My Take
DiVoran Lites
Hello, my name is Elaine Donovan. Because I am the main character in DiVoran’s book, Sacred Spring, people may think of me as a figment of DiVoran’s imagination. That’s okay, but DiVoran thinks of me as a real person, so if you wish, you may think of me that way too. She asked me to answer ten questions about writing my book.
First, we’d like to thank Rebekah Lyn for tagging us in this blog hop. Rebekah Lyn is a successful writer who has helped, supported, and encouraged DiVoran immeasurably as well as an excellent all-round writer and characterist, in her own right. Here’s where you will find Rebekah and her characters.
Question 1: Where did the idea for this book come from?
DiVoran and I first met when she, her husband, and two children started camping at Deleon Springs near Deland, Florida. It soon became their favorite place and when they wandered the grounds, they were enchanted by the history embodied here. We had the old hanging oak; where legend has it several people were hanged during the Civil War. There was the pavilion where tea dances were held in the 20s and 30s. An underwater passage allowed visitors to see below the surface through glass, and the old mill that had been there for a over a century and a half was still present and remains to this day.
The campground was run down and was slated to be sold for a subdivision to be built there. DiVoran couldn’t stand the thought of that so she dealt with it the way she deals with everything, using her imagination. That was when Granddad, Scotty, and I came to help. Hank and Raker came along too, but at the time we didn’t know whether they’d end up helping us or destroying all our dreams.
What genre does the book fall under?
Genres are such convenient things, are they not? Ours is considered either Inspirational Romantic fiction or Christian Romantic Fiction. I can tell you it has plenty of love in it, along with the conflict we got into trying to save the spring.
Which Actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
It would be impossible for either of us to answer that question at this time as I have never seen a movie or watched T. V. You see I’ve been too busy and poor to go to a show and we don’t have a T. V. because again we just wouldn’t have time or the inclination to watch it. I did go to college, though, and I wondered how my roommate and her friends could idolize the actors on the screen. This is not to say we would be averse to having a movie made of the book. DiVoran has a beautiful granddaughter she says looks just like me, tall and slender with long golden/red hair whose eyes have a smiling shape that won her the title of Miss photogenic when she was a baby. We would choose her tall handsome grandson to play my cousin Nick in Sacred Spring and in its sequel Living Spring. Both college age grandchildren have acting experience, so it would not be outside of the realms of possibility for them to star in the movie. The book has been described as highly cinematographic—well, for us nothing is impossible.
What is a one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Unless Elaine Donovan can find a way to save it, Sacred Spring Campground will soon be sold for a subdivision, which means a piece of Real Florida history and habitat will vanish forever.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
The book is self, or indie (for independently) published as will the others that come after it in the Florida Springs Trilogy.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
DiVoran won’t tell me how long it took her, sorry. It must have taken either a very long time or a very short time, but I happen to know she didn’t write it in a month as Rebekah Lyn did one of hers.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
DiVoran won’t mind if I tell you this: she’s an old-fashioned girl, so you may not know the authors she loves and tries to emulate, even though in some circles they are considered classics. Because her themes are family and love, as well as nature, her books might remind you of those by Gene Stratton Porter, Pearl S. Buck, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, and D. E. Stevenson. She has also followed the writings of John Steinbeck and is much enamored of the Bible.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I can say this: We believe the Holy Spirit inspired us to get together and write this book. He has been with us all the way through, guiding and “musing” through us. It has been, on one hand, a somewhat stressful experience, because it is our first book, but on the other hand, a most exciting one, because it was through this book and the leading of the Spirit that DiVoran discovered her true calling in life. Without knowing and living in that she feels she would only be half a person. Of course without it, I would never have been created, so we are both thankful to the One who is our Lord and inspirer.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
I can answer this best by suggesting you read the reviews for the Kindle version of Sacred Spring on Amazon. Just look up Sacred Spring, by DiVoran Lites. That will give you an idea of what people are saying about the book. I’ll give you a hint, DiVoran is thrilled with the reception it has received. Everyone wants to know what happens next. That question will be answered in the next book, Living Spring, but more questions will arise, and you will need to go on to Clear Spring in order to get the whole story. DiVoran is also a painter and, because they all take place in gorgeous places that she loves, has found great joy in painting the covers for all three books.
I’ve been told we need to tag five more authors for The Next Big Thing. Since I am a fictional character, I don’t know very many people. I do know Linda Lewis who is an artist, a patron of the arts and a popular blogger. DiVoran reads her blogs and also displays artwork with her .You can visit her website here: and her blog: Creative Arts Works Blog
DiVoran’s artwork can be found at Creative Art Works
Sacred Spring is available on Amazon in eBook and Paperback
Old Things R New 