Darlene combined her passion for the written word and animals into the Lily Dreyfus series. The books are written based on her experience as a volunteer at the Animal Welfare Association, a no-kill animal shelter in Voorhees, New Jersey. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, the Membership Chair for SinC Grand Canyon Writers, and served as a mentor in the Sisters in Crime Mentorship program.
Darlene lives in New Jersey with her four-legged best friend, Billie.
My fourth book is about to be released. I marvel at this accomplishment. Before 2017, I had never thought of writing a book. Yet here I am, releasing a fourth. While I have uncovered this incredible creative side of my personality, the analytical side still reigns supreme. I set goals for myself every year. With a fourth book to release, I have given great thought to measurements of my success.
The marks people believe are obvious measures of a writer’s success include selling more copies, earning higher royalties, or weeks on a best-seller list. If I use those traditional marks, I would throw in the towel. Tamarind Hall has yet to invite me on stage for an interview. Neither Reese nor Oprah have chosen my books for their book clubs.
Those markers are great. However, this is my first creative endeavor. I must choose different measures for success.
At Bouchercon in Nashville, a woman approached me. She heard me speak at Bouchercon Minneapolis in 2022 and has purchased each book since. She has also gotten her library to purchase my books, increasing the number of people accessing my work.
A line of fans begins with one. As it turns out, there is more than one fan.
As I hawked my wares at the Collingswood Book Festival, I was approached by people who told me how much they enjoyed my newsletters. Some people had purchased Clues From The Canines last year and wanted to buy the other books. I could feel my heart swelling up inside my chest.
People seeking me out to purchase the other books in the series is a huge mark of success.
There are other measurements for me to track.
With each successive book, I see improvement in my writing. In Assault & Gobblery,
the opening lines of each chapter do more than introduce the action that will take place. They compel the reader to keep going.
In the earlier books, some chapters ended on a cliffhanger, but at the end of other chapters, one could place a bookmark inside the book and read more the next day. By Assault & Gobblery, the last line of each chapter drives the reader to say, “One more chapter tonight.”
The most significant mark of my writing growth is having more ideas. I am writing a stand-alone suspense novel. I am not sure how long it will take me to get that book to market, but just the fact that I dare to try to write it is tremendous progress in my career.
I also recognize that I am not Sue Grafton. I will not be able to write twenty-five compelling Lily Dreyfus mysteries. However, I am working on a spin-off series featuring a secondary character from the books.
There will be more books with different characters, reaching new fans.
When Tamarind Hall is finally ready to schedule me for her show, I hope I have an opening in my calendar.
Social Media:
www.ReadDarlene.com
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=darlene+dziomba&crid
ReadDarlene@hotmail.com
facebook.com/read.darlene.7
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@readdarlene.bsky.social
linkedin.com/in/darlenedziomba
This is so helpful as I think about whether to self-publish or not. I need to figure out what my goals are.
Lucinda, it is hard to decide. I’ve found self-publishing works for me. I am on my schedule, not anyone else’s. Good luck to you. Darlene
Bless you, Darlene for what you do for the animals. I’m always donating to a no-kill shelter here. You seem to have found your niche with your Lily Dreyfus series. Here’s hoping you break Sue Grafton’s record. Best of luck to you.
Michael, ironically when I published Clues From The Canines people asked me how many books I would write. My answer was, “I hope that like Sue Grafton I can come up with 25 ideas for books. Right now I have 4.”
I have come up with a 5th, that book is with the editor.
Darlene
Thank you for your work at the Animal Welfare Association, and congrats on the pending of your 4th book. Wishing you much success!
I love that you found your fans and are clearly extremely grateful for them. Just lovely ( ;
Great interview! A line of fans begins with one. Well said!