Meet Writefest presenter, Deborah Davitt

WS: What genre do you write in? Why?
DD: Science fiction, Fantasy, some horror

WS: What is your favorite book or writing craft book? Why?
DD: I have different ones for different moods, but I turn back to Clive Barker's 'Galiliee' in times of personal crisis or just when I want to read something that teaches me about writing in general. I find it an oddly comforting book, that saw me through both my divorce and the death of my father, offering understanding without judgment, while remaining a tour-de-force in interlineated timelines and interwoven points of view.

WS: What fears do you have about your writing?
DD: Honestly, it comes as a surprise any time someone tells me that they've read something of mine. I'm afraid everything that I do goes into a black hole, unread and unseen.

WS: If you could have dinner with any famous author (dead or alive) who would it be?
DD: Without a doubt, I would have dinner with the late Terry Pratchett. He seems like he would have been a great conversationalist, and I love reading his wry wit in Discworld. Of course, I'd be terribly intimidated by him, but I'd like to think he'd set me at ease.

WS: What are your tips for submitting writing?
DD: Do it relentlessly. If a place asks for no more than five poems at a time, send five. If you only have one, write that one some friends and send them together. When something comes back rejected, send it back out again. Don't hesitate--just submit.

WS: What's the best (or worst) writing advice you've ever received?
DD: The best writing advice came from a quote from Frank Herbert, in which he said that he couldn't tell any qualitative difference between pages he wrote while inspired, and pages he wrote when just trying to knock out pages for the day. Sometimes, you just have to gut through it.

WS: What inspires your writing?
DD: Many different things. I'm a sucker for both history and science, and read tons about both. Sometimes a strong random image will inspire a short story or a poem for me, too.

WS: Where are you from and does that place ever enter into your writing?
DD: I was born outside Tacoma, Washington, but I grew up in Reno, Nevada. The desert and the mountains come through in my work periodically. You can take the girl out of the desert, but you can't take the desert out of the girl.

WS: Do you do research for your writing? If so, what are some unexpected resources you've found?
DD: I wind up reading more nonfiction than fiction these days as a result of my compulsive drive to research everything. I can't say I've found unexpected resources--I like to pull my research from the most comprehensive and credible sites that I can.

​WS: Drop any links or promos for your recent work, include your social media links.
DD: Gladly!
www.edda-earth.com/bibliography.
www.facebook.com/deborah.davitt.3
Twitter: @davittDL
​Instagram: ddavitt1974