Tell
us a little about your background
Oh, it’s complicated. Start with one animal lover, determined to become
a vet. Life happens. End up in Environmental Education, and then
in a stunningly remote area of the Appalachian mountains. Hand-built log cabin, a hundred acres...dogs,
wood stove, and endless tromps in the woods together. Enough people to generate lost and dumped
dogs, not enough to have a shelter, so UPS would drop dogs off at our place for
rescue. And with the vet hours away, I
found myself dealing with mange, broken bones, snakebite, varmint damage...even
gunshot.
 |
| Connery |
It’s also where I developed my love for hounds.
I eventually shifted to Southwest mountains and turned my
trail riding into Lipizzan dressage and the dog activities to competition
sports, but really those early days are the core of what informs my
writing. Mountains, wilderness, dogs,
horses, and a side of smarty-pants.
The writing...that started when I was twelve and never
stopped. By the time I sold Dun
Lady’s Jess, I’d been writing a book or two a year for quite a
while. By hand. (I love my laptop!)
Tell
us a bit about your latest book
 |
The Dale & Sully mysteries are
like most of my books--they color a bit outside the genre lines, and they’re as
much about Dale and Sully and Laura as they are about the mystery. The series started out as one of those
Dreaded Publishing Stories--Big Name Publisher gave Editor the Stamp of
Approval to develop the series, and then forgot about it. Which in a way is fine, because it meant I
could go ahead and color outside those lines.
Anyway, Scent of Danger is a
recent release, and I’m really excited about it! “A
hunky veterinarian, his irrepressible beagle pal, and a quiet Navajo colleague
who keeps him guessing about her heart...what could be more fun?”
Are any of the characters based on real animals or people?
I don’t tend to do that, except... when I do. Which is to say that like for most writers,
certain people or animals might serve as the inspiration for a character, but
once the character is conceived, all bets are off. In fantasy
A Feral Darkness, Druid was an
amalgam of two of my Cardigan Corgis--one sweet boy who was functionally
autistic due to brain injury at birth, and one who had a panic syndrome. What, I thought, if there was a mystical
reason behind those behaviors? But I
would still never say that Druid was based on these dogs...only inspired by
them.
The irony about the Dale Kinsall & Sully Beagle
mysteries is that I conceived the books before I ever had a Beagle. Now I have three...
What are you working on now and what are your future writing plans?
I generally have a lot of irons in the fire. I’m working on a Nocturne paranormal
proposal with my own brand of werewolf,
as well as the third book in the Reckoners trilogy (paranormal). I’m plotting out book three for Dale &
Sully. And I’m getting ready to start first
draft on the next Nocturne under contract (shapeshifters!).
Actually, since I had to do a big red tape paperwork job
this week, I’m also desperately trying to get my
web site and blog details up to date.
I’m pretty good with it--all the big pieces are where they should
be--but there are always little housekeeping tasks that creep up. And I’m trying to get a running rafflecopter
giveaway in play at the blog, since those seem pretty fun.
There should be one there now, I hope.
Tell
us about your pets, or other animals that inspire you
 |
| Dart |
My guys do more than inspire me; they keep me
grounded. Along with training the dogs I
also bike with them, and at his age Duncan is more about easy trail rides mixed
with foundation dressage than hard training.
Connery is my oldest Beagle and is the second most titled
breed champion Beagle in the States, as well as the first to reach both MACH3
with a VCD1 (titles in obedience, tracking, and agility). Dart is in the most exciting part of his
various trialing journeys--on his way toward advanced titles in agility, rally,
obedience and tracking. Rena Beagle is
fostering and has earned some titles along the way while I unravel her health
tangles. I blog about them all constantly!
What advice do you have to offer to an aspiring author?
Short and sweet:
It used to be “persistence.” Now
it’s “Know what you REALLY want and make the choices that will reach that
goal. Don’t make assumptions, and don’t
sneer at those who make different choices (unless they’ve made assumptions as a
big part of doing so. Then be my
guest).”
Doranna Durgin's quirky spirit has led to an eclectic and extensive publishing journey across genres. Beyond that, she hangs around outside her Southwest mountain home with horse and dogs. She doesn't believe in mastering the beast within, but in channeling its power. For good or bad has yet to be decided...
