Introducing Deb Zannelli, Author of Dark Night of the Soul

Big Things | Small Packages 

When I first met Deb Zannelli, I was struck by her bold, lovable presence. I know that sentence doesn't completely make sense, but if you ever meet Deb, you will understand. Deb is a tiny little thing, smaller than me, and I am barely five feet tall. So I can say she is tiny.

What I love about Deb, though, is that her personality is bigger than the room. She has a quiet presence, yet she commands to be heard. I swear she doesn't even try; it just comes naturally. I knew from the moment I met Deb that she was my person.  

I'm not the only one who has been entranced by her; many people have. The first time my husband met Deb, he was also completely captivated by her personality. After every comment, every story that was told at our table during a fundraiser we attended together, Deb would throw in, "I killed someone," or "But, did you kill them?" The thing is, you had to be listening, or you would miss it. Like I said, Deb is quiet, yet commands the room.

I absolutely love this picture of Deb; this is Deb completely in her element! You didn't come here to listen to me, though. You came to hear from Deb herself and hear about her sensational horror novel, Dark Night of the Soul. I have to tell you, you'll want to buy a copy of this book for yourself. But let's talk to Deb and find out how it all started. 
 

 
Cynthia: Thank you for joining me, Deb. You have had quite a journey. Tell our readers a little bit about yourself. What is your professional background?

Deb: I have a Business degree from Mitchell College, a degree in the Foundations of Banking from the American Institute of Banking, a division of the American Bankers Association, and I’m a certified Teacher’s Assistant.

Cynthia: Now that is a picture of a corporate professional. What made someone with a degree in the Foundations of Banking want to become an author?

Deb:  My mother read to my sister and me every night. I fell in love with the words that took me to times and places I never thought I’d get to see. The stories gave me the friends I didn’t have. I always wanted to do for other lonely children what those stories did for me.

Cynthia: That is very noble of you. It's an amazing feeling to give back to others, isn't it? How long have you been writing?

Deb: I started writing poems in the fifth grade, longer stories in the seventh grade, but I didn’t write seriously until I was 35, in 1995, when I finally had the time.

Cynthia: I would love to see some of the poems you wrote in fifth grade. I remember having to write poems as part of our curriculum in grade school and beyond. Poems always intrigued me, but sometimes the structure and fluidity of them were beyond my capabilities. Didn't stop me from learning the craft, though. As it didn't stop you. Speaking of craft, how do you get over writer’s block?

Deb: I get over writer's block by not thinking about writing. I sing and play the piano before heading up to my study. I try to get to my desk no later than 2:00pm. If I’m not sure what to write, I make notes about possible plot lines or characters, then I doodle and dance around my study, at least when no one’s watching. 

Cynthia: I love it. Sing and dance around! I believe I'd drive my husband crazy if I did that. LOL. Where do your story ideas come from?

Deb: My stories come from my life experiences with fictional ideas to create alternate realities about the world I know, what I’m afraid it has become, and what I hope it will someday be. Children and the strength of family are important to me. We can’t pass on to our children what wasn’t passed on to us, and this is something I use to define my character's strengths and weaknesses. 

Cynthia: That is so true. Sometimes we have to create new things to pass on to our children instead. Start something new. New traditions, for example. I know I created new traditions with my family by drawing on old traditions, which leads to my next question. Where did the idea for this book come from?

Deb: The basic concept for Dark Night Of The Soul came from a dark period in my life. My doctor told me I had a brain tumor. I was lucky that it wasn’t cancerous. I had a decision to make: have brain surgery with no guarantee of success and the possibility I’d wake up with memory loss, or watch it grow, hoping its growth would be slow. I chose life. I wrote the book during the recovery period, when I first learned of the tumor. I began thinking about how precious the time I had was. There was so much I wanted to do, so much I didn’t want left undone.
For 6 months after surgery, I was unable to care for my son or my home. I couldn’t go to work, nor could I drive. I could have looked at this in different ways, but I chose to think of it as an opportunity to do what I’d always dreamt of doing. I put Marcus, my main character, in the position of having to choose between pain and freedom, knowing others would suffer.

Cynthia: Wow, I'm so sorry you had to go through that. Life definitely tests us in all sorts of ways. Using our craft to deal with the pressures of life and to focus on what good can come of it is a healing journey that is individual to each of us. Recovering from such a traumatic experience must have been difficult on your writing routine. Did that change? Do you have a writing routine?

Deb: I go to my study every afternoon, usually no later than 2:00pm. I put on music and write even if the pages done that day end up being recycled. I usually stay there until 4 or 4:30, when it’s time to walk the dog.

