Category: Blog Series Page 86 of 220

Last week, I said that we’d be taking a quick break while I worked on recruiting some more participants for this. I hadn’t accounted for how quickly Danielle Parker would respond to the questions. I’m really looking forward to diving into her werewolf books soon–but for now, let’s dive into her thoughts about writing in Idaho.

N.B. This was done before March 4th, so our discussion about the event then is clearly anachronistic.

Before we get into things, why don’t you give the reader a brief introduction to you and your work.
I write using the pen name of Danielle Parker. I’ve been a soldier since 2006 and I’m retiring soon to write full-time and raise my son. My husband and I are very excited about that! My books are primarily under the Urban Fantasy umbrella with lots of sarcastic characters. I like horror/comedy and think it shows in my stories. I’m hoping to branch out into thrillers soonish.

I don’t exist much online – usually too busy writing – but I’m probably the most active on Tumblr (at the moment), Werewolves Don’t Sparkle – Tumblr.

That’s a great title!
Thank you! It makes me laugh every time I see it.

What brought you to Idaho in the first place? What is it about Idaho that keeps you here?
I wasn’t born here, but we moved to Idaho when I was around 7 or 8, so I would say I grew up here. My father was in the military as well and when he left the service we moved to Boise to be closer to relatives. I’ve stayed in Idaho mostly for family, but I also really enjoy a lot of things about the state. The writing culture is one big thing, but I also love the mountains.

Are you tied into some sort of local author/bookish group/culture? If so, tell us about it and how it helps you as an author. If you’re not, is there a reason for it?
I’m a founding member of the Treasure Valley Critique Group, I co-own Bert Books Publishing with my bestie, Troy Lambert, and I’m a member of the Idaho Writers Guild (and recently elected Vice President). I find that the more like-minded people I’m around, the more networking I do, the more encouraged and enthusiastic I am about writing! It’s nice to be around people who share your passion, and super helpful when it comes to navigating things like publishing.

What kind of events in the area do you attend—either to sell/promote your books or to network with authors? Are there any outside of this area that you hit regularly and wish we had something like it here?
I try to go to a lot of local events but haven’t had a lot of time prior to this year. Retirement will hopefully open my schedule up to do more in the community. I will be at the Nampa Library book fair on the 4th of March. This summer Idaho Writers Guild has their conference and I’ll be at that. There’s also a festival called Boise Books and Brews that Bert Books put together last year with a huge help from CopenRoss Growlers that will be happening again in June, I believe. Troy Lambert and I will also be going out to connect with the writing community more this Spring/Summer and I’d love to meet up with more local authors!

I’m hoping to make the Nampa Library event on the 4th, too—it looks promising. I tried, but failed, to get to the Books and Brews event (this series came out of my missing it!), shooting for this year! For you, what was the best part of the events you’ve made (or are hoping will be for things like the Nampa Library)–connecting with authors, or reaching out to readers? I can see either being a draw for an author. How do readers react to you at these events (other than the lack that type of reaction you mention below)
Boise Books and Brews was a blast and I hope you can make it out this year. We had so much fun! I definitely enjoy the networking aspect of events. Not that I don’t enjoy meeting readers, because I do, but I also get into some really interesting conversations with other authors. Readers tend to be enthusiastic and ask a lot of questions, which I like and I end up asking them a lot of questions. It’s a different vibe between a reader and an author.

What’s the breakdown of your audience—do you have a strong local base, or are your readers from other parts of the world?
Most of my readers are from other parts of the United States. I’m hoping to connect with more readers locally this year. I’ve been a recluse for a fair minute and it’s time to make some new friends.

How have you gotten the word out to those other parts of the US? Or is that one of those things that just happened?
I think it probably has to do with how my books are advertised on Amazon, maybe? That’s one of those things that I would be asking Troy. I’m always surprised to see sales or page reads popping up in places like Canada or Germany!

Do you think there are particular challenges or advantages to being a writer in the Treasure Valley? (possibly both)
It’s a bit of both, really. The challenge is that we’ve got a small community of writers and we don’t always talk to each other, so that can be difficult to navigate. I think that’s also an advantage though – because we’re small it makes it easier to bring everyone together!

I write a lot for the LGBTQ+ community, so I’m often wary of someone coming out of the woodwork to yell at me – but I’ve yet to have an altercation and that’s made me very, very happy about our readers in the Treasure Valley. My parents were worried.

Do you bring Idaho (or some sort of Idaho-sensibility, assuming one exists) to your work? Whether or not anyone else sees it, can you look at some aspect of your writing and think “That’s Idaho” or “I would do ____ differently if I was a Kentuckian or from Illinois?”
I’m not sure it counts, but the outdoors features heavily in my werewolf series (The Faoladh Series). I think that’s a thing here in Idaho, a shared love of nature. Even the glampers are outside in their own way, enjoying the majesty of the Idaho wilds. I may be answering the question wrong, but I also think being outdoorsy and growing up in Idaho had an impact on my love of monsters – and most of my characters are the outdoorsy kind too. They’d fit right in.

