Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am p.d. workman and I am a writing addict!
I write riveting young adult/suspense fiction about mental illness, addiction, and violence.
For as long as I can remember, the blank page has held an incredible allure for me. I have samples of stories and booklets that go back to my early childhood. I collected notebooks of all shapes and sizes with plans to fill them with words and stories. By grade four I found that inventing a story in my head could rival the joy of reading one from a book. I wrote and bound a series stories about a rabbit, painstakingly typed on my dad’s Selectric typewriter and illustrated by tracing pictures.
In grade five, I spent a lot of leisure time creating a Narnia-like world of my own. I drew pictures of it… unicorns, rainbows, forests, mountains in the distance. There were six meals a day, with names like nibble and munch. I didn’t write a word of the story, though I imagined the plot line, which included my arrival in the land via a pair of magical red tennis shoes.
In grade six I had a language arts teacher who had a box full of pictures to use as story prompts, and we would write a creative writing story every Friday. I loved it. I wrote a number of stories about a pair of magical black dogs with glowing eyes. In grade seven I continued to enjoy creative writing at school, much of it about horses, my new obsession as I read every book in the Black Stallion series. I started to write my first full-length novel, a classic plot line about a class of school children who get marooned on a deserted tropical island. No, no Lord of the Flies here. It was all about survival. I went to a young writer’s conference and talked about it. I read it to the kids I babysat. I never finished it.
Then at the age of twelve, I finally did it, I wrote my first complete novel. It was full of fantastic ideas. It was the spring board for many stories over the next few years.
So, 44 novels or so later, I finally decided to publish. Over the years, family and friends have encouraged me to. But I love to write so much. I write for myself, for the joy of creating characters and living through them. Some have been shared with a friend or family member, but even that has been rare. Most people didn’t even have any idea that I write. I’ve kept my addiction a secret. Several times I have taken up the pen and dabbled with contacting publishers, submitting to contests, etc. And each time, the joy has disappeared and the creative juices have dried up. And I’ve gone back to my hermit-like writing existence, proclaiming that my estate can publish my work after I’m dead.
So here I am, almost three decades after writing my first book, finally taking the plunge. My writing has matured and improved a lot the last couple of years. I have been writing for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and other one-month challenges for a few years now, and each new novel that I finish, I think: “This is the best book that I have ever written! And I want to share it with others!” And even after the initial thrill of having produced another book passes and I go back to it to edit and polish, I still think: “This is really very good! It’s ready to share.” So here I am, biting the bullet and self-publishing (what they call an “indie” author.
Who am I when I’m not writing? I’m a devout wife and a mother of one. Born and raised in Alberta, Canada. I’m a homeschooler. I’m an executive assistant. I have a passion for art and nature, creative cooking for special diets, and running. I love to read, to listen to audio books, and to share books out loud with my family. I’m a technology geek with a love for all kinds of gadgets and tools to make my writing and work easier and more fun. In person, I am far less well-spoken than on the written page. I tend to be shy and reserved with all but those closest to me, and I prefer communicating by e-mail and text rather than phone calls or face-to-face visits. My sociable husband and son help keep me from becoming a complete recluse!
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The one that I finished writing a couple of weeks ago (now on the shelf to season for a few weeks before taking a run at editing,) is “Tattooed Teardrops”. I wanted to tell the story of a convicted murderer trying to reintegrate into society.
“I don’t plan on getting in any trouble.”
Tamara had thought that when she got out of juvie, things would be easier. But before long, it seems like her life is spiraling into chaos. If she can’t prove to her probation officer that she is innocent of the allegations against, she’s going back to prison, and she just can’t let that happen.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Certainly not. Other than that I want to write all the time. When I’m not writing, I’m thinking about writing. When I’m at work. Driving the car. Going for a run or walk. Making supper. All the time.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
My writing style/subject matter has probably been most influenced by S.E. Hinton and Jay Bennett.
I am a huge fan of J.R.R. Tolkien, to the point of creating poster-sized charts of his alphabets in order to translate the Tengwar script on the title pages of his books when I was a teenager. Dick Francis has been one of my favourite authors as an adult. I enjoy reading Harry Potter and other fantasy books with my son. I enjoy a wide variety of books in my reading diet, both fiction and non-fiction, and have thousands of books in my Kindle account. Only about 10% are cookbooks…
What are you working on now?
I am waiting for final comments back from my beta readers on “Ruby”, the first book in my “Through the Cracks” series.
When everyone is finished with that one, I will be sending out “Stand Alone” to them for their review. I wrote that one in July last year, modeled on a short story I wrote years ago.
At the beginning of January, I just finished “Tattooed Teardrops”, which I mentioned above, so that one is just seasoning for a little while.
I am currently working on the sequel to “Ruby”, expanding the back story about Ruby’s twin siblings into a novel. That’s about half done. Still need a title and cover concept.
I am also converting some information on food families into a usable ebook format. That will be my first pubished non-fiction book, a resource for those with multiple allergies/intolerances who need to be on elimination or rotation diets or figure out what else in their diet is bothering them.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Having just published my first book in November, I’m still figuring that out. I did a freebie promotion on Amazon that got a good number of downloads and boosted my visibility for a while. I am active on Twitter, Facebook, and my blog. I have just scheduled a giveaway on Goodreads and another freebie promotion on Amazon.
But mostly, I prefer to follow the advice of those who say “keep writing and get the next book out there”!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just keep writing! Don’t get too caught up in everybody’s advice on how you should approach or structure your book. Just keep writing.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
FAIL
First
Attempt
In
Learning
What are you reading now?
The Faithful One, Michele Chynoweth
Physik (Septimus Heap, Book Three,) Angie Sage
The Vegan Table, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau
Sell More Books! J. Steve Miller
Psalms
What’s next for you as a writer?
Write more books (currently writing 3-5 per year). Get more of them out there. Maybe go to a local writer’s conference. Get my name out there so people recognize it.
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?
Silmarillion, JRR Tolkien
Something by Dick Francis
Scriptures
A really good island cookbook
Author Websites and Profiles
P.D. Workman Website
P.D. Workman Amazon Profile
P.D. Workman Author Profile on Smashwords
P.D. Workman’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account