Felicia Donovan

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. When did you start writing?
A. My earliest memory of writing was a poem I composed in the third grade about "A little mouse who lived in a tiny house." It was awful, but I got an award and remember the deep satisfaction of forming words to tell a story. I didn't find it difficult at all. I moved on to stories and completed my first novel, a mystery, by the time I graduated high school. I submitted writing samples and won a prestigious writing scholarship when I was in college. A dear friend of mine whom I've known since high school just recently reminded me that it has alwasy been my lifelong dream to be a writer and that I often spoke of it in high school. Her words resonanted deeply because I'd forgotten that I'd confessed, professed, that dream so long ago. I knew with conviction even back then that this is what I wanted to do.

Q. What makes one a writer?
A. Let me first answer by saying I've met many writers and we all seem to share some very similar traits and characteristics. There is an introspectiveness about us. It is as if we are all standing on the outer perimeter of a circle, looking in, watching. I've felt the presence of that perimeter throughout my life, as if I'll never cross it, nor do I want to cross it, if it means I cannot be an observer. Some may mistake that for aloofness, shyness, emotional distance, but I see it as the need to to take everything in, much like the eagle seeks higher ground to be able to get a better vantage point. It is exhilirating, but often exhausting to function that way. Beyond that, what makes one a writer is that one writes.

Q. Do you have any favorite authors?
A. Writers are so often passionate about books that I think there is a fear of forgetting to mention every book, every author that has touched our lives, guided us, shaped us. I will say this - I have distinct memories throughout my life of quintessential moments, many of which are connected to books and reading. I wish terribly that I could remember that moment when I read for the first time, the consummate act of letters forming words and words forming sentences, but I cannot. My siblings and I were raised around books, so it was as natural as the sun rising in the morning to have a book in my hands. I remember the pure joy of receiving a paperbag filled with Nancy Drew mysteries. I remember reading Little House on the Prarie during a winter storm and hoping the power would go out so I could read it by candlelight. I remember my mother reading Agatha Christie's Miss Marple series to me. I know the giddiness and underlying fear of being overwhelmed when I enter a bookstore or library. I remember the joy the day I qualified for an "adult" library card and the restrictions of what books I could borrow was lifted.

I've always said my favorite books are the ones that await me, the treasures that will carry me joyously onward to another journey, another tale of a life revealed, a soulful introspect into the human condition.

In fairness to the question, however, I'll name a few authors whom I will always read. There is no particular order to this list: Anita Shreve, Elinor Lipman, Carol Shields, Jodi Picoult, Anne Tyler, Elizabeth Berg, Sue Monk-Kidd, Anne Rivers Siddons. I thoroughly enjoyed Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale and found it especially well-crafted.

I've recently begun downloading audiobooks and chores have never been so much fun. It is a bit addictive, though, since I plug in from the moment I awake until I arrive at work, at which point I unplug, and then plug in again for the commute home. I don't unplug again until I fall asleep, oftentimes with the story still playing. There is something so different about the experience of listening to a story, especially with earphones on because the words are centered in my head, not right, not left, but dead center, as if that's where they were intended to be. I've been able to get through two or three books a week with little effort and my brain feels as if it is in constant stimulation from words.

Q. Do you have any advice for anyone who wants to be a writer?
A. Be a writer. It took me years to get serious about it. If you want to be a writer, the most important thing you can do is write. Write everyday. If you get stuck on a project you're working on, switch gears and write about something else off-topic, but keep writing. Then find a really good agent. I did (Jill Grosjean Literary Agency). Have faith and be grateful for everything, but just keep writing.


Home Black Widow Agency Website Womenade Fundraiser Signings/News/Media Meet Felicia Donovan Books Links Contact FAQ Blog	Frequently Asked Questions Q. When did you start writing? A. My earliest memory of writing was a poem I composed in the third grade about "A little mouse who lived in a tiny house." It was awful, but I got an award and remember the deep satisfaction of forming words to tell a story. I didn't find it difficult at all. I moved on to stories and completed my first novel, a mystery, by the time I graduated high school. I submitted writing samples and won a prestigious writing scholarship when I was in college. A dear friend of mine whom I've known since high school just recently reminded me that it has alwasy been my lifelong dream to be a writer and that I often spoke of it in high school. Her words resonanted deeply because I'd forgotten that I'd confessed, professed, that dream so long ago. I knew with conviction even back then that this is what I wanted to do. Q. What makes one a writer? A. Let me first answer by saying I've met many writers and we all seem to share some very similar traits and characteristics. There is an introspectiveness about us. It is as if we are all standing on the outer perimeter of a circle, looking in, watching. I've felt the presence of that perimeter throughout my life, as if I'll never cross it, nor do I want to cross it, if it means I cannot be an observer. Some may mistake that for aloofness, shyness, emotional distance, but I see it as the need to to take everything in, much like the eagle seeks higher ground to be able to get a better vantage point. It is exhilirating, but often exhausting to function that way. Beyond that, what makes one a writer is that one writes. Q. Do you have any favorite authors? A. Writers are so often passionate about books that I think there is a fear of forgetting to mention every book, every author that has touched our lives, guided us, shaped us. I will say this - I have distinct memories throughout my life of quintessential moments, many of which are connected to books and reading. I wish terribly that I could remember that moment when I read for the first time, the consummate act of letters forming words and words forming sentences, but I cannot. My siblings and I were raised around books, so it was as natural as the sun rising in the morning to have a book in my hands. I remember the pure joy of receiving a paperbag filled with Nancy Drew mysteries. I remember reading Little House on the Prarie during a winter storm and hoping the power would go out so I could read it by candlelight. I remember my mother reading Agatha Christie's Miss Marple series to me. I know the giddiness and underlying fear of being overwhelmed when I enter a bookstore or library. I remember the joy the day I qualified for an "adult" library card and the restrictions of what books I could borrow was lifted. I've always said my favorite books are the ones that await me, the treasures that will carry me joyously onward to another journey, another tale of a life revealed, a soulful introspect into the human condition. In fairness to the question, however, I'll name a few authors whom I will always read. There is no particular order to this list: Anita Shreve, Elinor Lipman, Carol Shields, Jodi Picoult, Anne Tyler, Elizabeth Berg, Sue Monk-Kidd, Anne Rivers Siddons. I thoroughly enjoyed Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale and found it especially well-crafted. I've recently begun downloading audiobooks and chores have never been so much fun. It is a bit addictive, though, since I plug in from the moment I awake until I arrive at work, at which point I unplug, and then plug in again for the commute home. I don't unplug again until I fall asleep, oftentimes with the story still playing. There is something so different about the experience of listening to a story, especially with earphones on because the words are centered in my head, not right, not left, but dead center, as if that's where they were intended to be. I've been able to get through two or three books a week with little effort and my brain feels as if it is in constant stimulation from words. Q. Do you have any advice for anyone who wants to be a writer? A. Be a writer. It took me years to get serious about it. If you want to be a writer, the most important thing you can do is write. Write everyday. If you get stuck on a project you're working on, switch gears and write about something else off-topic, but keep writing. Then find a really good agent. I did (Jill Grosjean Literary Agency). Have faith and be grateful for everything, but just keep writing.