Leah Dawkins | Author
1. What inspired you to start writing/creating art, and how has that inspiration evolved over time?
I've always been a writer. Not formally. But as a diarist. First it started as letters to family, then weekly emails with the things the kids were doing. Then just for myself. I would document me every day. After the pandemic, working 80 hours a week as a nurse, I took a trip to Northern Spain with two friends and hiked El Camino. I did 200 miles. My time there, just me, my backpack, and God every day. No internet. No distractions. I decided it was time to decide how I wanted to spend the next 35 years of my life. Did I want to be a nurse? Or was there more to me than that? I decided to take a chance on me.
2. Can you share the story behind your latest work? What was your creative process like?
This makes me laugh! I just sat in front of the computer one day and started writing. I wrote and wrote and wrote. 180,000 words. No kidding. It was two books in one. No outline and just a rough story in my head. I find it best to just start writing. Then I am brutal in my first edit.
The story is a compilation of things I have seen first hand as a nurse on the front lines of humanity every day. I have lived in a couple of places in my life outside of the southeast and I hated it. With a passion. And I think I did because the culture and people of the south are so unique. Its hard to put into words or explain it to people. So, why not create a fictional southern town with character types I see and work with every day of my life? People and community whom I love. Plus the food. Nobody does it better. But the storyline itself is a repeated pattern I saw all too many times as a nurse. Young girls placed in adult situations.
3. What themes or messages do you aim to convey through your work, and why are they important to you?
Family loyalty, guilt, shame, obligation, redemption, I guess. Also, the idea that girls are fed a story from the day they are born. If I just do all the 'right things' then I will have this perfect life. The right family, the right school, the right friends, the right church, the right sport, the right grades, the right boyfriend. And if you choose 'wrong' and end up divorced, a single mom, etc than the fault lies solely on the woman. I was told this. And I did this and it didn't work for me. So, now what? Damaged goods. How does someone overcome or deal with a life that does not fit the mold they believed in? It tears you to the core and rebuilds you differently. These are my stories.
4. What advice would you give to aspiring authors/artists who are just starting their journey?
Do it! Most fun I have had in years.
5. What role has self-publishing or independent production played in your career, and what have you learned from the process?
Well, to be honest, I knew nothing about anything marketing or publishing. I guessed. I read an article that mentioned KDP so I took a look and thought, hmmmm, well it doesn't look too tricky. So I tried. I also wanted to just go ahead and publish. I was so scared I wouldn't do it if I got rejected by a trad publisher. I may, in the future, choose to go this route but for now, learning the process from the ground up has been empowering.
6. How do you connect with your audience, and what has been your favorite moment of reader or viewer feedback?
I do my best work in front of people. So that is what I try to do. I get in front of as many people as possible and tell my story of my author journey. I would love to do more guest speaking engagements, but at this point it is just a dream. I still work full time, so time is limited. I have to consider my ROI and how to get as much as I can out of the time I do have. My social media platform, though necessary, does not generate many readers. I do have a website and a monthly author newsletter, The Red Bird, that seems very popular. Creating an email list has been paramount in spreading the word about my writing.
I love feedback of any kind! But definitely people who take an extra effort to see me, get my signature, and tell me how much they enjoy my writing. It never gets old.
7. How do you handle challenges like writer's block or creative burnout, and what motivates you to keep going?
Now that I started writing its like this well that cannot be tapped. Fifty years of laying dormant and now it has a place to escape. And the blocks do happen, but for me its just writing something that day. Maybe its a letter to my aunt or a research article, allowing my brain to take a break from the story. Also, I do take a break. I will go several days without writing. Or I have a writing sprint where I write endlessly for days. I write because I can't not write.
8. What’s next for you? Can you share any upcoming projects or future creative goals you’re excited about?
So I am currently in a series, The Beauregard Family Series. It is four books. I am editing book III and about to make a major character change. I've been dwelling on it for a bit, so it needs to happen. Once this series is done I have a stand alone book I would like to do, this time about a middle aged woman. Poverty. Children abandonment, menopause, you know, real life issues. And a Christmas novel in my Beauregard series. I have a wedding planned...more to come.
9. Who are some of your biggest creative influences, and how have they shaped your work or style?
Nora Roberts. Long time fangirl. Karen Slaughter is another one. Fannie Flagg does the south in a way nobody else has emulated. And I like a John Grisham type story as well. Its a good story without too much in your face stuff. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good sex scene or gory murder scene as much as the next guy, but for me the subtle clues are more my style.
10. How has your personal life or experiences influenced your writing/art, and are there any particular moments that stand out?
Gosh, yes! My writing is me on a page! My life has been, well, interesting to say the least. Plus I am a lover of people. I could people watch all day. I think humanity is interesting, I mean why do people do what they do? What are their motivations? What are mine? And family. My family is a huge influence. I have four children and I don't want them to think that life stops at 50. For me, life began then. A new and different one. Reinvention is the key to longevity. I want my kids and now my grandchildren to follow their dreams, no matter their age.
