A Chat with Donna Ann Brown, author of Elizabeth Barrett and Cupid’s Brooch

The title of Donna Ann Brown’s novel caught my attention because I’m an old English major. It sounded like a fun read, so I thought I'd interview the author.   

Q.: Donna, how did you come up with the you studied in school, something you read, or something you experienced?

Elizabeth Barrett
by Henry William Pickersgill

idea for your novel? Was it influenced by something

A.: Sitting with a group of women you haven’t met before is always interesting. At one particular women’s group, a lady told us she wished time travel existed. She wanted to go back in time and change a few aspects of her business. 

Another person talked about celebrities nonstop. The oddness of their conversations stuck with me. What would happen if an actress went back in time before they were vetted and petted? I thought the idea sounded fun and started playing with a story in my mind. Suddenly Liz Barrett came alive. About halfway through her story I wondered what would happen if her doppelganger changed places with her? There have been so many changes in the last 100 years. What would one experience seeing automobiles, airplanes, cell phones, and scantily clad woman? Elizabeth showed up. She decided the only explanation for where she had landed was Purgatory.

Q.: Was there a particular influence in your life that led you to write? A teacher? A book you read that made you want to write? Did you tell your cat—or teddy bear—stories after bedtime?

A.: A new girl entered our classroom in sixth grade. I became a social outcast for a while because she loved to bully people. My teacher noticed her behavior and gave me a book that changed my life. Harriet The Spy had friends who stopped talking to her.

The story resonated with me and I started scribbling daily in a notebook. My mother noticed and, instead of asking why I suddenly wanted to become a writer, she told me “You can’t make any money doing that for a living. You’ll go broke and starve so stop wasting your time.”

I took typing in high school instead of creative writing because I didn’t want to disappoint her. Wrote for company newsletters while working in Corporate America and even published a few articles in magazines. Did a hypnosis session when I realized I couldn’t finish any book I ever started.  Now I write a blog for a client who pays me and have a critic partner who I meet with consistently. My journey into writing has only just begun.

Q.: Are you a plot-in-detail or a seat-of-the-pants writer? How long did it take you to write?

I read four books at a time and I write the same way. Unfortunately, I can read faster than I write. My critique partner reminded me I had a few finished projects and challenged me to submit at least one.  This book has been sitting in a folder on my desktop since 2012. I polished it last year, sent the story to The Wild Rose Press, and I’m thrilled they accepted Elizabeth Barrett & Cupid’s Brooch.

Q.: Is Elizabeth Barrett & Cupid’s Brooch a stand-alone or the beginning of a series?

A.: This book is a stand-alone book, however, I am getting whispers for another Trade in Time story.

Q.: Anything you want to add?

A.: Last year I went to Costa Rica to become an Access Consciousness Facilitator. Fun for me is learning a skill while visiting a new city or country.  I attend classes and conventions all over the world.  My adult son thinks I’m crazy but here I sit, eagerly anticipating my next certification. Which reminds me, I’ve only been to one Writer’s Conference in my life. Maybe that will be a destination vacation once the Coronavirus allows us to travel again.

Q.: Tell us something about yourself.

A.: I am full time Hypnotist, helping everyday people with everyday problems. Hypnosis has helped me uncover so many blocks in my life that I am honored to have the skills to help others. Working for myself allows me to create time for writing. How could life get any better than this?

Q.:  What’s the blurb for your book?

 Legend has it Cupid's Brooch sends you to your one true love...

Actress Liz Barrett, adored by millions, wields Cupid's Brooch and trades places with Miss Elizabeth Barrett of 1812, a young lady without connections who fears having no choice in whom she must marry.

Either Liz's rabid fans have made up this crazy story, while Elizabeth suffers what is surely purgatory, or they've traded places in time and perhaps even fallen into the arms of their one true love.

But what will Lord Whittington and Dr. Demfry do if fate is determined to switch them back?

I suspect many of Donna's experiences will resonate with other authors, perhaps particularly the character coming to life in one's imagination. Elizabeth Barrett & Cupid’s Brooch is being released May 6, 2020 and I’ve ordered a copy because how could I resist?

https://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Barrett-Cupids-Brooch-Trade-ebook/dp/B0861JBTWN/