Cynthia: Walking or playing with puppies is a great break from anything. Do you have a writing partner or editor to help you out?

Deb: I don’t have a writing partner, but I did acquire an editor after my first two books were written and published. I write alone, though I do bounce ideas off my husband, who is more patient than I am. I now have an editor. Sue Soares has edited all my books.

Cynthia: Having a great editor you can feel comfortable with and trust is so important. What would you tell your younger self when it comes to becoming an author?

Deb: If I could talk to my younger self, I’d tell myself to listen to my heart, that early failure only means a chance to do better. I’d been told too often that I wasn’t good enough. I was afraid of failing, so I didn’t try. I’d tell the little girl who gave up her dreams to try to keep dreaming.

Cynthia: Nicely said. Too many times, we find reasons not to write, not to follow our dreams. We let life get in the way, and before we know it, we have little time left to chase those dreams. Speaking of time, how long did it take you to write this book? 

Deb:  I wrote Dark Night in the six months it took to recover. The good news is I did get better, and aside from minor memory issues, I don’t do dates. I had no serious long-term effects. I went back to work and started taking care of my son and my home. I put the book away and didn’t complete it until I retired from my second career, as a teacher’s assistant working with special-needs students. Using a small independent publisher, the book was published in 2016.

Cynthia: I commend you on your work with children with special needs. I myself was a teacher's assistant in special needs classrooms. When working with children of any ability, you have to be patient. While writing a novel, you also need to have a lot of patience. Revising and editing can sometimes test our patience, because we just want to be finished. That said, how many revisions did you go through?

Deb: There have been 5 revisions of Dark Night. With no writing experience, it was a learn as you go process that took some time to develop. At first, I was the editor. My mother had always wanted me to publish a book. Shortly after completing Dark Night, she had a heart attack, and I rushed to have a small independent publisher publish the book. Unfortunately, I had very little guidance and was not given an editor's name. With the help and guidance of other authors, I have now found an editor, and all my books have been professionally edited. The good news is that, despite the many errors, my mother was able to hold my book in her hands. She managed to read two of my books before I had to say goodbye.

Cynthia: When you are starting your first book, it can be very daunting to make all of the pieces fit. Learning to write a novel, learning how to format it, self-editing, finding a professional editor, synopsis, query, and book covers. It's very overwhelming. Like you, I know firsthand how much time goes into editing. What was the editing process like for you with this book?

Deb: I wait a few weeks, then reread my books, speaking the words out loud. What I may not catch when reading is sometimes caught when I’m listening to myself.

Cynthia: That is so true! Even then, sometimes your eyes skip. I've read my Nicky books out loud, taping to each line to make sure 1) all the correct words are there and where they need to be. 2) it makes sense, 3) the rhyme keeps to the correct beat. It's hard and frustrating. I think the easiest part was picking an illustrator. How did you pick your illustrator / Cover Designer?

Deb: I don’t have an. Illustrator, but the first cover design was done by my first publisher. I have since updated it, using the artist whose drawing of Marcus’ face is now on each book in the series. I found him looking through online pre-made cover artists. The covers of my Sister World Trilogy were made by me. I couldn’t find a pre-made that fit what I wanted. And if it’s okay to brag, the cover of the third book won second place for best cover made from a photograph.

Cynthia: Well, brag away! That is something to be proud of! That is not an easy thing to do. Congratulation. With all the work you have obviously put into Dark Night of the Soul, what do you hope readers will take away from your book?

Deb: I’d like people to read Dark Night and see that some people are worth living for. 

Cynthia: And to let people know that life is worth living, right? What are you working on now?

Deb: Presently, I’m working on having my books republished on IngramSpark so that I can get them into bookstores. I’m also working on doing better with marketing my work and having a video trailer made for this book.  

Cynthia: Ah, marketing is the hardest part, isn't it? There are algorithms for everything these days. LOL. Where can readers find you? Do you have a website and social media handles?

Deb: I have a website: drzannelliauthor.com, I’m on Facebook and Instagram. 

Cynthia: Where can your books be purchased?

Deb: You can find my book in all markets, having been published through Amazon in hardcover, paperback , Kindle, and audio. There’s a podcast available, and my books are listed on Book2Read and via Draft2Digital.

Cynthia: Anything you would like to add before we go?

Deb: I would like to tell anyone listening to this interview that it’s never too late to reach for your dream. It’s never easy, but the rewards are huge. There are always highlights in a person’s life, and one of the top ten in mine was the first time I held my book in my hands. Go for it.

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Until next time,

 

Enjoy the Moments, Cherish the Memories!

- Cynthia

Please note: All photos and illustrations are the property of the author and used with the owner's permission.