Hi, and thanks for your willingness to appear on my blog! Let’s start with the basics: what genre do you write, and how did you pick it?
I write mostly inspirational romantic suspense, although I did have a sweet romantic novelette published. I like whatever books I write to have an element of romance in them. I chose this genre because it’s where my interests lie in both reading and writing. I favor the mysteriousness of suspense too.

What are your favorite genres to read? Why?
As mentioned in the previous question, I mostly like to read romantic suspense. Each one of these genres on their own brings an intenseness to the story that I don’t feel with any other genre. Both of them together make a perfect read, for me.

How long did it take you complete your first manuscript (published or not)?
That was many years ago, but I think it was something like nine months to a year.

Have your follow-up novels been easier or harder to write? Why do you think that is?
I guess they’ve been easier, because I’ve learned a lot more about writing since then.

What’s surprised you the most about the book-publishing process?
How really tough it is to even get published. You hear about it, but the magnitude of it doesn’t hit you until you’ve gone through the process.

What’s been the most challenging part of getting a book published?
LOL! The same answer as the above question: Getting that book published. There’s so much great competition and talent out there, so the publishing companies have to make it tough.

What’s your favorite part of the publishing experience?
Having that finished product in my hands. After that, it’s hearing from satisfied readers how my story has impacted their lives in some way. That’s really the more important part, but seeing the actual book happens first.

For learning the writing craft, which do you prefer – books or conferences? Why?
I learned the craft mostly by being an avid reader all my life. You kind of get a feel for how a good story plays out. To polish and hone my skills, I relied on books and articles in Writer’s Digest Magazine. As for conferences, I hear attending them is best, but I find it difficult to travel to them, so I can’t really give solid advice to that aspect. I did attend a local one a couple times, but that was after I had been writing for some years. Of course, we never stop learning.

If you could recommend one writing conference, what would it be? Why? (If you haven’t attended one, which one would you like to attend? Why?)
As mentioned above, a couple times I attended the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference, which was wonderful. But one day I’d like to go to the ACFW conference, because I have made friends with and come to know many wonderful people through the organization online. It would be really nice to meet them in person.

If you could recommend one writing book, what would it be? Why?
There are so many excellent writing books out there, but I guess I would have to say anything by agent Donald Maass, beginning with Writing the Breakout Novel. He’s a master at knowing what works in the publishing world, and his clients are usually highly successful.

If you could pick any of your novels to be made into a movie, which one would you pick? Who would you want to play the lead roles, and why?
I’m sort of limited, here, and I’ll tell you why. The book I would like to see as a movie is Hush, Little Baby, but the main characters are little people. There aren’t many known actors to fit those characters. In my research, I found Peter Dinklage (this was pre-Game of Thrones). I modeled Evan Blake after him, which turned out perfect. I could never come up with an actress for Amber, but I did always have an image in my mind for her. Something like a younger Amy Roloff (Little People, Big World).

Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Just to clear something up from my last answer, you might remember that I write romantic suspense. The above description might puzzle some readers about how that could be for Hush, Little Baby. Don’t let that discourage you. I tackle tough subjects in my books, and, along with the dwarfism element, this one takes on abortion and fetal harvesting, which was just in the news one or two years ago. If you read the reviews on Amazon, you will find that the romance part of the story lacks for nothing.

Also, Hush, Little Baby is now available for a 25% discount through the publisher. Just go to www.deborahmpiccurelli.com, click on the “Books” tab and you’ll find the link there. When you click on it, you will be taken to a form on the publisher’s (Sword of the Spirit) website, where it is already filled in for the quantity of one and price. You’ll see that as you scroll down to my book’s title.

Thank you so much for appearing on my blog – have a blessed day!
Thank you, Karin! It was a pleasure and a blessing to be here on your wonderful blog.