DelSheree Gladden posted on a group I belong to on facebook that she had a book called "Date Shark" available. I grabbed it, read it, and posted a review for her. I liked the book quite a bit and asked DelSheree to do an author interview with me here. Here is the interview followed by my review of the book.
Tell us a little about your background.
I spent the first few years of my life living on the Navajo reservation, even though I am not Native American. My dad worked at the IHS hospital at the time, but we later moved to a little not-so-exciting town in Northern New Mexico. When I was growing up, I hated it here because there was "nothing to do" but now I really enjoy being in the desert and I love the culture of this area.
Has writing always been what you wanted to do or did you have another career?
I've always been interested in writing, but I've always wanted to be an artist also. I love painting and drawing, and I even got my first degree in fine arts. Later, I became interested in economics, but never had the chance to finish my bachelor degree and ended up switching majors to dental hygiene, which is the day job I have now.
Was it hard to get published?
Initially, no one would even look at my work. I can't even tell you how many queries I sent out. I ended up self-publishing my first four books, and since then I've worked with four different publishers. They first two were a bad experience, but now I'm very happy with who I'm working with.
What advice do you have for other writers?
Take the time to get to know the genre you want to write in. Don't write something because it's hot or catchy. It really shows through in your work if you do that. Read and write what you're most passionate about.
Describe Date Shark.
Date Shark is the story of a girl who thinks she needs help figuring out what's wrong with her dating life and the guy who is determined to prove to Leila that she's the only thing holding herself back. Leila thinks Eli is fixing her, but doesn't realize how much she's helping him in return, and while Eli struggles to make Leila realize how special she is, he's forced to confront his own tragic past.
Do you have any other work in process?
Goodness, I have too many works in progress. I'm currently working on Date Shark 2, which may or may not end up being titled "The Reluctant Date Shark," Wicked Glory, Intangible, and Memory's Edge. At some point I'll start Oracle Lost as well, but it may be a while.
How long does it take you to write a novel?
Anywhere from 2-6 months usually. Sometimes I'll get stuck and it'll take me longer. It just depends on how much time I'm able to devote to writing.
Is there a time if day that works better for you to write?
I write best later in the evening when things have started to quiet down.
Do you like to write in silence or with music or other inspiration?
It depends on my mood. If there's noise around the house, I like to plug in some headphones and listen to music. Sometimes I really need quiet, though.
Give us a few quirky facts about you. Things that don't usually end up in interviews.
Fun! I'm terrible at painting with watercolors. I can't stand wearing turtlenecks. My kids usually beat me at pool.
Anything else you want to add. Include links etc too.
I just wanted to say thanks for having me for an interview! If readers want to find me, it's pretty easy. My name is unusual enough that I seem to be the only one. Google "DelSheree" and you'll find me!
Here are a few links to make it easier, though!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDelShereeGladden
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DelSheree
Blog: http://delshereegladden.blogspot.com/
Tell us a little about your background.
I spent the first few years of my life living on the Navajo reservation, even though I am not Native American. My dad worked at the IHS hospital at the time, but we later moved to a little not-so-exciting town in Northern New Mexico. When I was growing up, I hated it here because there was "nothing to do" but now I really enjoy being in the desert and I love the culture of this area.
Has writing always been what you wanted to do or did you have another career?
I've always been interested in writing, but I've always wanted to be an artist also. I love painting and drawing, and I even got my first degree in fine arts. Later, I became interested in economics, but never had the chance to finish my bachelor degree and ended up switching majors to dental hygiene, which is the day job I have now.
Was it hard to get published?
Initially, no one would even look at my work. I can't even tell you how many queries I sent out. I ended up self-publishing my first four books, and since then I've worked with four different publishers. They first two were a bad experience, but now I'm very happy with who I'm working with.
What advice do you have for other writers?
Take the time to get to know the genre you want to write in. Don't write something because it's hot or catchy. It really shows through in your work if you do that. Read and write what you're most passionate about.
Describe Date Shark.
Date Shark is the story of a girl who thinks she needs help figuring out what's wrong with her dating life and the guy who is determined to prove to Leila that she's the only thing holding herself back. Leila thinks Eli is fixing her, but doesn't realize how much she's helping him in return, and while Eli struggles to make Leila realize how special she is, he's forced to confront his own tragic past.
Do you have any other work in process?
Goodness, I have too many works in progress. I'm currently working on Date Shark 2, which may or may not end up being titled "The Reluctant Date Shark," Wicked Glory, Intangible, and Memory's Edge. At some point I'll start Oracle Lost as well, but it may be a while.
How long does it take you to write a novel?
Anywhere from 2-6 months usually. Sometimes I'll get stuck and it'll take me longer. It just depends on how much time I'm able to devote to writing.
Is there a time if day that works better for you to write?
I write best later in the evening when things have started to quiet down.
Do you like to write in silence or with music or other inspiration?
It depends on my mood. If there's noise around the house, I like to plug in some headphones and listen to music. Sometimes I really need quiet, though.
Give us a few quirky facts about you. Things that don't usually end up in interviews.
Fun! I'm terrible at painting with watercolors. I can't stand wearing turtlenecks. My kids usually beat me at pool.
Anything else you want to add. Include links etc too.
I just wanted to say thanks for having me for an interview! If readers want to find me, it's pretty easy. My name is unusual enough that I seem to be the only one. Google "DelSheree" and you'll find me!
Here are a few links to make it easier, though!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDelShereeGladden
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DelSheree
Blog: http://delshereegladden.blogspot.com/
And now, my review of Date Shark...
Date shark is an adorable clean romance. Sometimes in romance books you can tell who's going to get together and the back and forth gets annoying but not in this one. The romance unraveled naturally and it made sense in some ways that the couple wait to get together when they did. The book was very well written and the characters were very likable. Even the ones that were side characters came off as decent people. It was a fluid read that was enjoyable from beginning to end.
The main male character had the potential to be very cocky and unlikable, but he was not in any way. I kept expecting not to like him for some reason, but that didn't end up being the case. And the female lead could have been gullible about her issues surrounding dating, but she did not come off that way either. They were both very likable people who were just a bit clouded in their judgments. But putting off love ended up being the key to getting it for them.
Date Shark was about a man who meet with a number of women in order to tell them what they are doing wrong in the dating realm. When the date shark meets with one woman and sees nothing wrong...well, things go on from there. It was an interesting premise that I had never seen before and it touches on the idea of men and women as friends. Didn't work out so well in this case, but it was fun to see it unfold!
If you like wholesome, clean romances, this is a great catch!
Date shark is an adorable clean romance. Sometimes in romance books you can tell who's going to get together and the back and forth gets annoying but not in this one. The romance unraveled naturally and it made sense in some ways that the couple wait to get together when they did. The book was very well written and the characters were very likable. Even the ones that were side characters came off as decent people. It was a fluid read that was enjoyable from beginning to end.
The main male character had the potential to be very cocky and unlikable, but he was not in any way. I kept expecting not to like him for some reason, but that didn't end up being the case. And the female lead could have been gullible about her issues surrounding dating, but she did not come off that way either. They were both very likable people who were just a bit clouded in their judgments. But putting off love ended up being the key to getting it for them.
Date Shark was about a man who meet with a number of women in order to tell them what they are doing wrong in the dating realm. When the date shark meets with one woman and sees nothing wrong...well, things go on from there. It was an interesting premise that I had never seen before and it touches on the idea of men and women as friends. Didn't work out so well in this case, but it was fun to see it unfold!
If you like wholesome, clean romances, this is a great catch!
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