Edited and improved by the Galatea team.
Reposted from Inkitt.com.
Born and raised in Jamaica, Inkitt and Galatea author Danielle Jaggan is currently a high school student. She penned her first book in 2019, but deleted it after a year. Fortunately, she opted to try her luck again in 2020 with her story Alpha Ares, which is fast becoming an Inkitt and Galatea fan favorite and is under contract with Galatea.
We are happy to publish Danielle Jaggan as one of our Galatea Author Interviews.
Q: Welcome Danielle! For many writers, our first manuscript doesn’t turn out as well as we hoped it would, which can be frustrating. You wrote your first book in 2019, but pulled it offline and decided to try again. Can you tell us a little more about the start of your writing journey?
Danielle: The first book I wrote was absolutely horrible, so I deleted it. After a year, I finally decided I was going to try my luck again in 2020. It was quarantine, and I had nothing to do! Also, I had social anxiety, and I struggled with low self-esteem because I couldn’t hold a proper conversation with people. I figured writing was a way in which I could improve my vocabulary and communication skills.
Q: I’m sure your fans are glad you had the courage to keep going. What happened with your second book, Alpha Ares?
Danielle: I first posted Alpha Ares on Wattpad, however, it wasn’t getting the amount of attention I wanted, and I would have to literally message random people on the app to encourage them to read it. After months of doing that, I got tired, so I switched to Inkitt. Within weeks, Alpha Ares was getting positive reviews. I remember having only the Inkitt writing app at that time and not the reading app, thinking that I would get the notifications there. After a few weeks, I went to delete the app when I saw that people were actually reading it, and I was getting positive reviews!
Q: How did you first discover the Inkitt platform, and what about Inkitt made you want to publish your stories here?
Danielle: I remember in 2019, I wanted to find other reading apps to use. I went on Google and researched the best reading app, and Inkitt popped up. After spending some time using it, I had read so many wonderful stories, I decided right then and there that if I were to ever write a story, I’d make sure to put it on Inkitt. I’m thankful that I did!
Q: Many experienced writers say that a writing routine is really important for their productivity. Do you have a writing routine and a favorite place to work?
Danielle: Before I write, I find a comfortable position on my bed to start writing. And since I write using my laptop, I always ensure the charger is plugged in so I won’t have to get up to do that, as that can let me lose my chain of thought. Before I was offered the full contract from Galatea, I always wrote every other day or week, but now that I’m under the full contract, I write every day so I can successfully finish this book.
Q: Another thing new writers worry about is the dreaded writer’s block. Have you ever experienced it, and if so, how do you move past it?
Danielle: I think every writer experiences writer’s block from time to time. What I’ll do when that happens is read the previous five chapters from where I stopped and do some hard thinking. I’ll also re-read the readers’ feedback and that will help me, along with listening to music.
Q: Reading the last few chapters of your work is a great tip. It can immerse you back into the story. Okay, tell us three interesting, non-writing-related things about yourself!
Danielle: Even though I’m a solid 5’1″, I’m the captain of my girls basketball team at my high school. I really love playing videos games such as Call of Duty and Need for Speed with my older brother. Lastly, I help my uncle out on his apiary whenever I can.
Q: I’m sure all your fans are interested in what you are working on next. Can you give us a preview?
Danielle: Currently, I’m still writing Alpha Ares (or Alpha’s Servant), but as soon as I’m finished and take some time off from writing, I’ll be writing two novels that I’ve had in mind for the longest while. One will be called The Rogue’s Vet, which is a werewolf romance, and the other will be called Mr. Sexy – Dominant and Dangerous, which is a mafia romance novel.
Q: Thank you so much, Danielle! Best of luck with your writing career!
Here’s a preview of Danielle’s book, Alpha Ares:
Alpha Ares
Skyler’s entire life has been hard. From the day she was born, she was destined to be a slave and mate to the dreaded and powerful Alpha Ares. He was a killing machine without fear or remorse – that is until she serves him dinner for the first time…Now everything has changed for both of them. He can’t forget her scent and she can’t forget his haunting yellow eyes.
He was an insurmountable alpha werewolf. Some say his power was a gift from the God of war himself, while others said it was a curse. Rumors had it that he was more wolf than man that relished in his opponent’s blood. He was basically a killing machine and for that everyone feared him.
Upon on visiting one of his branched estates he encountered this timid, fragile human who had brought his dinner to his room. He stealthily watched in the shadows as she carried the meal with shaking hands and placed it on a table beside his bed. He could tell she was scared, but who wouldn’t be. He didn’t really have the best reputation. But something about her was abnormally strange. She carried this strong vanilla scent which he couldn’t get enough of and he found himself coming out of the shadows and slowly crept up behind her, just like how a predator approached it prey. When he was two steps behind her, he waited for her to turn around. And when she did, his world came crashing down…
Download the Galatea app to access Danielle’s story and more!
