Donnie Masters FAQ About Writing
What order did you write your books in?
Mattress Buying 101 was my first attempt at publishing a book in 2016.
Start Winning with Money was released in 2017.
Good Debt Bad Debt was released in 2017.
What’s going on with the change in genre of your books?
I simply write about what I know. The first book, Mattress Buying 101, was about my experiences in mattress sales. The second book, Start Winning With Money, came about when I changed careers and began working full time in accounting and finance for a small business. I have real world experience in both areas, so I write about it for other people to enjoy. Both mattresses and money are practical things that people should know about. You have to sleep every night. You have to earn and spend money.
I also try to write about subjects from a real world perspective that people can relate to easily. I have been blessed beyond belief that people actually want to read what I write, and are willing to pay their hard-earned money to do so.
Mattress Buying 101 was my first attempt at publishing a book in 2016.
Start Winning with Money was released in 2017.
Good Debt Bad Debt was released in 2017.
What’s going on with the change in genre of your books?
I simply write about what I know. The first book, Mattress Buying 101, was about my experiences in mattress sales. The second book, Start Winning With Money, came about when I changed careers and began working full time in accounting and finance for a small business. I have real world experience in both areas, so I write about it for other people to enjoy. Both mattresses and money are practical things that people should know about. You have to sleep every night. You have to earn and spend money.
I also try to write about subjects from a real world perspective that people can relate to easily. I have been blessed beyond belief that people actually want to read what I write, and are willing to pay their hard-earned money to do so.
Are you going to write a sequel to “XXX” book?
Who knows? I sure don't.
The crazy truth about writing books is that the more you write, and the better known you become for your writing, the more ideas and opportunities are handed to you. I have met so many creative people that bring inspiration to what I am working on in. I have some amazing friends and family that help me as well.
As it pertains to sequels, I haven't gotten into the world of fiction yet. I believe sequels are something that happens when a story has more to tell. My books have all been non-fiction thus far and so the story is told and then there is nothing left to add after that.
Do you answer your own e-mail?
Yes, for now. I certainly have less time to respond lately.
Email me: mastersinvestmentgroupllc at gmail dot com
Who knows? I sure don't.
The crazy truth about writing books is that the more you write, and the better known you become for your writing, the more ideas and opportunities are handed to you. I have met so many creative people that bring inspiration to what I am working on in. I have some amazing friends and family that help me as well.
As it pertains to sequels, I haven't gotten into the world of fiction yet. I believe sequels are something that happens when a story has more to tell. My books have all been non-fiction thus far and so the story is told and then there is nothing left to add after that.
Do you answer your own e-mail?
Yes, for now. I certainly have less time to respond lately.
Email me: mastersinvestmentgroupllc at gmail dot com
Do you have a Facebook page, Twitter account, etc?
www.facebook.com/realdonniemasters
Twitter: @realdonniem
I don't get on anything else other than that.
There is just not enough time in the day to keep up with all the social media.
Can I order autographed books?
No. I tried to offer that at first through donniemasters.com, but I can't keep up with it now. It simply took too much time away from writing and other obligations.
Keep your eyes on book giveaways through Goodreads and Amazon though. I would like to do this someday.
Can I send a book to you and have it signed?
No, sorry.
Who is your favorite author? Are there other authors that have influenced what you do?
My favorite author of all time is Stephen King. I have never had the pleasure of meeting him, but I have read so many great books of his over the years. They are everything you want in a fiction book. The Talisman (Stephen King & Peter Straub) changed my life as a young man. I knew at that point I wanted to write a book someday.
I also love reading John Grisham, David Baldacci, Brad Meltzer, David McCullough and many others. All of these guys do an amazing job bringing the characters to life and making you feel different emotions as you read the book. There are some excellent reads from each of them.
What are you reading right this second?
Nothing really. I am busy writing at the moment.
Do you have any advice/wisdom for a budding writer?
Write a lot and frequently.
Don't try to write a novel to start. Just start writing some text and see where it goes.
