Deanna R. Sweeney - Author Life

With her first book, Legions of Lilith: The Awakening, published in April of 2017, we thought it was a good time to catch up with Deanna R. Sweeney and find out what her life has been like since becoming a published author.

Did you always dream of becoming an author?

We were very poor when I was a child. We couldn’t afford much, not even books, so I spent a lot of time at the library reading. Books were my escape. I fell in love with the written word at a very young age and started writing. In grade 2 my principal sent home a letter to my parents to communicate to them how impressed he and my teachers were with my creative writing skills. I still have that letter. I had written several stories as a child and a teen. Although I loved writing, it was never something that I thought would ever become more than a hobby and I kept my stories mostly for myself. I can still hardly believe that I am on the path that I am on now as a published author.

What was your first job?

My first paying job was when I was 8 years old. I helped with cash at an art store while the owner taught art lessons in the back of the store. She was a friend of my parents.

How did you come about writing your book? Was that your intention or did you start writing for fun?

I was working 80 hours a week out of town on a project. I was homesick and lonely, sitting in a hotel room after work everyday with nothing to do. I started writing to take my mind off of how much I missed my kids. Before I knew it, I had a finished novel. It was a co-worker who had read a few pages of it that encouraged me to try and get it published.

What was your life like before you became an author?

Work, work, and more work. I’m a single mother that has had a rough life and had to work very hard to provide for my kids, sacrificing my time with them in order to provide for them financially. I’m happy to say that life has taken a different turn in the last year and between my writing and the restaurant I’ve just purchased, I can be home with my kids every night now.

Did you face any struggles before becoming an author? If so, how did you overcome them?

I’ve faced a lot of struggles in my life period. I suffer from PTSD due to experiences I’ve had in the military and years in an abusive marriage that I am happy to say I escaped. I overcome my trials because of the strength my children give me to move forward. My trials have made me a stronger woman and an advocate for others going through similar situations.

Now that you are a published author, how has your life changed, if at all?

I write everyday now. I have several novels on the go and I hope to get them all published someday. My goal is to submit at least two novels a year for publication. I would love to get to a point where I can write full time. Of course, I know that not may authors see the volume of book sales that would allow for this but one can only hope.

Can you please describe a typical day in your life now?

I am an early bird and am usually awake by 5a.m., a few hours before the rest of the household wakes up, and this is when I write. There are a few days where I get more time during the day to write than in the morning hours but those early hours are always dedicated to my writing.

What is your most memorable moment of your life as an author?

When I gave my 93 year old grandma a copy of my first book. She was so proud she spent the rest of the day showing each and every person in the nursing home the book.