Tell us about yourself and how we can connect with you.
My name is Danielle Larsen and I categorize myself as a blogger, photographer, and author. I run a website called The Mindful Fight which includes my blog and photography as well as information about my recently released memoir, From Voiceless To Vocal. I currently live in Washington Heights, NY with my cats Mojo and Magnus. People can find me at the links below:
www.themindfulfight.com
https://twitter.com/DaniB301
https://www.goodreads.com/danib301
What would you like to promote? (Add links, description, and a photo!)
I am here to promote my memoir, From Voiceless To Vocal. It chronicles the years I spent with an abusive partner and highlights an often unspoken struggle that so many people go through. Currently with 5 out of 5 stars on Amazon, here’s a little bit more about my story:
From Voiceless To Vocal is a heartbreaking memoir about finding one’s inner strength. A story of resilience and courage, this personal account takes us on a journey of survival. As told through the writer’s first-hand experience, we see her learn about herself as she tries her best to stay alive, conquer the abuse and manipulation inflicted upon her, and overcome her own demons in the process. Her story proves that it is possible to get back up when you’ve been knocked down time and time again and stands as evidence that it is possible to find your voice after it has been stripped away.
How did you get started with writing?
It wasn’t until I started writing my memoir in the Spring of 2020 that I realized I’ve always been a writer in one way or another. I’ve journaled for as long as I can remember and had a different blog about 5 years ago. I found that blogging gave me a way to talk about what was going on in my life and spin it in a way that could maybe help other people struggling with similar things. In the Fall of 2019, I started The Mindful Fight blog as a way to start to share my story and people really seemed to gain something from my perspective on certain things. Having the blog definitely helped propel me towards writing the memoir.
How do you attract new readers?
I use book promos that share and tweet out my book links to their followers as well as participate in writer lifts on Twitter. Finding new readers has been difficult, but since I only have myself promoting everything I’m doing, I just keep plugging away. I also have a free membership on my website that I ask for feedback from. If someone has a recommendation of how to promote the book or something that can enhance the website, I listen. I take everything my readers say to heart.
What is your favorite thing about being a blogger, writer, or author?
I love blogging because it gives me a way to work out whatever’s going on in my head and help others in the process. That’s the whole reason I wanted to share my story to begin with. As far as writing fiction, that’s been new territory for me and it’s been fun to explore that part of my brain. I’m working on a few different stories right now and they’re all so different. It’s actually a lot of fun to see what sparks inside on any given day that will lead to words on a page.
What are you reading right now?
Currently I am rereading the Unwind series by Neal Shusterman. I read it years ago and loved it. Sometimes you just need to dive back into things and revist stories. I love rereading stories even more than I love reading them the first time around.
If you could have superpowers what would they be?
I always say telepathy because knowing what people actually think could be fun, but I don’t know if I’d really want to know. Instead, I’m going to say teleportation. I live in NYC and my entire family is back in Massachusetts. I’d love to be able to pop home for a few hours and then pop right back.
What is your favorite genre to read?
I read a lot of YA dystopian type books (i.e. Hunger Games, Divergent, etc.). I don’t know what it is about them, but I can absolutely devour an entire series in a couple weeks. I also read a lot of memoirs.
What is your favorite comfort food?
Mashed potatoes. Could be potato in any form, but something about mashed potatoes just means comfort to me.
What is something about yourself most people don’t know?
I was the 4th grade spelling bee champion of my elementary school. The last round was state capitals and I won on Baton Rouge.
How did you get published?
My book is self-published. I did a lot of search on small publishing houses to submit to, but I didn’t want to wait. I knew that self-publishing would be a difficult road because now everything is in my hands, but it was the best decision for me to get my story out and in people’s hands as quickly as possible.
What advice do you have for new writers just starting out?
Just write. Don’t think about who might read it or what might happen down the road. Just write what’s in your head and be honest. If you don’t believe what you’re writing then no one else will.
What helps you to stay motivated and keep writing?
I’ve found joy in writing. That’s been the biggest motivator. I like sitting down and letting the words flow from my brain to my fingers onto the page. Plus if I’m up in the middle of the night getting things down really helps me to fall asleep. The brain emptying aspect of writing definitely pushes me to keep going.
What projects are you working on right now?
I don’t want to give away too much, but I have a few stories that I’m working on at the moment. One is a mystery (that I’m still trying to figure out myself!) and another is more YA fantasy. Fiction writing is totally brand new territory for me so just exploring this is fun on its own.
Any other information you would like to include for our readers?
Find me on Twitter or on my website. You can join The Mindful Fighters and get exclusive updates about what I’m working on or you can just subscribe for blog updates. Dealer’s choice! I hope to hear from some of you soon.
Nosh with Chef Julie 