An Interview with Lisa Dawn
Lisa Dawn was brought up in New Jersey, where she fell in love with fairy tales and animated movies. She studied screenwriting at Ramapo College in the hopes that she could one day write the next great animated princess movie. After attending the DAVE School in Florida to learn computer animation, she moved to Los Angeles to work on 3D movies as a rotoscope artist. She lives in Texas with her husband, where she reviews princess content through The Princess Blog and composes original princess songs on the piano.
What inspired you to start writing this book?
This book is based on a concept for an animated series that I wrote as a teenager and intended to produce one day. I moved to Hollywood to chase my dream, but sadly, it never came to fruition. Finally, I decided to turn it into a novel so I could still share it with the world.
Tell us the story of your book’s current title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?
The animated series was supposed to be called The Legacy of Hope and Love, but that was too much of a mouthful, so I shortened it to Hope and Love’s Legacy.
Describe your dream book cover.
I love covers that have the main characters on them and create a sense of whimsy, like a painting. My dream cover would be a cross between a Mucha painting and the aesthetics of the Barbie movies from the early 2000s.
If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?
Enchanted by Taylor Swift, A Whole New World from Aladdin, and Then You Look at Me by Celine Dion.
What books are you reading (for research or comfort) as you continue the writing process?
I primarily just read fairy tale retellings, but for this particular book, it helped to play a lot of RPG video games since that was a big inspiration for the story!
What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?
When I moved to Hollywood, I was a rotoscope artist for the 3D conversion of some very well-known movies, including The Avengers, Thor, and Captain America!
Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?
I love Disney, fairy tales, and animation, so I’ve always felt inspired to find a way to transport people to other worlds through my own words.
What advice would you give your past self at the start of your writing journey?
People’s tastes will vary. Do it because you love it!
What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?
The right path is always harder than the easier one, but it’s worth it in the end.
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