Interview with Darian Wilk, author of LOVE UNFINISHED — Part 1

Posted by bridgid on | December 12, 2011 | 3 Comments |

Today, self-published author Darian Wilk will be talking about her book, LOVE UNFINISHED. On Wednesday, she’ll be sharing her thoughts on the self-publishing process.

Darian will also be giving away a copy of LOVE UNFINISHED to one lucky Inky Fresh Press reader. Scroll to the bottom of this post for details.

A little about Darian:

Darian Wilk lives in Michigan with her husband and two small children. She has a background in Nursing, and has worked as a Home Health Aid to the elderly.

In 2007, Darian’s mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Darian quit working to tend to her mother, and it was in those three years of taking care of her that Darian realized how precious life really is. In her mom’s last year of life, Darian finally found the courage to pursue what her heart had always secretly longed for; becoming a writer. It was then that she started her debut novel, LOVE UNFINISHED, and continues her journey today.

BG: Please tell us a little about your book, LOVE UNFINISHED.

DW: LOVE UNFINISHED is about soul mates from the past, who die a tragic death on their wedding day, leaving their lives and love unfinished. They’re destined to meet again in new incarnations to fulfill that love, but she is already married, and he has vowed to never love again.

BG: Sounds like a great premise, Darian! Where did the inspiration for this story come from?

DW: Actually it came from a free writing journal exercise, where the idea is to write whatever thoughts you have, as you have them. This particular exercise was meant to be hand written, with an actual pen and paper. I am a laptop kind of girl! I dug up the notebook I wrote in, here is exactly what I wrote:

“Ok, so I’m supposed to open my mind and write…ok, I’m writing, see the words on the page? Write what comes to me, well, this isn’t looking like much now is it? Where are the ideas? My finger hurts, why do I always squeeze a pen so tightly? And now I have a blue smudge on my finger, maybe I should use my laptop. I wonder why the task of actually writing, with a pen and paper, seems like such a daunting task these days? Maybe technology is ruining us. Maybe life would be better like the good old days, when kids rode bikes instead of texting, when women stayed home with their kids, when life was simple and not so muddled with pretend busyness.”

As I finished that sentence, a scene start to play in my mind, of this young couple in the 40’s or early 50’s, I decided it was there wedding day. I wondered about how horrible it would be, to die on such a fine day, and thus the idea was born.

BG: It’s amazing how different hand-writing can be. (I’m a committed laptop user as well.)

Is LOVE UNFINISHED influenced by events you have experienced?

DW: Specific events, no, but I think it could be influenced by parts of my personality. I love technology, the freedom women have to be and do what we want in life now, and all of the modern conveniences we have in life that are all too often taken for granted. But, running through that is a lot of ‘old school’. I like staying home with my kids, making home cooked meals, playing an actual board game with my kids instead of letting them play a video game. I’m Kat Von D meets June Cleaver, and I think my love of ‘old school’ life perhaps played a roll in beginning of the story.

BG: Kat Von D and June Cleaver? That’s quite the combination!

What is your writing process like?

DW: I work best when the house is calm, when I can lean back and let my mind wander through the silence and see where it takes me. However, I am a mom to two kids, a wife, and we have a puppy. The amount of time in a day that I have such ideal surroundings to write in is minimal, so you learn to overcome, or cave. I learned to overcome the noise and distraction, but I absolutely cannot hold a conversation while writing. It completely throttles the moment, the momentum, the feeling of the scene I’m in. It’s like dancing the Waltz, when suddenly someone changes the music to 2 Pac.

Typically I do not edit as I go, but if a particular scene or chapter just feels very off to me, I absolutely rip it to shreds until it’s fixed. I do that because I feel if I move on, knowing a portion of it is wrong, I will be continuing on in the wrong direction.

BG: It’s inspiring to hear about someone who has a busy home life, but who still manages to make it work.

Who in your life has influenced your writing the most?

DW: I would have to say my mom. Any hint of talent I might have came from her; she had powerful words when she chose to touch pen to paper. She was my biggest supporter, always encouraging me to press on with my dreams and find my writers voice. I also think some of the biggest influences in a writers life are not a who, but a what…what we read. Whether a writer intends it or not, what we read has a large influence on how we write. Which is why you’ll hear a lot of writers say, “I write better when I read good books.”

BG: I completely agree. In my opinion, good books are the best teachers.

Stop by on Wednesday for the rest of Darian’s interview. She’ll be sharing the reason why she decided to self-publish, and her tips for aspiring self-published authors.

LOVE UNFINISHED Givewaway

To win a pdf copy of Darian’s book, LOVE UNFINISHED, leave a comment on this post by December 31st, 2011.

You can earn extra entries by:

• Commenting on Wednesday’s post, part two of this interview (+1),
• Tweeting about this giveaway (+1),
• Linking to this giveaway on Facebook or Google Plus (+2), or,
• Linking to this giveaway on in a blog post (+5).

Please leave your links in the comments.

Good luck!

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