Please meet my author friend Desi Stowe, my hearts. We met through the Nicole Frail Edits Social Media Challenge in April and have stayed in touch through our comment pod. I think of it as a creator’s support group! 😉 [Hm. Maybe we can get Nicole Frail to join us for an interview as well – she’s a great resource for authors.]

JEN: Desi thanks so much for celebrating the launch of your second book with me! Before we dive into SHADOWS, let’s talk about you. Please share your author bio. I’d love to hear your story.

DESI: Officially, I started writing in early 2022, publishing my first novel DONE in February of 2023. Unofficially, I’ve probably been developing my scaffolding as a writer for many years, answering requests of “hey, can you word this better for me?” and the like. I’ve always been one to people watch and make up stories in my mind about who they were, what they were up to and what they were longing for. I wasn’t sure I’d ever publish beyond DONE, but I knew it was the novel I had to write. However, once I started writing I had difficulty stopping. Several ideas started to take form in jotted notes and in computer documents. Writing has been a much needed escape into a fictional world, even if it's a world that mirrors real life. I live with my husband and two children in Raleigh, North Carolina. During the day, I work as a physical therapist. My writing was sporadic between my other responsibilities. I'd find myself daydreaming about plot progression and character arcs while working out or washing dishes. The characters of my novels have a special place in my heart, I hope others enjoy them, too.

JEN: I can’t wait to enjoy them myself. Are you indie or trad?

DESI: Self-published. I didn't even consider traditional publishing, mostly because I wanted to own my creative process.

JEN: Yes, and… no indie is an island! Tell me about your team. In what ways does your family support you? Who else?

My husband has been a great support. He loves that I write! My two children have also been very interested in my writing process and have influenced some of the story lines. Eugene having a cat was for my daughter. My son wanted there to be some kind of natural disaster. That thought grew until I had the initial pages of SHADOWS.

I love Rachel Linden's books. Abbie Emmons has a fantastic YouTube channel on writing, and I've learned so much from her channel.

JEN: What’s your favorite genre to read? How about to write?

DESI: I'm a mood reader, though I read opposite my mood. For example, I read romance if I'm sad or down. I'm much more likely to pick up a thriller or mystery when I'm in a happy place. I don't feel as though my writing fits neatly into one genre (other than the very broad genre of contemporary fiction). Common themes of my two novels and things I currently have in the works are the relentless existence of hope, mental health struggles not being the thing that defines a person.

JEN: Hope is my drug of choice, for sure. It permeates my writing and my life.

What does your routine look like?  

DESI: I work as a physical therapist, so my writing is done is spurts whenever I get the time. Writing is a coping mechanism for me, so I often write before bed as it allows me to fall asleep thinking of character arcs and plot points, instead of the troubles of the day. Kombucha, trail mix, chocolate all help the creative process! I listen to instrumental music when I'm writing, anything else is too distracting. I love to walk and hike. I enjoy traveling to new places. I love people watching which honestly was probably the foundation of my character creation.

JEN: That’s so real. I am a people watcher, too. What themes do you enjoy exploring in your work, and what draws you to them?

DESI: I love delving into mental health struggles that we all face. As a society, we've made improvements in reducing the stigma around mental health, but we still have work to do. Fiction is a great way to do just that. As a healthcare worker myself, I'm also highly invested in demonstrating an accurate portrayal of the lives of healthcare workers.

When I wrote DONE, I knew - absolutely knew- that it would resonate with healthcare professionals. And it has - I've received messages and feedback thanking me for telling a fictionalized version of their story. What I was delightedly surprised to find was that my main character Vivian struck a chord with women from different walks of life. It's tough being a working woman in the corporate world and the feedback that Vivian was so relatable touched me. One review cited DONE as being "funny, sweet and exasperatingly dark (at times)" and I think that was the review that meant the most to me. It's like the reviewer found the words for the goal of my writing.

JEN: Oh, that’s so great! I love that. I’ll say it again: Reviews are our bread and butter! We cannot do this without our readers and reviewers.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

DESI: I want to say I wish I would've wrote sooner. Except that I'm not sure my younger self had the perspective that I do now.

JEN: I completely get that. I think my novels took four decades (in my case!) to cook. I don’t think I could’ve written them earlier.

DESI: SHADOWS is my newest finished book. It releases July 29, 2024. It falls in the same world as my debut novel DONE, but it can be read as a standalone.

My hearts, please check out Desi Stowe on her website, Facebook, and Instagram. You can read her first novel DONE now. And her new book SHADOWS launches TODAY! Please buy it, read it, and review it. As you know, indie authors rely on your honest reviews. Thank you so much!

Are you a human author? A human who narrates audiobooks? A human who designs book covers? Or a human who does PR and promotion for other authors? I'd love to interview you, too. Let me know when you’re ready!