We couldn’t be more proud of our latest publication, Approaching Footsteps, and part of the reason is the amazing authors included in this collection. One of which happens to be award-winning, best-selling author Donna Hill. Luckily, Donna agreed to a quick interview with super staffer Jody T. Morse for the Spider Road Press blog. Heartfelt thanks to Donna for this opportunity and to you, our loyal readers and fans, for preordering your copy of Approaching Footsteps from our web bookstore.

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Spider Road Press: Seeing as your story in Approaching Footsteps, 136 Auburn Lane, boasts suspenseful and mysterious elements, who from the genres of suspense or mystery would you say have influence your writing—in general or in particular to the writing of this story?

Donna Hill: Although I’m probably more known as a romance/women’s fiction author, I am an avid reader of suspense. Some of my favorite suspense writers are Jonathan Kellerman, Patricia Cornwell, Gillian Flynn, and S. J. Watson—among many others. Did they influence my story? Hmm, I can’t really say that specifically. I would say that the understanding of the pacing and plotting of the suspense story definitely helped.

SRP: Let’s talk about your 136 Auburn Lane protagonist, Martha. As we all know, people from our actual lives or famous figures can sometimes creep into our characters. Is there anyone that you can see elements of in Martha? If so, would you be willing to tell us about them and how they came to be a part of Martha’s makeup?

DH: Martha is totally from my imagination. I envisioned Martha as a composite of what someone during the time period of the novel would be like, the struggles that they had to deal with and then I added quirks and a sense of desperation, and Martha came to life.

SRP: Interesting. This story is peppered with details about alcoholism, addiction recovery and halfway houses like when Martha references tucking her sobriety coin into her bra. What kind of research did you do in order to make these elements believable for readers and supportive of Martha’s world and experiences?

DH: As writers, our first job is to bring reality to fiction. Although alcoholism is not something that I struggle with, there are those very close in my life that have. I’ve seen the effects first hand. Writers ideally are like voyeurs, sponges. We take in things, distill them and find ways to bring our understanding and sensibilities to the page. Although alcoholism was an issue for Martha, it was not the centerpiece of the story. Rather it was part of who she was. I had to step into Martha’s shoes and imagine what it was like for her, what did she feel, think, what did she fear. Hopefully, I was successful.

SRP: Well, we think you were very successful. When writing a story of this dark—most readers would say—creepy nature, do you find that a certain time of day when you prefer to write? Are there any rituals, settings or preparations that encourage words of this genre to flow for you?

DH: I only wish I had a ritual or magic method! I write wherever and whenever. I generally have multiple projects going on at the same time. I always wanted to be able to have a “time” to write, but my hectic life has never availed itself to that request! LOL. Once I know who and what I’m writing about I can write under the most uncomfortable circumstances—on a train, a bus, plane, in the middle of a house full of people during the holidays, television in the background and dinner on the stove. LOL

SRP: That’s amazing; we’re jealous! Just for fun, could we talk to Martha? Ask her an interview question? If you’re willing to be the medium for her to come through, here’s our question for her: Martha, when did you first realize something was “off” with Auburn Lane and why didn’t you get the heck out of Dodge immediately?

DH (as Martha): “I knew I should have left almost from the moment I walked through the door. But you have to understand. There was nothing out there. Nothing. No jobs. No place to live. I’d been through so much and I needed to believe that this was finally my chance to turn my life around—earn my way. Oh, hell yes I was scared. I was terrified. But my need to have something more than nothing made me stay.”

SRP: Thanks for letting us speak to Martha and thank you for sharing this time and these answers with us, Donna. Do you currently have any literary irons in the fire, other than Approaching Footsteps, that you’d like to tell us about?

DH: Thank you for asking. Yes, I have two projects. One is part of a continuing series: The Lawsons of Louisiana. This installment is Surrender to Me. (out next year with Harlequin). I’m also working on a literary novel They Call This Place Here, which is being published by Jolly Fish Press. That will be out late next year (I hope). But if you can’t wait, I have a novella that is out now for the holidays. The novel is Holiday Temptation.

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Again, a huge thank you to Donna for taking the time to visit with us! To preorder your copy of Approaching Footsteps—which will save you $2 off the retail cost, help us contribute to our charities and support our women-run, indie press—visit the Spider Road Press bookstore: https://spiderroadpress.com/book-store/

To learn more about Donna’s work, visit her Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Donna-Hill/e/B000APU07I.