I definitely think outdoorsy characters/settings definitely are (or can be) an Idaho-sensibility. Now, when it comes to the “Idaho wilds” there’s a bit of variety—what type/area is your favorite? Is that the same kind your werewolves are found in, or do they differ from you?
I like the woods. There’s nothing wrong with a mountain or a lake/river, but I like being in trees. Something about it feels soothing. Though I have to admit, I’m also very wary and respectful of predatory animals like bears. The deep woods at night are frightening.

My werewolves are very similar. Harper spends a lot of time in the woods. She lives in Montana though, which is another place I’m very familiar with. I used to summer in the Glacier area with my grandparents.

One final question, is there a book (or two…or 18, if you get really carried away), that embodies Idaho/the Idaho spirit to you to recommend to my readers?
Well, Troy Lambert writes stories set in Idaho a lot. There’s Rick Just for another Idaho author who writes about Idaho. I also haven’t read The Boys of Boise, but I’ve been informed that my grandmother-in-law was somehow involved in that story. Just don’t tell my husband I haven’t gotten around to reading it! Oh, and Troy and I put out a short story collection called “Monster Marshals: Incidents in Idaho” – that’s two short stories about monster hunting, set in Idaho.

I promise I won’t tell a soul. Also, your Bert Books cohort, James, mentioned Rick Just and your Incidents in Idaho. I’m definitely going to check into both at this rate!

Thanks for your time and participation! Hope you enjoyed it!

I’ve shared posts about this a little on various social media platforms, but now I see a final line-up/details, so I figured I might as well throw up a quick post about this event coming up on March 4th for anyone in the area who might be interested.

The Nampa Public Library will be hosting the Treasure Valley Indie Book Fair (or, if you prefer snazzy images to a text link, try this one)—there will be panels/workshops about Writing the American sonnet, talking about Youth Books, the oft-mentioned Idaho Writers Guild, Comic Books and Zines. Almost 50 local writers/illustrators/publishers will be in attendance, and I’m going to try to overcome my introversion and talk to as many of them as I can while picking up more books than I should. Three of them have or will be participating in this series already, so I’m looking forward to some face-to-face interaction with them.

If you can, you should come out to this—it looks like a good time (and will likely take away all that progress I made on Mt. TBR last month).

So, I’ve finished with the first batch of authors for this series—and before we take a break while I work on a second batch, I thought I’d see if I’ve learned much about writing in Southwest Idaho.*

* Yes, there’s the one outlier in Eastern Oregon—which may end up being part of “Greater Idaho” in the next few years. But I’m not going to take the time to add that disclaimer throughout here. Can we just agree it’s implied?

Of the nine people I’ve talked to, two have been native to Idaho and most moved here young enough to be “as close to being a native Idahoan as you can get without getting your eye wet,” as Danielle Higley put it, with a couple of people who came later in life. I honestly expected the native/close-enough to be closer to 50%, to that’s nice. The beauty and the people are what keep people here.

Almost everyone is involved in (or wants to get back involved) with a local writers’ group—Idaho Writers Guild being the most popular, but some good stuff has been said about others. The outliers do have friends they can turn to for support, though. No lone wolves here.

Rediscovered Books in Boise and Caldwell is far and away these authors’ choice for local events—the Boise Library’s Comic Arts Festival, Gem State Comic Con, Books and Brews, Nampa’s Festival of the Arts, plus miscellaneous arts and crafts fairs, got some good representation, too. As did LTUE in Utah and Montana’s MisCon.

One thing I found interesting is that essentially authors said their audience was very local, or it’s not very local. I’d expected some sort of mix. With those who are still starting out, it makes sense that local readers would make up the bulk of the audience (along with the all-important friends-and-family base)—but I’d figured those who were more established would have a decent local following in addition to sales in other areas of the country/world.

Everyone said essentially the same thing when it came to strengths/weaknesses about writing around here—the smallness of the market and distance from bigger markets is a hindrance but not that much of one thanks to the internet. Also, local writers and local people are the strengths of writing here.

When it comes to “do you bring an area-specific sensibility or feel to your work, most say no—other than subconsciously. It’s where they live and who they’re around, so sure…but no one’s doing it deliberately (other than setting the occasional book in this area).

The last question I ask is for recommendations for books “that embody Idaho/the Idaho spirit.” Here’s what we’ve gotten so far:
Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall
The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party by Daniel James Brown
The How and The Why by Cynthia Hand
Into The Darkness by Marlie Harrs and Troy Lambert
Big Jim Turner by James Stephens
Incidents in Idaho: A Monster Marshals Collection by Troy Lambert and Danielle Parker
The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
Educated by Tara Westover
Fearless: The Story of Farris Lind, the Man Behind the Skunk by Rick Just
And then a few authors were mentioned without specific books: Ivan Doig, Hemingway (“it’s like reading about the romanticized version of Idaho that I have in my head,” said Jeremy Billups), Craig Johnson, and Norman Maclean.

So, I don’t know that I’ve learned a lot—it’s a small sample size, for one thing. But, there are some themes—and a lot of exceptions to those themes. Which feels pretty Idahoan to me.