Interview With Author Danielle Forrest
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an autistic author who was obsessed with the paranormal at an early age. Recognizing in my teens that I could never survive the rampant rejections of being a traditionally published author, I decided to pursue a career in my second love: science.
Over time, I eventually discovered Paranormal Romance, loving the way traditionally villainous creatures were portrayed as lovable and misunderstood and (bonus) loving that I didn’t have to worry about whether characters I’d come to invest my heart and soul into would eventually find an unfortunate end. Through my love of science and Paranormal Romance, I eventually found my way to SciFi Romance, which had similarly inhuman love interests while also blending unique and fascinating world-building that (sometimes) had strong scientific leanings.
When I decided to start publishing back in 2019, I knew I would go into SciFi Romance and soon fell in love with creating the worlds, ecosystems, and species. I also loved creating unique characters with diverse identities. As of now, I am working on my 11th book. I’m a bit slow for my genre, but have managed to consistently publish a book every 4 months.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The last book I published was Shifting Tides, which is an alien romance featuring a young trans heroine who is trying (and failing) to find her place in the world. She leaves the planet she’s settled on because of a stalker, and not only ends up finding love, but also helps uncover a government conspiracy.
This is the 5th book in the series (including the prequel) and so to an extent, the book is inspired by the ones that came before it. Jessie, the heroine, has been in the books to varying degrees since Shifting Cargo (Book 1) and I’ve watched her go from an awkward teenager who has body image issues and is grossed out by her sister’s sex life, to a woman who has found a partner, a community, and a home separate from the one she had growing up.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m autistic, so probably all of my habits are unusual. I feel like sitting down to write or edit is always a bit of a struggle for me. Though I can absolutely sit down for hours, writing 10k+ words, I’m just as likely to feel like screaming and pulling my hair out after only writing a couple hundred words. It’s been quite a journey learning how to transition my “write when I feel like it” hobby into a “setting business hours” writing style. I’d done NaNoWriMo for years before publishing, and I’d always found, even with only 30 days, that I would burn out if I tried to write every day. I would often plan for writing most of the novel on weekends, where I could write 5k+ words each day, making up for my slacker periods during the week.
And I still struggle with it, often having to get up and pace to relieve extra energy or walk away to read a non-fiction book to distract my brain for a bit (always non-fiction because if it’s fiction, I’ll never come back).
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I don’t know that I could give specifics. I’ve read so many books, thousands, and I suspect all of them have influenced me in some ways. I often notice things in books I’m reading and make note of it, loving one thing or another other authors are doing.
What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on editing Shifting Shadows, is a lesbian alien romance novella. The heroines, Taln and Eirse, were introduced in Shifting Paradigms, and I immediately fell in love with them and started shipping them. I knew they needed to be a couple and that I would eventually write their story. The story is shorter than most I write because the characters had known each other for years before the book started, so it was a story of how they transitions from coworkers to romantic partners, not how they came to know and love each other. They already did, they were just too hopeless to realize it.
The book also has a creature in it that was inspired by the vashta nerada from Doctor Who, though nowhere near as cool. You can’t get cooler than Doctor Who. Let’s be real here.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
https://linktr.ee/danielleforrest
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Connect with other authors in your genre. So many other things are personal, but that is a must no matter what.
Also, if you can’t engage with other readers in your genre, preferably in enthusiastic ways, you probably shouldn’t be writing that type of book.
My first series, which I didn’t classify as romance because I wasn’t sure it quite hit the mark (though it definitely had romantic elements and readers often said it would be satisfying to romance readers), left me trying to connect with authors and readers in science fiction, which I just couldn’t seem to connect with, resulting in a situation where each book performed worse than the last.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Read in the genre you write.
What are you reading now?
Anna’s Bounty by Deysi O’Donal
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ll be starting a new series in 2023, which I plan to title “Matched to the Alien.” The first book in the series is Matched to the Alien Prince, which features a heroine who signs up at an interstellar matchmaking agency to escape an abusive partner.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
It may be weird because I write alien romance, but it would probably be either a selection of books from Jacquelyn Frank’s several Nightwalker series or something by Lynsay Sands. Of all the books I’ve read, I’ve rereads those so many times it isn’t funny. I often will reread them when I’m in a funk. They are nostalgic for me because they were among my earliest romance reads.
Author Websites and Profiles
Danielle Forrest Amazon Profile
Danielle Forrest’s Social Media Links