Meet Donna Jo Stone
- Donna Jo Stone
- Mar 26
- 5 min read
1. What inspired you to write across such varied genres — southern historical, contemporary young adult, and sweet romance?
I’m a voracious reader and have been since a young age, reading widely. I think this influenced me to try different genres. I also freelanced and wrote by assignment for a few years, in addition to dabbling in short stories and creative nonfiction, things that may have played into writing different types of stories as well. All of my novels are written from a Christian worldview, and feature southern characters.
2. How do you approach creating authentic characters that resonate with readers across different genres?
To an extent, my stories are character-driven. Understanding what makes a character tick and getting that on the page goes a long way to having a character readers can connect with. At times that was difficult. My teen character in Promise Me Tomorrow, Nina, is on the autism spectrum, and it was challenging to explain her inner workings in a way people could understand and relate to.
In my most recent release, When the Wildflowers Bloom Again, for the minor characters, I came up with individuals who were an amalgam of people I knew growing up, and I took some details from activities I experienced such as church events, choir, school, and so on.
Some characters are just harder to develop. Others walk onto the page completely rounded and feel like real people from the get-go. (In my stories, these are invariably the comic relief character!) It’s a lot of fun when that happens — if they don’t take over the whole story.
3. Can you share a bit about your typical writing routine or process? Every story starts with a seed of an idea or a character; some stories arriving more developed than others, but all need time to bloom.
Most of the time, I start with a short synopsis or a rough outline, adding to it from there. I do my best to keep notes I’ve taken to hand. In the past, that meant a notebook and a pen. These days, I often use Google Docs to keep a running list of various notes about things the character might say, research titbits, or jot down a line of dialogue or description that comes to me. Once I’ve amassed a few pages, I organise my notes into sections and write short chapter summaries. I do this until I feel I’m ready to start.
On rare occasions, I do less planning and may do stream of consciousness to get going.
4. How does your faith influence your storytelling, and do you find it differs by genre?
It’s my desire that everything I do reflects my faith. Different genres have different expectations, with each genre having a unique audience the author is trying to speak to, so the approach may be different for different stories. The goal is to communicate with the person reading, and writers have to keep that in mind.
When telling a story through the eyes of a fictional character, the way they view the world may vary from person to person, but the core of my storytelling is from a Christian worldview.
I hope readers come away with a deeper understanding of the love of God and ultimately choose to seek Him out.
6. What themes or messages do you hope readers take away from your books? I want readers to come away from my novels understanding they are not alone in their struggles, and come away with a sense of hope, and possibly a greater understanding of themselves or others.
7. What do you find most rewarding and challenging about writing southern historical fiction? It’s hard to pinpoint exactly. I love almost every part of the writing process, and almost every part is challenging! It’s always thrilling when a reader tells me they were touched by a story, or that it helped them somehow.
8. How do you conduct research for your historical novels, and is there a particular event or detail that surprised you? I’m constantly intrigued or surprised by different historical titbits I come across. I may find something by reading nonfiction, doing research, or tracking down something I may have read in a novel.
It’s great fun when I can visit the places I use for inspiration. For Joann, I based the setting on an old time country store I visited. You can read about it here:
9. What role does the setting play in shaping the stories you tell in this genre? Regional fiction tends to have a flavour all its own, and the setting is extremely important to orient the reader. Setting can also evoke a mood, tell the reader the character’s state of mind, or reveal something about the relationships, other characters, and the nature of the story. I love immersive fiction, feeling like I’m actually experiencing the story and the setting. Dropping in authentic details of a setting can make all the difference.
9. What inspired you to write for young adults, and what unique challenges does this audience present?
They say you should write your book directed toward your one ideal reader. Book one in my upcoming young adult series, Promise Me Tomorrow, came about because I felt my daughter needed to hear this particular story. Two of the moms in our local autism community had passed away, leaving teens behind. Suddenly, my daughter was in a world where parents could die, and I could not comfort her. Originally, I wrote the book for her. Later, she encouraged me to rework it and publish it. Promise Me Tomorrow was a runner-up for RevPit, and I was blessed to receive invaluable feedback and direction.
10. How do you balance addressing modern issues while maintaining a hopeful or faith-filled message in YA fiction?
I believe addressing modern issues is a big part of living out the Christian faith. Authors of young adult fiction have a great calling. Writers can address the issues teens are facing today with sensitivity and yet instill hope without being preachy or off-putting. I approach writing the same way I approach speaking to a young person. Listen, and strive to treat their concerns with respect, empathy, and sensitive truthfulness without taking offence or being defensive.
It’s difficult to keep abreast of all the challenges teens today face, but there are timeless common issues. Complicated family dynamics, learning disabilities, personality clashes, young romance, grief and loss, friendship difficulties, body image issues and eating disorders, fear of failure, feeling of abandonment, sibling relationships are some of the issues my characters deal with.
Adults can connect with the young people in their life by remembering what it was like, and by tapping into that reserve of empathy.
We may be of different generations, but we are all people—and more alike than we are different.
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