August 16th, 2019
I asked Dawn where she would like to talk:
It is mid-afternoon on a warm summer’s day and we are in the restaurant Moonbeams in Malibu. We are seated at a bar that overlooks the rocky coast of the Pacific. There are no windows so the fresh ocean breeze blows our hair as we chat. The crashing of the waves is our background music, and as we talk we watch a pod of dolphins swim along, jumping playfully into the air. We are both dressed for the beautiful, sunny California weather in sleeveless dresses and sandals. I am drinking a Pineapple Mojito, minty and refreshing, and feasting on the fresh sea scallops. Even though the restaurant is crowded, the chatter is drowned out by the roaring ocean, so it feels as though we’re alone. The bar juts out over the water and when the waves crash just right against the rocks, we can feel a slight mist from the waves. It is a little piece of heaven on earth. The atmosphere is so soothing that none of the staff seem stressed or hurried by the crowded restaurant. When I mention the beauty to the waiter he says how therapeutic it is to come to work each day and be surrounded by the water. For dessert I order maple crème brulee and one of the best cups of coffee I’ve ever had, in a mug that fits perfectly in my hand. Even though we’ve finished our meals, we stay for hours enjoying the peace and serenity of our surroundings. Our time spent here has helped us to forget the stress and worries of the outside world.
Laura Mae: What inspired you to enter the world of writing?
Dawn Hosmer: Writing has always been my passion for as long as I can remember. Writing gives me a place to dump my fears and anxieties and helps me make sense of the world around me.
L: How long have you been writing for?
D: I wrote my first book in the 1st or 2nd grade, called The Lame Girl and The White Steed. It was so sad and depressing. I wrote some children’s books about 15 years ago and queried them but none of them got picked up. I wrote my first novel 13 years ago – The End of Echoes – which will release on August 17, 2019. Writing has always been a big part of my life whether through journaling, poetry, or fiction.
L: What are you currently working on?
D: I am working on last minute details for the release of The End of Echoes. I am also working on continuing to market Bits & Pieces. I am trying my hand at something WAY outside of my comfort zone – a romance — which I’m about 30,000 words into right now. I also have the first draft done of my next novel (a suspense), but need to do some major re-writes.
L: Are there any books or authors who inspire your work?
D: So many authors inspire me but I’d say some recent ones that serve as an inspiration are: Jodi Picoult, Ruth Ware, Chevy Stevens, Mary Kubica, Wally Lamb, William Landay, and Liane Moriarty.
L: What has been the most challenging for you so far?
D: Marketing is a beast. I feel like it takes constant work and innovation to keep my book on the radar so that readers can find it and choose to read it. I feel like there’s no one set way that works to market books and that good marketing strategies vary from author to author, book to book.
L: Besides writing, what is it you like to do?
D: I love to travel, play board games, spend time with my family, read, and watch HGTV or true crime TV.
L: Are there any regrets you have or anything you wish you knew sooner?
D: I wish I would have joined Twitter and found the writing community sooner. The support and encouragement I’ve received has been amazing and has propelled me forward with my writing. I also wish I would’ve considered non-traditional routes of publishing much sooner. There are so many ways to get your books out into the world nowadays and I clung to the idea that I had to be traditionally published for far too long.
L: In a brief statement, have you self-published or traditionally published? What was your experience?
D: I’ve decided to publish my first two novels with small, independent publishers. Overall the experience has been a positive one. They handle all of the things I’m not experience with, like cover design, editing, formatting, uploading to Amazon, etc. With independent publishers, the process also moves very quickly. With my most recent book, The End of Echoes, I signed with Gestalt Media and had an amazing book cover within 2 weeks and will be published in less than 2 months. I love being able to keep creative control of my work while having others alongside to help me with all of the details and some of the marketing.
L: What are you currently reading?
D: I’m currently reading Next Girl to Die, by Dea Porier which is excellent. I’m also reading Fliers by YOU!
L: What genre do you read?
D: I don’t stick to a particular genre but my favorites to read are Thrillers/Suspense and Contemporary Fiction. Although since joining the writing community on Twitter, I’ve branched out and found so many new authors and genres to read. For the past year, I have read mostly books from fellow Indie authors.
L: What does a typical day of writing look like for you? Any rituals or ‘must-haves’?
