Interview with Author Dana Burkey

Dana Burkey

I currently live in Bellingham, WA. 
But, I am originally from Youngstown, Ohio. 

Good morning, Dana!  Welcome to Vision and Verse, the Place for Art and Authors.  We're thrilled to have you here this morning.  What have you written?

I recently published my Hearts to Follow series, which consists of 3 YA romance novellas. I am working on two other project, one of which I hope to start/finish as a part of NaNoWriMo! 

What is your favorite genre to write? 

I love YA. In college I struggled with people telling me my stories were too "young" or "childish" but then a few years who YA began this big thing and I realized I had been writing YA the whole time, I just didn't have the name for it! It made me feel good to know I finally had a place in the writing world! 

Favorite food. 

Breakfast! My best friend Helen and I have literally had breakfast three times in one day before. Pancakes are just too good for only first thing in the morning. 

Tea or coffee? 

Coffee all the way! I do live in                   

the Pacific North West after all. 

Pizza or ice cream? 

Neither. I am lactose intolerant so

both will made my tummy less 

than happy. 

Where would you like to visit? 

Ukraine! The story I am getting ready to start for NaNoWriMo has a big portion of it set in Ukraine. I would love to add some first person experience to the research I have done! 

Favorite musical artist. Do you listen to music when you write? What? 

Well, my favorite band since I was about 13 is Hanson! I have seen them in concert 10 times and met them twice. When I write, though, I don't listen to music consistently. Occasionally some movie soundtracks, but generally I sit and work in quiet. 

What makes you laugh?

My friends, anything Jimmy Fallon does, and the cute stuff kids say every day. 

Favorite work of art or sculpture. 

My favorite type of art is actually fashion! I love that a purse, shoes, or outfit is literally like art you can wear and use to express yourself. My favorite designers are Lauren Conrad and Christian Siriano.

How old were you when you started writing? 

When I was in middle school I wrote poems about love and boys and things like that. In high school though I started to do short story writing and getting more into really telling a full story and making up characters. 

Describe your perfect evening. 

First of all I would get to spend time with my friends doing stuff we love and being dressed up so we feel fabulous. Then, I would get home after the full evening with enough time to read for a while then curl up into bed. 

Where do you get your inspiration? 

I get inspiration from little things around me. Nature, my friends, people I meet here and there, and also other books I read that make me want to be a better writer. 

What do you do when you get a writer's block?

 I work on something else. It is maybe not the best idea, but I tried it this summer and that is actually where the Hearts To Follow series came from. 

Who is your favorite author?

That is a really hard question! I love so many YA authors, and also a lot of Christian authors as well. I think the most influential though have been Ted Dekker and Rick Riordan. 

Best book you ever read. 

I think it is a three way tie with Skin, Battle of the Labyrinth, and the Host. 

Last book you read. 

Dreams, Ghosts, and Tractors by Jeanette S Andersen

What would you do for a living if you weren't a writer? 

I actually work full time in Christian Camping, and right now writing is what I do in the spare time. I hope one day writing can be my full time gig, with camping fitting in here and there. 

Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why? 

In middle school I had a teacher named Mr. Cordon. Each day we would start class with a 2 minute mystery story, then at least once a week we would do really creative writing prompts. They got me thinking deeper when telling stories, and helped me to see writing as something I really loved. He inspired me so much with his teaching style and the way he thought outside of the box when coming up with class work. 

If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why? 

I think I would love to sit down with Samuel Adams. I loved learning about the American Revolution in middle school and high school, and he was always my favorite character in history. I feel like he would have a tun of cool stories to share, and also would be someone Americans today could learn a lot from! 

What advice would you give someone who aspired to be a writer?

 Keep writing! Keep putting the pen to the paper and letting the ideas flow out. Try and try again even if you fail, and just express yourself and your ideas any way you can. Even the terrible things we write can teach us a lot, and will lead to bigger and better writing later! 

Do you have some links for us to follow you?

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/DanacBurkey

Twitter: @Dana4Camp

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8427101.Dana_Burkey