An interview with Deann Soleil
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This week, we're back with Deann Soleil! Please find all of their social links at the bottom of the blog.
A little bit about you and your life, your hobbies, your interests, etc.
"I am a full-time social worker who works at a children’s hospital within their hospital violence intervention program. In my free time I love reading dark romance books. I love going fishing and watching scary movies with my husband. When I am not engaging in any of those hobbies, you can find me with a glass of red wine while I am writing a book."
Info about your latest book and/or the book you'd most like to promote
"My latest book is titled Chasing the Forbidden Desire. This is a boyfriend’s father, forbidden romance. I absolutely loved writing this book. Fun fact I actually starting writing this before I wrote Consumed, but I took a break when I was about 15,000 words in."
Any details you'd like to share about what you're currently working on
"I am currently in the process of finishing up a Halloween-themed book. This will be a short and quick read that will take place in a cornfield. It will be published this year. I will say this book is darker than the other books I have written."
What inspired you to get into writing and what keeps you motivated?
"For the past few years, I knew I wanted to be a writer. I told my husband that I wanted to write, and he always encouraged me to do it. I recently decided to move forward with writing a book after my grandmother passed of lung cancer in December of 2024. Writing has become an outlet for me when coping with her death. My husband motivates me to continue writing and I know I am making my grandma in Heaven proud, so I keep pushing myself to write."
Your opinions on indie vs trad publishing and why you chose the route you did
"I think indie publishing is more for me. I like to have control of what I write and when I want to publish books. That is two of the reasons on why I went this route. I always tell myself I write because I want to, so I don’t want to have the extra pressure of trad publishing."
What challenges have you faced during your writing and publishing journey?
"One of the biggest challenges I have faced throughout my journey thus far is finding readers who want to read my books. There is low engagement and low reviews of my books, so I am trying to work on marketing more. Hopefully that will help me find more readers who enjoy my work."
What advice would you give to someone beginning their writing journey?
"One piece of advice I would give to someone beginning their writing journey is to not set deadlines for yourself. Sometimes having a specific word count or date you want to publish can get overwhelming and make you feel like a let-down if you don’t achieve them. I have found having an open mind and not putting those deadlines has made my writing journey go smoother."
Name an author that inspired you to write and why
"One author who inspired me to write is Jamie Fritz. When I told her I wanted to write a book, she encouraged me to do it. She has supported me every step of the way as a writer. She has also agreed to do writing sprints with me, to keep both of us on track with our writing."
Anything else you'd like to discuss in terms of being a writer, self-publishing, a fun fact about yourself, anything.
"A fun fact pertaining to writing is if I sit and focus on writing, then it can take me between one to two months to write a book. By the end of this year I will have four books and three anthologies published."