D: Because I’m a mother, I don’t get to be picky about writing rituals and must-haves. I can write through just about anything, although I prefer quiet (that’s hard to find). I recently made a writing space in our spare bedroom which helps so much to be able to go in there and shut the door. When I’m in there, I know it’s time to focus and get to work. (And not time for Twitter!)
L: Any songs or type of music you need to listen to when you write?
D: I can’t listen to music while I write because I like to sing along. Even if I try instrumental music, I’ll make up words to it. Ha!
L: What’s a word or phrase that people say that always irritates you?
D: “It could be worse”. As someone with a chronic illness, I feel like that phrase is often used with good intention to help me focus on the positive but instead, all it does is negate my pain and my experience. I have to stop myself from saying it to myself sometimes too. I firmly believe in practicing gratitude for the blessings in our life while at the same time honoring our reality for what it is. I’ve had to learn that it’s okay, once in a while, to just be sad about my health issues without berating myself or trying to tell myself that I shouldn’t feel the way I do. I also try to practice daily gratitude. There is always something to be thankful for, even on the worst of days.
L: Where would you say you get most of your inspiration?
D: Most of my inspiration comes from real life. I’ve spent my career in social work and gotten to know so many amazing, resilient people who have had to deal with circumstances no one should ever have to face. Much of my inspiration comes from their stories or from true stories I read about or watch on TV.
L: For aspiring writers out there, what would be the best advice you want them to know?
D: Allow yourself to write an imperfect first draft. Just get the words on the page, even if they’re awful. Get the story out and once that first draft is down, then you can make it shine.
Dawn Hosmer is a lifelong Ohioan. She is married and has four children, three of whom are now adults. Dawn has spent her career in Social Work; however, writing has always been her passion. Her debut novel, Bits & Pieces, is a Psychological Thriller that released in November 2018. Her second novel, The End of Echoes, is a Thriller and is scheduled to release on August 17, 2019. Dawn enjoys traveling, reading, writing, watching true crime TV, and coffee. Dawn is busy working on her next novel. Dawn is also a Crohn’s disease warrior.
You can find Dawn on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, Pintrest, Bookbub and her website.
Bits & Pieces – A chance encounter with a stranger traps Tessa within the mind of a madman.Tessa was born with a gift. Through a simple touch she picks up pieces of others. A “flash” of color devours her—the only indication that she’s gained something new from another person. Red equals pain; purple, a talent; yellow, a premonition; orange, a painful memory; and blue, a pleasant one. Each flash blurs the lines between her inherent traits and those she’s acquired from others. Whenever she gains bits of something new, she loses more pieces of herself.While assisting in search efforts for a local missing college student, Tessa is paralyzed by a flash that rips through her like a lightning bolt, slicing apart her soul. A blinding light takes away her vision. A buzzing louder than any noise she’s ever heard overwhelms her, penetrates her mind. As the bolt works its way through her body, images and feelings from someone else take over. Women’s dead eyes stare at her as her hands encircle their throats. Their screams consume her mind. Memories of the brutal murders of five women invade her.Will she be able to find the killer and help save the next victim? Can she do so without completely losing herself?Bits & Pieces is a fast-paced, riveting Psychological Suspense with supernatural elements that leaves the reader guessing until the end.
Buy it here!
The End of Echoes – Two families, forever linked by tragedy.
Ruby Dunkin is in an abusive marriage. Her best efforts aren’t enough to shield her two children from an abusive father whose cruelty knows no bounds. Their volatile situation ends in tragedy when Ruby’s eldest son, Billy is torn away from everything he loves. Consumed by hatred and self-loathing Billy becomes the thing he hates the most—his father.
Chelsea Wyatt, a senior in high school, goes missing after work one night, never to return. Her parents are devastated, only knowing this kind of tragedy from the news. Crimes like this are unheard of in their quiet, midwestern town. Consumed by the tragic fate of their friend, family member and neighbor, their lives and futures are forever altered.
For over eighteen years, no one knows the connection between Ruby Dunkin and Chelsea Wyatt. A journey through time reveals the common thread stitching their heartbreak together. Yesterday echoes throughout each character’s life as they decide how, and if, they will break the chains of the past.
Will they continue to leave a legacy of pain and loss for future generations? Will they break the cycles of abuse that have destroyed so many lives?
*Trigger Warning**
This book contains scenes of domestic violence and mention of sexual assault.
Buy it here!
Laura Mae 