“I’m not a bestselling author, I’m just a ‘nobody’ who uses storytelling to encourage others to find their purpose and save their souls.”

Hello, my name is Chiara Talluto. I’m a wife, busy mom, author, and a woman after God’s heart. As I ponder this declaration, I find it more appropriate to claim that I am a woman after God’s heart first. He has given me a gift of writing, and I honor Him through my written works. So, pull up a chair and stay awhile.

People often ask what kind of writing I do. I tell them… I write Inspirational/Christian drama empowering women to discover their faith, use perseverance to overcome adversity, and become heroes of their own destinies. I also write middle-grade fantasy-fairy tales to encourage girls in developing strong morals and values, and to always stand up for what is right.

Many, many years ago, I began writing poems and keeping a journal at the age of eleven. My love for the written word was sparked by reading the Nancy Drew series and Hardy Boys books. It wasn’t until my late teens that I discovered Danielle Steele novels and began my hand at stories. I continued writing longer prose as much as I could during a prosperous career as a Human Resources Recruiter, and then as an Instructional Designer. I received many awards and accolades for my accomplishments, and my work responsibilities grew, but there was something missing. I began to devote less and less time to my joy of writing. And soon, my creativity began to suffer. It wasn’t until after much soul-searching and some tough decision-making that I finally left the corporate world to start writing full-time. That was fifteen years ago.

Today, I am the CEO of my home, practicing wife to my husband, mommy to our two daughters, and writer of all things that need to be put on paper. My family often tells me that I am the Master Storyteller in our household, and I have a passion for writing about people who struggle with decisions and conflicts that arise in their lives.

To date, not including my forthcoming Inspirational fiction(coming later 2020), She Made It Matter, I’ve authored three books. One “grown up” Christian Romance, Love’s Perfect Surrender. And two middle-grade fantasy-fairy tales: Petrella, the Gillian Princess and A Tribute to Tulipia.

I have two vices: writing and reading. I enjoy stories about human complexities; it is why I love reading books from these fine authors:

Eric Wilson

Karen Kingsbury

Richard Paul Evans

Mitch Albom

Rachel Hauck

C.S. Lewis

Tim Lahaye

Adriana Trigiani

David Baldacci

Travis Thrasher

Each of these remarkable authors are able to write believable characters, digging deep into their sub-conscience, and exploring and unraveling their tragedies and triumphs.

Here are a few more tidbits about me:

How many drafts do your books generally go through before publication?

I average about 20-40 drafts. What? Yes, I know, it’s a lot of drafts. It is why it takes me years to publish.

As my editor/friend, Dennis De Rose, from Moneysaver Editing (he has edited three of my four books), tells me all the time, “…the slow turtle wins the race.”

What is the most surprising thing you discovered while writing your book(s)?

Practice makes progress. I feel I’m evolving more and more into a better storyteller and writer.

You’ve written Inspirational/Christian genre and Middle-Grade Aged Fantasy/Fairy Tale genre. Do you have a preference?

No. I don’t know want to be stuck in any particular genre. My strong Catholic-Christian faith is what drives my writing. God has given me a talent to write and I write what He desires of me.

Does writing energize or exhaust you?

Writing is euphoric; editing is exhausting.

“People often ask me what it’s like to write. I tell them the effect of living and breathing your character’s lives is like immersing yourself underwater for an indefinite amount of time. Time being the key word. When I know I’ve captured all the details required, that’s when I come up for air. You got to have a good set of lungs to be a writer.”

Most of your book is divided into three sections. Why? And for each section, you include the songs that have inspired you for each section. Why?

Shakespeare had acts. I have sections. Like a screen play each section is its own story. However, they cannot stand alone because the sections build upon one another to make the whole of the tale that is being told.

And because I love music so much, especially Christian music, I find my inspiration from songs.

What do you compare writing to?

Professional writing can be compared to sailing. You don’t go anywhere really fast. You don’t just write a story and it is done. It has to be grammatically correct, have a story arc, enough description, dialogue, etc. With sailing, you have to watch the waves, the wind patterns, and adjust the sails to sail effortlessly in a large body of water. Bottom line: Be present and patient, otherwise you might miss something very important.

How do you feel when you complete a book and it is done?

Happy. Woo-hoo, yes it is over. But, that joy is often overshadowed by worry. I begin to fret wondering if I spelled everything correctly, did I include all the details there was to write about, are the pages aligned, is there enough spacing, the list can go on. The other side of it is very anticlimactic. The book is DONE and FINISHED, no more rereading or editing. Similar to dating and you break up. Now what? The saying…the journey is more important than the destination, definitely holds true for me.

What can you do really well (talents)?

Make pretty decent cocktails. One of my treasured liquor recipes is making Limoncello. Click https://bit.ly/3eOOcMn for the great recipe.

You’ve written a number of blog posts. Are there any in particular that has received the most views/comments?

Yes.

The Double-Rainbow Revelation

The Night She Gave God Away

Love is the Ultimate Law of Life

Okay, here is a cliché question. Do you have any advice for new writers?

No. The Internet is saturated with so much information on how to write, what to write, marketing, promo, editing, cover design, styles, etc. I don’t have the end-all solution to writing success. Just sit your ass in a chair and write.

Well, that’s a wrap. Thank you for stopping by!

Until next time…

Chiara Talluto

©Chiara Talluto

You want to learn more or check out my published books? I would be honored. Below are links to my social media sites.

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#ReadLocalAuthor – Authors Den

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