Dawn Cahill Visits my Cozy Den

Hi, Dawn. Welcome to my COZY DEN on Whispers in Purple. So glad to have you visit. Let’s get acquainted.

Peg: What five words best describe you?

Dawn: As my mom used to tell me, I have stick-to-it-ive-ness, which I’ve found to be a very valuable trait for an author! As a child, I drove adults crazy with my incessant questions, and exasperated my parents with my tendency to run off and explore. My five words: Persistent, Curious, Exploring, sometimes Impatient, Introvert.

Peg: Tell us something few people know about you?

Dawn: I would not be alive right now if God hadn’t delivered me from alcohol addiction. I have a section on my blog devoted to substance abuse, in hopes of encouraging other strugglers. Since I came to know the Lord, He’s impressed on me the need to minister to others in the same boat. Over the years, He’s brought me opportunities to do just that, mainly through organizations like Celebrate Recovery.

Peg: If you were a book, what would the title be?

Dawn: “People-Hugging God Worshiper.” Here in the Pacific NW, we have plenty of tree-hugging earth worshipers. We need more people huggers that worship the Creator of the earth.

Peg: What have you learned recently about yourself and how has it affected your writing?

Dawn: I’ve learned that I can successfully put myself in the head of someone as unlike me as you can get. I’ve written stories from the POV of a male twenty-something aspiring rocker (see my latest release below), a drama queen (which I’m totally not), a father, and an identical twin. It’s given me more confidence to stretch myself. After all, you wouldn’t want to read a story about someone just like me. How boring would that be?

Peg: Oh, I don’t believe that for a minute!

When you’re not actively writing, what do you like to do? Hobbies, etc.

Dawn: I’m an avid hiker, and I live very close to an awesome mountain trail. I can walk to it from my house. I also sing and dance at every opportunity - even around the house, to my sons’ mortification. <grin> And I love puzzles of all kinds. One of my favorite childhood memories: sitting with my siblings around the card table on a chilly November evening, fire crackling in the fireplace, a 1500-piece jigsaw puzzle spread out in front of us, racing to see who could finish first.

Peg: I love jigsaw puzzles! What kind of books do you enjoy reading, and what are you reading now?

Dawn: I love action-packed, edgy fiction. I just finished a book by Harlan Coben, Gone For Good. But sometimes I just need a fun, light-hearted read, and will select a chick-lit book. Christian authors such as Brandilyn Collins, Frank Peretti & Ted Dekker are top-notch plot-twisters, and I aspire to write stories as compelling as theirs.

Peg: Ooh, I agree with you about Brandilyn Collins. She’s top-notch in my book.

At the last minute you learn company was coming. What kind of meal would you throw together?

Dawn: The truth? I’d run to Safeway around the corner and load up on their pre-made trays. I live alone now, so I usually only keep enough food on hand for my own needs. And after raising three constantly-hungry sons on my own, I’m a little burned out on food preparation.

Peg: I understand you’re re-releasing a book from your backlist. Tell us about it.

Dawn: When Lyric Met Limerick: Two creative souls – a songwriter and a poet - meet one day at Pike’s Place Market in Seattle. But obstacles keep popping up to stop them from being together.

I became very attached to the MCs as I wrote, because both of them love word-play, as I do, and rhymes. So they make the perfect pair!

It’s available as an e-book on Amazon. Get a sneak preview HERE

 

Peg: Where can readers find you on the Internet?

Dawn: http://dawnvcahill.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/Dawn-V-Cahill-581290478668884

AVOUT DAWN:

Dawn V. Cahill loves stories that entertain and inspire. “The characters in my stories don’t always live pretty lives…just like you and me. But God can take the messiest of stories and turn it into a happy ending.” In her Hot Topic Fiction series, she tackles current events that real people in the real world face with ever-increasing frequency. Issues without pat or easy answers.

Along with word-crunching, Ms. Cahill also crunches numbers, and can’t live without her morning frappuccino. She wrote her first story at age 5, and at age 8 heard one of her stories read on a children’s radio program. Someday she plans to finish the novel she started at age 11 called Mitch and the Martians. She has published a short story, written several newspaper articles, two Christian contemporary novels, and more limericks than she can count. Email her at dawn@dawnvcahill.com, or find her on Facebook. She is a member of Oregon Christian Writers (OCW) and American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW).

FOOTNOTE FROM DAWN:

I have a section on my blog called "Crumpets and Tea: Encouragement for Single Moms." It includes anecdotes from my years as a single mom, mock interviews with "Solo Mama", and interviews with real-life single parents. If any of your single-parent readers would like to share their story on my blog, they may email me: Dawn Cahill dawn@dawnvcahill.com

Thanks for that information, Dawn. I hope there are some reading this who will take advantage of this.

And, it’s been fun getting to know you!

Thanks for having me!