Meet author Donna Jo Stone
Donna Jo Stone is an award-winning, multi-genre author. She writes historical fiction, contemporary young adult, and southern fiction. Many of her novels are about tough issues, but she always ends her stories on a note of hope. Finding the faith to carry on through hard battles is a common theme in her books. When she’s not writing, reading, or talking about writing or reading, she loves spending time with her family and friends or creating art.
Tell us about your newest book.
Della’s Song is part of a multi-author series, Apron Strings Tea Tales. Each book is set in a different region or country, but all feature the same fictional cookbook, Mrs. Canfield’s Cookery Book, and all feature a tearoom. These stories take place in the interbellum years (1918-1939).
What inspired you to write your story?
My first published book was part of the Apron Strings Series, so when the opportunity came up to participate in a second Apron Strings Series I was all in. Della’s Song, like all my stories, deals with relationships. Inspired by the sibling devotion and sacrifice in The Six Swans, Della’s Song draws on elements in the fairytale but is a non-magical story. Beyond the basic outline, the gospel angle is what really helped me find direction for the story. Music and music instruction played a huge part in the church of my youth. I loved learning all about music and singing, but didn’t know how that culture came about. Researching gospel music of the 1930s, the radio programs, and the traveling music schools really gave me an appreciation for the music education I received and got me excited about my story.
What genre do you focus on.
I write primarily Southern Christian women’s fiction and young adult fiction, but even my suspense carries the same southern feel.
Why do you write?
I think it all comes back around to the desire to help people understand that they are not alone, and there is always hope. I strive to point my readers toward that hope. I write about a family that, in ways, is like my own. People on the spectrum process emotion and stress in ways that can look different than the neurotypcial. I wanted readers to connect with my characters and hoped to foster understanding. Unlike my other stories, at the time I was writing Promise Me Tomorrow, I wasn’t sure I could finish the book and do it justice. It often felt too big for me, but the story wouldn’t let me go until it was done.
Who is your main character, and how did you choose that name?
My main character in Della’s Song is Della Avis Swan, the only female member of her family’s gospel singing group. Originally, I was just trying to get a handle on the story, and drafted the first synopsis for Della’s Song with a decidedly German fairytale flavor. But the Swan family lives in North Louisiana, so I had to change her name. Della Avis Swan popped into my head. Unlike most of my stories, where I switch out the names of nearly every person, Della has kept her entire name, although in most of the book, she is simply known as Della.
What is your work schedule like when you’re writing a book?
When I’m writing a novel, I’m the slow and steady type rather than a sprinter. I come up with a basic plot first. Ideas will continue to pop into my mind at the oddest moments, and I add those if they fit. Once I have an outline of sorts, I rest for a week if I can bear to wait that long before starting. Then I begin to write. Most days I work on the draft for about eight hours but take frequent breaks. I use a combination of dictation into my phone and typing at the computer, depending on how I’m doing and what else is going on in my life at that moment. My last book took longer than I expected due to some “extra” life circumstances and my tendency to get sidetracked with historical research.
What is the hardest part of being an author?
The horrible feeling that I will disappoint my readers. Unfortunately, you can’t please everyone all the time, and shouldn’t try, at least that’s what I tell myself. I know why I write and who I’m writing for, yet often have to remind myself. I think the pressure of our current culture adds an extra layer of stress. This is my least favorite part, the pressure to be performative. I’d much rather show up in my comfy jeans with a plate of muffins and time to chat.
What’s the best part of your author’s life?
Connecting with people. As a voracious reader myself and life-long lover of books, readers are my people. Hearing how one of my stories touched them, or helped them to see things in a new way, or made them feel understood, that is a priceless gift. I’ve always loved writing and it’s very fulfilling to get to share my stories. Hopefully, they ease the reader’s burdens a little, whether by giving encouragement, drawing out a smile, or just providing a moment of entertainment to make the day better.
What’s one thing your readers should know about you?
Even though I tend to obsess about getting everything right in my own work, in the end I care more about honesty than perfection. If a story has heart and makes me smile, laugh, cry, or think, I come away satisfied. Those are the books I like to read and the kind I want to write.
How have you changed or grown as a writer?
Rewriting my first novel repeatedly after getting feedback was a wonderful lesson in what I needed to work on, as was returning to it time and time again after taking much instruction and writing a few more novels. All together, these processes took over a decade. I didn’t save the first draft, but I can guarantee the final result was a definite improvement!
What is your favorite pastime?
Visiting with people, talking, and laughing. It doesn’t matter what we are doing, I just like company.
Besides sharing stories and visiting with people, I enjoy watercolor and quilting. I was the kid with doodles in the margins of all my math worksheets, and I’ve been told I started sewing around the age of four. One of my favorite places is my craft room, where I keep my collection of projects I suspect may never get finished. If anyone in the family needs a snip of fabric, ribbon, or a paintbrush, they usually don’t have to go to the store. Whatever it is, it might be in the craft room.
Do you have other books? We’d love to know.
When the Wildflowers Bloom Again
Promise Me Tomorrow
Joann Apron Strings Book Five
The Key Collector’s Promise
What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m dividing my novel writing time between my dual timeline women’s fiction and editing my young adult novel that comes after Promise Me Tomorrow in the Wishes and Dreams series.
Website: https://donnajostone.com/
Link to book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQXMRVKD
Social media links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/donnajostone/
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556916105499
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