Exclusive Interview with
D R Berlin
When did you start writing?
I minored in Writing in college and The Third Estate Secrets of the Manor has been swimming in my head for years. Now that Mom’s Taxi is officially closed and my presence is no longer needed in the stands on the soccer or football fields, I have the time to devote to realizing my dream. Since the first day I started to outline the story, the words have flooded the pages like a tsunami, and haven’t stopped. This book is the first in a series.
What makes writing your passion?
How long have you been writing?
What was the feeling when you published your first book?
What’s the story behind your choice of characters?
I received a mug from my family for Christmas: "Be Careful or you'll end up in my book." I laughed. That's not how I do it. I pay attention to current events, interesting people I observe in my travels, and past experiences to craft interesting scenes and characters that jump off the page.
What annoys you the most in pursuing a writing career?
How do you get over the “writer’s block”?
We all know the writer’s path is never easy, what makes you keep going? What advice would you give to new authors?
A friend of mine at work recently stopped me in the hallway and said, "Thank you." I said for what? She said she was following me on Facebook and watching my journey from afar. She thought, "I can do that too." She also wrote a book and told me I gave her the motivation to not only finish it, but self publish. If I could do it, she could too.
If you think you can or think you can't, your right. Think you can, and anything is possible.
My advice? The only person you have control over is you. Set a goal, reach for the stars, and enjoy the journey along the way.
If you could go back in time and talk to your younger self, what would you say?
Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with the bad ones?
I read every review and consider the feedback. Good reviews or bad ones offer valuable insight into the minds of readers. The reviewers time and effort invested in reading and critiquing The Third Estate Secrets of the Manor is greatly appreciated. It provides potential readers with the information they need to make an educated decision if they would enjoy the story before purchasing the book.
What is the feeling when you get a good review?
Have you ever incorporated something that happened to you in real life into your novels?
Which of your characters you can compare yourself with? Did you base that character on you?
What do you think, the book cover is as important as the story?
I love my front cover of my novel. I have fierce photoshopping skills and thought I could do my own cover. I read many articles reinforcing that a book is indeed judged by its cover. I shopped around and found Christian Storm, a book jacket designer, who is a genius! I sent him my concept and thought, he is going to be wowed by my photoshopping prowess. The images he sent back were nothing short of amazing.
Do you connect with your readers? Do you mind having a chat with them or you prefer to express yourself through your writing?
How do you feel when people appreciate your work or recognize you in public?
Who is your favorite author? Why?
What’s the dream? Whom would you like to be as big as?
Would you rewrite any of your books? Why?
If you could switch places with any author – who would that be?
What would you say to the “trolls” on the internet? We all know them – people who like to write awful reviews to books they’ve never read or didn’t like that much, just to annoy the author.
What would you say to your readers?
A million Thank yous!!
Share a bit about yourself – where do you live, are you married, do you have kids?
Born in Fall River, Massachusetts (home to Lizzy Borden, Emerald Lagasse, and the USS Massachusetts), I attended BMC Durfee High School where I was the Salutatorian. I attended MIT, majoring in biology with a minor in writing, and played varsity volleyball.
Fast forward to graduating from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY, joining the Army, being stationed at Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center (Intern of the year), three years as a General Medical Officer at Ft. Jackson in Columbia, SC, completing my residency in General Surgery at the Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, (not related to the medical school) and moving to Orange Park, FL, where I’ve lived for 20 years. Drafted as the unofficial photographer of my children’s sports teams, I’ve been affectionally dubbed the “Mamarazzi.”
I minored in Writing in college and The Third Estate Secrets of the Manor has been swimming in my head for years. My two amazing children are fully functional, well balanced, polite members of society, who are following their own paths and dreams. Now that Mom’s Taxi is officially closed and my presence is no longer needed in the stands on the soccer or football fields, I have the time to devote to realizing my dream. Since the first day I started to outline the story, the words have flooded the pages like a tsunami, and haven’t stopped. This book is the first in a series. I chased a dream and now am a self-published author. I set my goals high and work every day to achieve them.
What is your day job if you have one?
I'm a General Surgeon with North Florida Surgeons in Orange Park, FL.
What are your hobbies? What do you do in your free time?
Drafted as the unofficial photographer of my children’s sports teams, I've been affectionally dubbed the “Mamarazzi.” I would take action photos of the all the players on my kids sports team and post them on our team Facebook page. At the end of the season, I would make a small "brag book" for the moms and make a slideshow of all the pictures for the end of the year parties. I also made posters for the kids. When going through the pictures, I could tell when a kid was having a good day, a bad day, was distracted, angry, frustrated, or excited, thrilled, and having a great time. I try to capture those emotions in my writing by describing how the character is acting, instead of telling how they are feeling.
I'm also a huge genealogy fan. I can trace one of ancestral lines back to my 9th great grandparents.
Did you have a happy childhood?
Is there a particular experience that made you start writing?
Do you have unpublished books? What are they about?
I'm currently working on my second novel. It will continue Sophie's and Lovac's story.
I also have a science fiction novel I've outlined.
What do you think should be improved in the education of our children? What do we lack?
If you were allowed 3 wishes – what would they be?
What is your favorite music?
Share a secret with us 🙂