We recently connected with Danielle Harrington and have shared our conversation below.
Danielle, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I have always loved telling stories. Since I was five, I’ve created worlds and lived vicariously through the characters on the page. Growing up, I also took to the stage, and theater became another avenue of storytelling that I absolutely LOVED! But I really found my calling when I decided to buckle up and get myself published. My debut novel, The Diseased Ones, is the first in a four book young adult dystopian series about a futuristic world that tests people’s blood to find and eliminate people with superpowers. It released February 2020, and ever since then, I’ve pursued a career in writing. I love what storytelling does for me and for my readers. It gives me the space to communicate my ideals in unconventional ways, and it gives me the opportunity to explore complex emotions and dastardly stakes. I love the villains I create and the heroines that have to overcome impossible odds. I love it when readers tell me they couldn’t put my books down! So much of my purpose is now wrapped up in giving readers an experience they will remember and ponder long after they close the book. I crave it. I work hard every day at it. And I hope to make a living off of selling book down the line. I’m currently publishing my fifth book, Keyholder (The Wells of Power Book 1). It’s a New Adult Fantasy, and I’m having SO much fun with the rich world-building and heart-pounding stakes.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Hi! I’m an author who avidly loves making reader’s heart POUND with world-ending stakes, dastardly villains, and fast-paced story arcs!
I’ve published four books, and I’m currently working on my fifth book. My published series is called The Hollis Timewire Series, and it’s a four book Young Adult Dystopian series perfect for fans of Hunger Games, Divergent, and X-Men. It’s about a futuristic world that tests people’s blood to find and eliminate people with superpowers. If you love found family, light romance as a subplot, government secrets, betrayal, and unique superpowers, this series is for you!
Currently, I’m working on a New Adult Fantasy book called Keyholder (The Wells of Power Book 1). This book is perfect for fans of Shadow and Bone & Lord of the Rings. It’s an enemies-to-lovers romance with rich world-building, complex stakes, and villains at every turn. Keyholder is about a young woman named Octavia Fletcher who becomes bloodbound to a key that holds an ancient magic coveted by all the Kingdoms of the land. Only the Keyholder can walk through the killing darkness to unlock the Well of Eternal Healing and reverse the destruction that’s come upon the land, but can Octavia survive her circumstances long enough to do so?
For this fifth book, I’m trying something NEW! I’m running a Kickstarter at the end of June for special editions of Keyholder that will have FULL COLOR internal illustrations! I also will have exclusive bookish swag! Here’s the pre-launch link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/keyholder/keyholder-illustrated-full-color-limited-edition
You do NOT want to miss out on this one! Follow along to get notified on launch!
The most exciting thing about Keyholder is how I’ve matured in my storytelling and craft since publishing my debut back in 2020. I’ve never been SO excited for a book release! Keyholder is for all the Romantasy lovers out there who want a book they simply can’t put down, and a romance that will have your heart swooning and shattering all at the same time.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The biggest thing I did for myself at the start of my author career was attend a writing conference. I learned so much about the publishing industry, my publishing options, how to pitch a book, how to craft story structure, how to create compelling characters that jump off the page… you name it! I learned from industry professionals who had been doing this whole author thing a lot longer than I had, and it was amazing!
Writing, while a lonely craft in a lot of ways, is still a community event. Getting a book published does not happen in a vacuum. There are so many eyes that pass over your story before it goes out into the world, so finding your people and building your community of support is crucial to success. I love my editor, my cover artists, my internal formatter, and my beta readers. And the community of readers who have found me motivate me too! The fact that I’m an auto-buy author for ANYONE at this point in my career is incredible, and it just confirms again that I’m doing what I’m meant to be doing with my life.
The other thing I want to mention is this… PERSISTENCE! Success does not happen overnight. A book doesn’t get done in a week. Building a readership doesn’t happen in the blink of an eye. The only artist who fails is the artist who stops making art. No matter what, I have not given up! I keep working at my dream of getting my books into the hands of readers every single day! And PERSISTENCE is why I’m where I’m at.
How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?
The challenge facing any independent author is marketing. I don’t have a big publisher pushing my books. I do ALL the legwork. All the social media marketing. All the administrative stuff. It’s exhausting, but if I don’t talk about my books, I don’t sell books, and selling books is how I make money.
Would I love to just write books and not deal with the admin stuff? YES! But being an indie author means you have to learn to adapt and become a jack of all trades. Marketing can get rough and a lot of the times, you’re at the mercy of social media algorithms, but that’s the nature of the beast.
But like Dory says in Finding Nemo, “just keep swimming.” Marketing is always a challenge I will face, but I will keep talking about my books and finding my people, because when a reader says I’ve become their favorite author or my books have gotten them back into reading or they simply couldn’t put my story down, it makes it all worth it!
Contact Info:
- Website: djharringtonbooks.com
- Instagram: @djharringtonwriter
- Other: TikTok @djharringtonwriter Kickstarter Pre-launch Page for Keyholder: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/keyholder/keyholder-illustrated-full-color-limited-edition
