Debora Dale Alt logo
ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
where fear and passion collide
Debora Dale Alt logo
ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
where fear and passion collide
This Statement is False

This Statement is False

Creating Characters

Is It Ever Okay to Lie? If your dearest friend is able to pull off a decent rendition of Happy Birthday, but will trigger nightmares in a child if they attempt a lullaby, would you tell them? Or would you lie and say they sound fine? My guess is you’d lie to them. My...
Do You Want to Know a Secret?

Do You Want to Know a Secret?

Creating Characters

Do you promise not to tell? Who can resist being privy to a secret? Who wouldn’t exclaim an eager, “Yes!”, as a vow of silence in order to get the juicy goods? The secret could, of course, be gossipy, which is always fun, if not ethically questionable. It could be a...
A Bit of Home: Story Inspiration

A Bit of Home: Story Inspiration

Creating Characters

Inspiration for What? Dani Moyer, heroine from my romantic suspense novel, Surrender at Canyon Road, carries a beloved bit of memorabilia with her wherever she goes. This item is an integral part of her world. It’s her past, her present, and her future. It belonged to...
There won’t be trumpets

There won’t be trumpets

Writing, Creating Characters, Plotting

There are heroes in the world, wrote Stephen Sondheim in the song There Won’t Be Trumpets. Princes and heroes in the world; and one of them will save us…wait and see, wait and see. That hopeful promise was followed by a warning: There won’t be...
Manhattan Special

Manhattan Special

Creating Characters

Manhattan IS special but a Manhattan Special is even more special…to my heroine. In my upcoming romantic suspense, Surrender at Canyon Road, my heroine, Dani, is basically living on her last dollars. She’s hopeful though. She’s about to take the last...
Children as Caretakers

Children as Caretakers

Creating Characters, fiction

Imagine being a child, 10 years of age, and suddenly responsible for the wellbeing of a baby brother or sister. While seeing children as caretakers is not that uncommon, when children take on the role of parent for their siblings, teaching them to walk, talk, brush...