Today I’ll be hosting Atlanta based acclaimed women’s fiction and romance author DL White on my blog. Her new book “Brunch at Ruby’s” is available at Amazon.com and her website booksbydlwhite.com for purchase.
Me: What inspired you to start writing Brunch at Ruby’s?
DL: I was a member of a long-running brunch group (still going, ten years strong) and was so moved and inspired by the women in our group. We are all from different backgrounds, careers, walks of life but always have wisdom and a good word for each other. They are among the women I go to when I need rock-solid guidance and camaraderie. I also took a lot from current events at the time I was writing the book. There was a local scandal that was all over the news and I started to think what if???? And my writer’s brain took over from there.
Me: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
DL: I think I was maybe in grade 3, when we had to do spelling words and use them in a sentence, so the teacher knew we understood the meaning of the word. I would loop my sentences together into one big story. My teacher LOVED that and I discovered that people thought that stuff I was doing to amuse myself was cool so I kept doing it.
Me: How long have you been writing?
DL: I’ve been writing for publication since 2011, but I’m a lifelong writer.
Me: What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
DL: Original creation. Forming the story in my mind- some much of it comes to me as I am writing, then putting it on paper and making it sound the way I want it to sound.
Me: What is the most surprising thing you discovered while writing your book?
DL: There was so much that I didn’t know… people who don’t know writing think its really easy. You just sit down and the words come but it’s not like that, and there’s so much more to writing than writing.
Me: Who is your favorite author and why?
DL: I don’t really have a favorite, but I almost always mention Atlanta author Tayari Jones. She and her career are a blessing to me.
Me: What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
DL: Terry McMillan and Eric Jerome Dickey for sure. Down to earth, realistic characters with a distinctive voice.
Me: Writing can be an emotionally draining and stressful pursuit. Any tips for aspiring writers?
DL: It’s super hard to take this advice, but I’m going to offer it anyway: relax. The story will come. Build the habit of showing up to your writing job and the words will meet you.
Me: If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be?
DL: Funny, personable, warm
Me: Are you working on anything at the present you would like to share with your readers about?
DL: Yes! I have a novel that I’m wrapping up now called The Never List, a romantic comedy about a woman who’s got a long list of things she’s never done and the man that wants to help her clear that list.
About the book
Three Friends. One City.Waiting to Exhale in the “A.”
Brunch at Ruby’s is warm, funny southern women’s fiction about finding and keeping love, lifelong friendships with women who are like sisters and the bonds between them that bend but don’t break.
Debra Macklin is the envy of her friends. She has it all: a successful career, a long marriage and a happy child, but she’s hiding an explosive secret that could not only shatter her perfect image but destroy her marriage and career.
Maxine Donovan is self-made, admittedly shallow and unapologetic, having overcome her past to live the life she deserves to live.But despite her success, she’s on a constant quest for Mr. Right. Handsome but aloof Malcolm Brooks could be The One, except his attentions are focused on someone else entirely. Does Maxine fight for him like she fought for everything else?
Renee Gladwell left a life and a handsome boyfriend to return to Atlanta and nurse her father and Gladwell Books back to health. Four years later, she’s struggling with his Alzheimer’s diagnosis and a bookstore that is in no shape to sell. Renee is in limbo, caring for a man who is slowly forgetting his past, including her. When she meets Malcolm Brooks, her life brightens, but is love ever worth risking a friendship?
Brunch at Ruby’s is Book One in a growing series set in the heart of Decatur, Georgia.
Purchase here: https://geni.us/BrunchatRuby
About the Author
Atlanta based women’s fiction and romance author DL White began seriously pursuing a writing career in 2011. She harbors a love for coffee and brunch, especially on a patio, but her true obsession is water– lakes, rivers, oceans, waterfalls! On the weekend, you’ll probably find her near water and if she’s lucky, on an ocean beach. When not writing books, she devours them. She blogs reviews and thoughts on writing and books at BooksbyDLWhite.com.
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