finalist, and a two-time winner of Best Romance of the Year given by book review blog BigAl's Books and Pals. With 4 million copies sold worldwide, Donna has seen her books published in two dozen languages. Her novels have made the Kindle Top 100 Paid List numerous times, climbing as high as #5.

In 2010, Donna began self-publishing some of her titles and says she finds independent publishing an exhilarating challenge that keeps her on her toes. One of her greatest joys was to see her self-published novel, Reclaim My Heart, make the USA Today Bestseller List. Now that was quite an achievement!

When she's not dreaming up new romantic stories, Donna can be found walking on the beach, searching for seashells, or driving in her little 2-seater Miata. She loves spending time with her husband and their Australian cattle dog mix, Roo.

Welcome, Donna, to the nineteenth edition of The Write Spot, a bi-weekly author series spotlighting the many and varied places where writers write. I love your and surf view! Please tell us what makes this The Write Spot for you.

I can tell you in two words what makes this the best spot for writing: the beach! There is something about the ocean that calls to my heart. The sound of the waves is mesmerizing. The Atlantic Ocean stirs my creativity in a way nothing else does, except maybe my husband (*grin*), and seeing the moon hanging over the inky water is so romantic. Who wouldn't feel inspired by the sand, the sun, the surf?

Lovely to meet a kindred water spirit. My spot is on Lake Ontario, not the ocean, but the feeling is the same. Love the sound of those waves!

Other than your computer or laptop, what's the one thing you couldn't be without in your Write Spot?

That would be two things: pencil and paper. There is something nostalgic about the feel of writing with pencil and paper. My thoughts slow down, my mind calms, and I am able to more clearly see and hear the characters in my head. Early on in every story, I find myself taking copious notes on paper. I learn all about my characters, their physical descriptions, their wants and needs, their conflicts, their hurts and pains, and the better I know my characters, the more developed and richer my stories become.

What are you working on now?

I'm just about ready to put out my newest novel. It's book 2 of my Ocean City Boardwalk Series. The title of the book is Two Hearts in Winter. Here's the book's description:

Loss and betrayal have caused Heather Phillips to give up on love. She’s thrown herself into running The Lonely Loon, her Bed and Breakfast located on the boardwalk of Ocean City, Maryland. The "off season" in this tourist town is usually a time of rest and reflection for her; however, DB Atwell, a famous author, arrives at The Loon for the winter to finish his long-overdue novel. Daniel, too, has faced grief, and tragedy continues to haunt him. Once Heather and Daniel meet, their lives will never be the same.

Like all my books, Two Hearts in Winter will be available for Kindle, Nook, iBook, Kobo, and Google Play and also as a trade paperback. I hope readers will look for it. If they're interested in reading the first book of the series, Following His Heart, they can learn about it here.

Where can readers find out more about you and your books?

My blog is at DonnaFasano.com.

I play games and offer giveaways to my newsletter subscribers. Readers can sign up for my newsletter here.

Readers who buy paperbacks or Kindle versions of my books can follow me via my AmazonAuthor Page. Simply click "follow" located beneath my author picture.

I'm also on:

Facebook: Facebook.com/DonnaFasanoAuthor

Twitter: Twitter.com/DonnaFaz

Pinterest: Pinterest.com/DonnaFaz

Instagram: instagram.com/donna_fasano

Google+: plus.google.com/+DonnaFasano/posts

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/donna-fasano-045b8538

Goodreads: goodreads.com/author/show/1111480.Donna_Fasano

Cheryl, thank you so very much for having me on The Write Spot!

My pleasure, Donna. Looking forward to Two Hearts in Winter!

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About The Write Spot:
I've always been fascinated by what goes on behind the scenes. Whether it's backstage photos from my favourite play, a peek into the kitchen where a chef is working her culinary magic, or simply a glimpse through an uncurtained window into a stranger's private world, there's an undeniable thrill of discovery, a sense of secrets shared. It's no surprise, then, that I'm immensely curious about where other writers do their work. I've blogged about it before in this post about my own 'write spot' and so enjoyed the comments, I was inspired to launch a regular feature here at stillpoint. Watch for The Write Spot every other Wednesday and join me as I discover the many and varied places where writers write.

stillpoint is the blog of Canadian author Cheryl Cooke Harrington