Hello everyone!

Welcome to the Meet the Author Series! I am thrilled to have Dani J Norwell as our first guest, who has graciously agreed to kick-start this series.

I first met Dani a few years ago on Instagram during the May on the Move challenge. She is the talented author of Fairly Familiar and Snapshots of Spain, a captivating collection of short stories. Among the stories in Snapshots of Spain, my personal favorites are Granddad and Maria.

In addition to her writing, Dani is also one half of Sincerely Spain, a blog that focuses on expat living. Over the past couple of years, I have had the pleasure of interacting with Dani on several occasions, and she has become a dear friend. She is not only warm and considerate but also a compassionate human being. Dani is incredibly supportive and encouraging to fellow writers. I am grateful to have gotten to know her and it’s always a pleasure interacting with her

I sat down with Dani J Norwell for a virtual tête-à-tête .

Let’s dive in and get to know the person behind the books !!!

Q and A with Dani

Usha : Welcome Dani, why don’t you start by telling us a bit about yourself ?

Dani: I’m Dani J. Norwell and I write fiction that is real, raw, and relatable. I’m the author of Fairly Familiar, Snapshots of Spain, and the upcoming women’s fiction novel, Most Unlikely.

Two fun facts about me :
(1) I collect black-and-white coffee cups with attached colored spoons from the places I’ve traveled. This started out as a collection of mugs from cities in Spain, but I’ve since found them in other countries as well.
(2) If I had to eat only one food for the rest of my life, I would pick blueberries without hesitation. Not only are they a superfood and therefore a smart choice, they are one of my all-time favorite foods thanks to summers spent in Michigan where my family would go blueberry picking each year.

---

Usha :What genre do you prefer reading and do you have a particular favourite genre?

Dani : I prefer reading realistic fiction (be it contemporary fiction, literary fiction, women’s fiction, historical fiction, young adult or new adult) as well as more suspenseful stories like thriller, mysteries, horror, and crime fiction. It’s hard to pick just one favorite genre because switching it up is important to me, but I suppose women’s fiction is my favorite.

Usha : What do you prefer; paperback, hardback or e books?

Dani : Each format serves an important purpose, but I mostly read paperback. I enjoy the feel of a physical book in my hands, but also like something that’s easy to take with me and not too expensive.

Usha: What was the first book you read that you remember?

Dani: I know I read so many other books before it, but the one that comes to mind is A Corner of the Universe by Ann M. Martin. I can still picture myself when I finished that book, sitting in my bed, with tears streaming down my face. I’m pretty sure it was the first book that made me cry and the ability of an author to convey emotions like that merely through words is something I have since been very inspired by.

Usha : What are the main drivers for your writing?

As you can imagine from my previous answer, I’ve driven to write stories that can make readers feel something. Most importantly, I write with curiosity and the goal of better understanding our world and the people in it. My hope is that my books will cause readers to feel seen and understood, as well as be more empathetic towards others around them.

Usha : What is your current genre of writing and is there a reason you chose that?

Dani : I currently write women’s fiction, with literary fiction leanings. During the first few years of my author career, I struggled to define my genre because I had misconceptions about what women’s fiction is and therefore didn’t want to categorize myself in this way.

However, since learning that this is the proper term for introspective stories about personal growth and self-discovery journeys, I am proud to declare myself a women’s fiction writer. 

Usha: If you could pick one literary figure from past or present, to meet and chat to / interview, who would you choose?

Dani : While my gut reaction leans towards classic writers like Jane Austen and Kate Chopin or contemporary writers like Stephen King and Ann M. Martin, I think at this moment in my life I would actually pick J. Courtney Sullivan.

Sullivan is a writer I very much admire in my genre and so, as a contemporary, I think we would have the most in common to discuss and for me to learn from.

Usha : If you could choose a celebrity to narrate your book as an audiobook which celebrity would you choose to narrate the book?

Dani : I’ll be honest, I don’t follow celebrities very much, so this is a tricky question for me. However, of the celebrities that come to mind, I think Emma Stone would make a good narrator for my upcoming novel, Most Unlikely.

It’s written in first person, so I would want someone who could hit the self-conscious, doubtful side of Stacy in the first half of the book, as well as the more confident version of the character as she grows and this is something Emma Stone does well. 

Usha : If you had to rewrite one story from Snapshots of Spain by changing the character to polar opposite and act differently, which character/ story would you choose?

Dani: What a brilliantly difficult question! My characters’ personalities are crafted precisely to put them in conflict with the situations they will encounter throughout their story (thus allowing for the most potential for personal growth) so it is hard to imagine them in their polar opposite.

That being said, I might choose Steve in Versions. In this story, Steve is incredibly resistant to the perspective of Sem (a pilgrim of the Camino de Santiago trek) and it takes him six years before he can open himself up to what Sem had to say. I think it would be interesting to explore how different Steve’s life could have been had he jumped straight into Sem’s philosophy.

Usha: What is the current show/ latest show you are watching which gave you a further creative impetus?

Dani: I am currently finishing the series Firefly Lane and it is a treasure trove of inspiration for a women’s fiction writer. I’ve been busy editing Most Unlikely while watching this show, so it hasn’t directly affected my writing yet, but I am storing tidbits that I love from Firefly Lane that I’m sure will help me explore complex situations and deep female friendship in future books.

Usha : Can you share with us a catch phrase about your upcoming book as well as any additional details?

Dani : Of course! Most Unlikely is a touching and insightful exploration of unlikely friendships and self-discovery, leaving readers to question: “When life throws its harshest curveballs, who will we become?”

I am so excited for the readers to fall in love with my main characters (twenty-eight-year-old Stacy and seventy-five-year-old Harry) when this book releases on August 8, 2023. All the details will go out to my mailing list first, so I encourage anyone who’s interested to get signed up! (https://www.danijnorwell.com/mailing-list/)

---

Thank you so much Dani , for giving me and the readers a little teaser. “when life throws its harshest curveballs, who will we become?”. I find this very intriguing and I am eagerly looking forward to reading the book.

I learnt about the Camino de Santiago trek from Snapshots of Spain and unlike Steve , I was very intrigued by the pilgrimage and it’s effects. That’s a very interesting and introspective story. This brings us to the end of the Q and A.

Thank you very much Dani for your time on this Meet the Author and letting us get to know you.

Find out more about Dani J Norwell’ s writings on her website.

https://www.danijnorwell.com/mailing-list/

Her expat experience and information blog with Claudia

https://www.sincerelyspain.com

That’s all folks from me on this month’s Meet the Author.