The inspiring author of "Autumn Colors"
Dawn Lajeunesse
Not ready to push her pen or her dream aside, she continued to write. Newsletters, magazine articles, private journals and stories filled the gap. She very wisely took several writing courses to hone her fiction skills before diving into her first novel, “Autumn Colors”.
Now, I must admit, this is not the first time I’ve interviewed Dawn. We’ve known each other for quite a while now, and I can honestly say without hesitation that Dawn Lajeunesse is one of the nicest and most inspiring people I’ve ever had the fortune to stumble upon. By the time you finish reading this interview, I know you’ll start to feel the same way.
Sofia: Dawn, to start things off, tell us what genre do you generally write and what drew you to this genre?
Dawn: My first two books were romance/women’s fiction, and I had started on a third when a totally different and more exciting idea came to me.
I wrote women’s fiction because I enjoyed exploring the range of romantic and family relationship issues, and I felt that most women could relate to them. I also always aimed for a happy ending. I enjoy “feel good” novels myself, so I made the assumption others would also.
But I have taken another direction with book #3. It is a form of science fiction, a fictional memoir written by a centenarian in 2101. I was always invested in my previous books, but I’m consumed by this one. I hope it turns out half as good on paper as it feels in my head!
Sofia: I’m also a huge fan of a “feel good” novel with a happy ending. But I can’t wait to read your next book. It sounds fantastic! But let’s back up a little, and tell our Novel Reads friends what you have previously published.
Dawn: A few articles and book chapters for other people’s books, plus my two novels: “Autumn Colors”, released in early 2011, and “In Her Mother’s Shoes”, due out in June of this year.
Sofia: I loved “Autumn Colors” and I’m sure “In Her Mother’s Shoes” will become one of my favorite books. You’re self-publishing both of them. What made you decide to go the self-publishing route, Dawn?
Dawn: I’d like to say I did it because I favor indie publishing and the rights the author retains. The truth, though, is I was not able to secure an agent or publisher for either of these books.
Sofia: Some people don’t know a good thing when it smacks them in the face, do they? I apologize for my outburst, but I strongly feel whichever agents or publishers you queried missed out on representing a couple of great books. Their loss! Moving on before I further offend anyone in the publishing business - Do you read eBooks or do you prefer “regular” books?
Dawn: I prefer regular books, but practicality (price, convenience) has won me over to my Kindle.
Sofia: eBook or regular, how important do you think book titles and covers are? And did you have a say in yours?
Dawn: I think titles are critical for both e-books and regular books, particularly if they reflect the content of the book well. I love well-designed covers, but they are more important for regular books than for e-books.
I was very fortunate to have a lot of input into both my covers. For “Autumn Colors”, I provided more conceptual suggestions than actual design – color scheme and so on. My cover for “In Her Mother’s Shoes”, unless the publisher gives me reason to believe they have a better idea, is totally my design, complete with my photographs.
Sofia: Do you have time to write every day?
Dawn: Don’t I wish! Between my job, my commute, and my commitment to daily workouts, I leave my house at 3:30am and get home around 6pm, Monday thru Friday – later on NYC days. Occasionally, I squeeze in a half hour of writing during my lunch break. And when I travel to NYC by train, the 2+ hours are spent writing most of the time. But I’ve trained myself to become a “binge writer” – writing intensively for several hours on the weekend or if I have a day off. It takes a little longer to finish a book, but it’s the only way I can do it. I’m looking forward to retiring in 3 years and having the luxury of writing daily!
Sofia: Do you have to do much research for your novels?
Dawn: For my first two books I did very little research – just checked dates and accurate names of songs, that kind of thing and very easy in the Google age. My new book (working title: Transition) is completely different, and I’m not looking forward to the research that will be necessary to make it plausible. Basically, I need to project where we will be in health care, science, politically, and so on, through the 21st century. What is the likelihood we will be visited by people from other worlds? What diseases will be cured and what new ones will appear? What will our technology look like? Will there be another world war? How will the current issues (like the national debt and the economy in general) be handled? What about the obesity epidemic – how will that impact the century? And on and on! To create answers for these questions, I need to know what is in the works currently. Health care is pretty easy, since I work in the field. But I know little about physics and chemistry and space travel and technology (other than how to use my iPhone and my computer). So I have a lot of research to do, and it’s intimidating!
Sofia: How do you eat an elephant, Dawn? One bite at the time! And speaking of intimidation, how do you deal with rejection from publisher/agents?
Dawn: For each new book I was hopeful that this time it would be different. So when the rejections started coming in, the first five or ten were the most upsetting. After that, you might say I just shrugged my shoulders and kept at it. I never gave up hope until I’d gotten to the last of the agents and publishers on my D list (after running through A-C). By then, I had to accept that whatever they were looking for, I wasn’t giving them. Because of the positive feedback I received from “early readers”, I went ahead and self-published. Had it not been for them, I probably would have deleted the manuscript and/or ceremoniously burned it in a bonfire!
Sofia: I’m so glad you didn’t! Keep staying away from matches and lighters, Dawn. And keep writing. What, by the way, do you do when you’re not writing or working?
Dawn: I love outdoor sports. I run and train for marathons and half marathons, though I’m a very pokey runner. My husband and I enjoy canoeing and hiking, cross-country skiing, just about anything that gets us out in the fresh air of the Adirondack Mountains where we live! And I love reading or knitting by the fire on a snowy winter’s day.
Sofia: What do you think the future holds for you as a writer?
Dawn: I have hopes for Transition (or whatever title it eventually has) being the novel that finally wins me an agent and hopefully a major publisher. If that doesn’t happen, I’m not sure where I will take this. I may have to consider taking an indefinite break at that point. It’s an expensive and time-consuming hobby to self-publish and market books when you don’t sell enough to recoup your investment. I may have to weigh my love of writing against the many other ways I enjoy spending my time. That will be a tough one, so I hope I’m right about Transition!
Sofia: I have my fingers crossed for you! Okay, now it’s time for my last question – Do you have any famous last words to leave us with?
Dawn: It’s not a literary quote. It’s sort of my motto for life – the old Nike slogan, “JUST DO IT!”
Go and visit Dawn’s blog and website, and don’t forget to check out “Autumn Colors” on Amazon and Barnes & Noble!
