Today we’d like to introduce you to Dana Isaly
Hi Dana, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up in Woodsfield, OH, a literal village on the Ohio River. I was there until I was fourteen. My mom got a job in Alabama so we moved for my high school years. Throughout high school, I devoured books. I read every book for school that was required, and then spent all of my free time searching through the aisles of Books-A-Million. I read hundreds of Young Adult novels, mostly fantasy, until I went to college. First, I went to Marietta College in Ohio, but I had bigger dreams. I had always wanted to live in England, so I decided to just make it happen. I applied for a university, got a student visa, and left Ohio after two years of school. And my parents will tell you, it was not easy. Both years I spent at Marietta were money down the drain. With the way universities in England work, the two years I spent at Marietta wouldn’t count. They’re highly focused on whatever your degree is, using the last two years of their “high school” as Gen-Ed. So I had to start all over. But it was amazing. I made friends that became family, and it tore me in half moving back home. It felt like I was leaving behind a part of myself. The years after that, I hopped around from job to job, state to state, until I settled back in Alabama. And when Covid hit, TikTok kind of blew up and consumed my life. I started getting heavily into BookTok, making videos and reading voraciously again. When I met my now best friend, Amber (AD McCammon, for those of you who may like to check out her books), she told me all about self publishing and how it worked. I was thrilled that suddenly my dream of writing could become a reality. So, with her help, I published my first novel in June of 2021. And it’s been book after book since then!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has definitely not been smooth. At first, I was flying high. I was successful right off the bat, which is not the norm. I was lucky that I had a huge following already as a BookToker, so my followers turned into my readers. They advocated for my books and I was able to quit my job within three months of publishing. But in February of 2022, I was hit with a bombshell. The voice actor that did my book Games We Play, decided to attack me and turn everyone against me. He claimed horrible things, like I wrote a self insert fan fiction about him, and stole his ideas for a book. There was more to it, but that’s the gist. And it ruined my career, if I’m being honest. I lost thousands of readers, and all but a couple friends stuck around. Even those who I considered my best friends decided to believe him over me. It was probably the worst time in my life. I was dealing with that, then a month later I had a medical emergency, and then a month after that, we had to put my dog down due to brain cancer. Even now, I’m dealing with the repercussions of what he did. The trauma is real. I have PTSD that I live with daily because of it. Just seeing a certain font can trigger me. But there was a part of me that couldn’t give up. It probably would’ve been easier to disappear, get an office job or something, and just leave this “community” behind. But I didn’t want to do that. Doing that, to me, was saying he won. It would imply that he was right, that he told the truth. And he didn’t. So I pulled my big girl panties on and kept writing. Even though sales have dropped tremendously, I have a husband that loves me and supports me. I have friends that I’ve met since then who are nothing but supportive. I have readers who still encourage me daily. And so I will not give up just because a faceless man throws a temper tantrum. I’m still here, and I plan on staying. Writing is too much of who I am to stop.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I guess I’m probably best known for the spice in my books. (I’m laughing awkwardly here.) My books are so open door, there may as well not be any hinges. You can just walk right in and see everything. My best known books are Games We Play and the Dipped in Holly series. They are both very spicy, with a lot of open door content. Smut over plot used to be my motto. Lately though, I’ve started pulling away from that. I hit some serious burn out in the spring and decided to try something new. It’s slow going, but I’m writing an Appalachian Folk Horror novel that will be called Teeth. It’s all about the Appalachian Mountains and the creepy old things that live there. There’s skinwalkers, small towns, and cult like behavior. There’s even some family secrets sprinkled in to make it interesting. I think the book I’m most proud of though is Into The Dark. If you’re reading this and thinking, “Oh, that’s where I’ll start!” Please read the trigger warnings first. This book is dark. It’s the darkest thing I’ve ever written. But, god, is it beautiful (to me). It’s a sad one, and I always joke that people can pay me in tears. I put a lot of myself into that one, and I will forever be proud of it. That and hitting number one on the Amazon best sellers list.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I don’t actually see myself as much of a risk taker. Some people may disagree, because quitting your job to write romance books is something that a lot of people find risky. But I know I can always find another job if I have to, so it doesn’t feel that wild to me. I think the biggest risk I’ve taken has been writing Into The Dark. As a romance author, you just don’t write sad stories. You don’t. When you say romance, people immediately assume there’s a happily ever after. Which is why if you look up that book, it won’t be listed under any romance genre. If it had been, I would have been chased out of the field. It’s happened before. I’ve seen authors put tragedies in romance genres, and they get reamed in the reviews. People hate sad endings, no matter how romantic that main story in the book is. I’ve taken some other small risks here and there, like branching out to offer editing and graphic design, or paying six thousand dollars for an audio book because the narrator is just THAT good. (I’ve still not made that money back by the way. Which is always a risk you take with audio.) But I think that just comes with the job. Being in this business means you have to take some risks to stay relevant.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.danaisaly.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/author.danaisaly/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/x3wGPEA3RUywaoD1/
- Other: https://reamstories.com/danaisaly
