Interview with author Danielle M Haas

Danielle, I’d like to highlight your book Laura’s Safe Haven, what is the significance of the title?

This book is the first in a new series that’s centered around women who all need a safe space after escaping abuse or just taking those first, scary steps toward a new life. The Safe Haven Women’s Shelter series includes both women who stay at the shelter, and those who volunteer there. 

Tell me a bit about this book. 

In Laura’s Safe Haven, Laura is a strong, young woman who has taken the first scary steps away from her abuser. She’s pregnant and scared, and she recognizes how difficult her new life is, even with a strong community of friends and family to support her. She works with a local woman to create Safe Haven Women’s Shelter to help other women and children who need a safe place to land while dealing with change and crisis. 

But of course, this is a romantic suspense book so I also had to throw in a love interest, who happens to be Laura’s brother’s best friend, as well as danger at every turn as the two of them fight the odds to find their happily ever after. 

What does your writing process look like?

I have two kids at home, so once I get them off to school in the morning, that’s my time to focus on my writing. I tend to aim for a daily word count goal to keep me on track, which generally is between 1250-2500 words. After I finish a chapter, I have two amazing critique partners who I send my work. They read and critique my pages and I use their notes and advice to clean my chapters before they go into my manuscript.

I get a little antsy sitting in one spot for too long, so I tend to start in my office then work my way around my house. Thank God for laptops!

Do you ever experience writer’s block? What do you do to overcome it?

I get stuck once in a while in terms of where I want the story to go. I might get a block about how to transition from one plot point to another. That’s where my trusty critique partners come in again. I talk my plots over with them when I’m having trouble and they are able to offer suggestions or help me get over that hump blocking me. My release schedule has been a little crazy the last few years so I can’t waste too much time on writer’s block. I just need to figure out how to push through. 

Do you remember the first piece of writing that you did that made you feel like you might want to pursue writing someday? About how old were you?

In middle school I wrote a short story called The Hill. That made me realize how much I enjoyed writing fiction. I always knew I wanted to write in some capacity, but I never imagined I’d be a full-time author. I feel very lucky that this gets to be my job.

What writing projects are you currently working on?

I’m currently working on the fifth book in my Safe Haven Women’s Series, and I just turned in a proposal for a new series to my publisher. 

What is something interesting about you that most people don’t know?

I went to college to study creative writing but was so intimidated by the thought of reading my work out loud, I switched majors after the first week of class. I ended up changing my major seven different times before I settled on Political Science. But after all this time, I ended up right back where I started and have to face those fears anyway haha

What are some books on your TBR list?

Honestly, I hate this question lol I really don’t have much time to read. I’m someone who if I start a good book, I will literally do nothing else until that book is done. So I have to limit myself. Usually, once I finish writing a book, I’ll celebrate by reading one. I always read JD Robb’s books and tend to find books from my author friends so I can support their writing. 

What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

How much time do you have? Haha My biggest piece of advice for new writers would be to always keep learning. Learn your craft. Learn your business. Learn your community. Learn how to advocate for yourself. Learn how to not take no for an answer. It’s a tough, tough business and a thick skin is necessary to survive. But if you focus on learning something new about your writing or writing business every day, you’ll just keep pushing forward until you get where you want to be.