STORYTIME TAPESTRY

? 

? 

Nicole Stevenson??™s Weekly Column

Fireside Chat ??“ Featuring ??“ ? ? Dina Damato

? 

Aug 30 , 2005

? 

? 

Promote

? 

? 

? 

Dina Damato is? the inspiration behind many talents promoting others. Writing from a young age, she told told her Mom she was going to be a best selling author, and although not there yet, she has not given up the dream. She Lives in Chicago helping people market and promote their talent.

? 

? 

How long have you been writing? Well, I guess? I'd have to? say" a little bit over 20 years."

What inspires you to write? Good songs, death, junkies, and tragic happenings in the world and within people's lives. I do sometimes get inspired by the happier things in life though too. As well as my daughter.

? 

Do you feel a sense of commitment to your readers? Kind of sometimes I do. When I put out my first publication, "Tangents" it was self published and it was free if you wanted one. So many people complimented the writing in there and so many people felt like they got kicked int he gut with the Tangents [poems]? in there ... it was very rewarding for me to put that book? out there. Then a year later I did Tangents 2 which was very different from the first one and people did not really know how to take it and I was really upset because I did not get the same response. People were excited about it's release, but they were expecting my raw, tragic dark writing and the second one was not as 'hard-core' and I ended up feel disappointed in myself. Now with Tangents 3 coming out, not yet titled, I feel I owe my fans what they really like to see from me. However, I am not going to conform. I like to write, I love it and it is what I do, and to write for the sake of someone else is just not being true to my fans or mainly myself.

What were you thinking when you writing this?

? 

Seasons change, sometimes many in a day, and
while others come to serve a purpose or a reason,
a lot leave without ever saying good bye ...

? This whole piece is very, very special to me. But in this section of On The Sleeve I was thinking about how I left my boyfriend of ten years, I was thinking of my sister and how she died so suddenly, and so young, I was thinking of how the boyfriend I got with? at the time was just so shallow, and not anything I thought he was. I was thinking about the neighborhood I was living in at the time, and my father who also died suddenly. This piece has so much raw emotion. It gives me tingles every time I read it or someone brings it up. I guess also, I was thinking about how change is constant whether we want for it to be or not. How cool that you picked out a section of this piece. Makes me feel good that something caught your attention in it, if not all of it.

? 

How many novels have you written??  I never published any of my novels. I have Only Suzy Knows which was inspired by a Motley Crue song back in 84 or 85 called On With The Show off the Too Fast For Love record. I wrote about 3 more after that. Only Suzy Knows is really good. Though it is packed away somewhere and probably pretty elementary considering that some time has passed since I wrote it.

? 

What genre do you write in?? ? Dark, tragic, emotionally plagued writing is the best way to describe? my writing. It is heavy, deep, takes you for a ride.? 

? 

Out of all the novels you've written do you have a favorite and why??  Only Suzy Knows. It is my favorite because it is my first and my first one was good for being a first. I like it because Motley Crue inspired it, mostly the song writer, Nikki Sixx, and oddly enough the book is a crazy twist of faith, with issues stemming from sibling loss, to parental loss, to loss of innocence, drugs and teen pregnancy, and here at the time Nikki wrote this, and I did not know, he was killing himself metaphorically. He was given the name Frank Ferrana Jr, and when he was old enough to realize his dad had abandoned him and would not talk to him for no reason other than he was a coward [Nikki's dad] he legally changed his name, killing who he was by birth sort of speak. Nikki was also messed up on drugs at the time, and doing all kinds of things building up tons of issues he would later have to deal with. I think it is kind of neat how I got out of the song, basically what Nikki was dealing with (not everything) but some things. Also ironically as in that book written so long ago, I would end up dealing with sibling loss, and parental loss (through death) and a lot of crap the main character went through. It is fiction and I was not meaning to project anything either.

What words of encouragement would you like to pass on to the next writer? No matter what anyone tells you. Listen to your heart and never force the words to the paper. Keep it real, and write what you know, what you feel, and don't be afraid of what people might think. What is one person's 'junk' is another person's treasure and good luck. Oh and if your child writes, like mine does, encourage it! My daughter has already won writing awards!

Dina Damato

www.myspace.com/smallandmighty

www.pearlsoup.com.

? ? ? ? ? ? If you would like to be featured in an upcoming interview, please contact me as soon as possible.?  The positions are filling up fast.?  You don??™t want to be left out in the cold.

? 

winterose@videotron.ca? ? ? 

? 

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  If you would like to be interviewed for Nicole Stevenson??™s newsletter First Cuts you must first become a member of the newsletter.

? 

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Her email address is: stevenson15N@aol.com.?  For optimum exposure please make sure you are a member of both newsletters.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 

?