There are a ton more ideas I started working on and the story went absolutely nowhere. I go back to some old works from time to time and see if there is anything there to work with. Sometimes when you are writing, a piece of something else you were working on will come together in another. Ideas continue to generate ideas.
Where do you get your ideas about what to write?
Everywhere. Usually my ideas start when someone asks me a question, or makes a comment about something. Then, the light bulb goes off inside my brain and away we go.
Do you have any say in what goes in your book/on your cover/on your back cover descriptions?
Yes. I am completely self-published in every aspect. That includes writing the back covers, picking the cover art designs, and formatting the book for digital distribution and print books. I then have to write all of the inside content, as well as edit the manuscript and rewrite sections as the book progresses along.
You work full time and write. Can you describe your typical day?
I work 9-5 Monday through Friday as an accountant for a local small business. I do not watch very much TV, so I spend most of my evenings writing or involved in social activities. Sometimes I sit and write for hours, sometimes it is just a few minutes. My writing schedule is fairly cosistent as I try to write a little almost every day.
How long does it take to write a book?
That's a tough question. I spent almost 15 months on Mattress Buying 101 because I had no idea what I was doing and stopped along the way several times. I talked openly about this at the end of the book.
Start Winning with Money came together in about 12 months total and contains a lot more content.
On a side note, a lot of well known authors use “research specialists” that bring together the raw data for them so they don't have to slow down the actual writing process. The writers focus on writing the story, the research team then puts the content into small, usable pieces they can reference as they go along. For example, if I were writing a book based on skydiving, I would have to devote a lot of time to researching planes and skydiving techniques in order to make it believable as I know nothing about that.
Do you do a lot of rewriting and changing?
All the time. I actually just went back through Mattress Buying 101 again and updated it for the 2nd edition on Kindle. I like to make my content easy to read, so I am constantly adding and deleting poor sentences and overall bad grammar. I literally read something the other day were one sentence made up the entire paragraph. Stuff like that drives me crazy as a reader!
Do you outline what you are writing about?
Always. For me I have to know where I am going to go with the book ahead of time. I outline what each chapter is about first. Then I make sure that the content in each chapter goes into enough detail on each subject by keeping lists of what needs covered within that chapter of text. Sometimes I have to re-write and edit large sections of the book in order to get my thoughts from brain to computer screen.
What do you do outside of working and writing?
A lot. I am a socially active person so I have friends and family that never see me enough. I love to go fishing when I can get it in. I also like to spend as much time with the family as possible since I essentially work 2 jobs most of the time. We go hiking, fishing, to amusement parks, and a lot of day trips. I never want for things to do, but for time to do them all. My latest craze is gardening.
When did you start writing seriously for publication?
After I left the mattress business in 2015. I was able to get my education completed while working for Sleepy's and so I ended up changing jobs and my schedule changed drastically as well. The new schedule allowed for a lot more time at home. I began writing with the intent to publish in March of 2016.
Are you married? Do you have children?
Yes, married to my wife Jennifer (she is awesome). We each have one son from our first marriages, so we have 2 boys.
What are you working on next/now?
A couple ideas that I am hoping to bring to published form.
www.facebook.com/realdonniemasters
Twitter: @realdonniem
I don't get on anything else other than that.
There is just not enough time in the day to keep up with all the social media.
Can I order autographed books?
No. I tried to offer that at first through donniemasters.com, but I can't keep up with it now. It simply took too much time away from writing and other obligations.
Keep your eyes on book giveaways through Goodreads and Amazon though. I would like to do this someday.
Can I send a book to you and have it signed?
No, sorry.
Who is your favorite author? Are there other authors that have influenced what you do?
My favorite author of all time is Stephen King. I have never had the pleasure of meeting him, but I have read so many great books of his over the years. They are everything you want in a fiction book. The Talisman (Stephen King & Peter Straub) changed my life as a young man. I knew at that point I wanted to write a book someday.
I also love reading John Grisham, David Baldacci, Brad Meltzer, David McCullough and many others. All of these guys do an amazing job bringing the characters to life and making you feel different emotions as you read the book. There are some excellent reads from each of them.
What are you reading right this second?
Nothing really. I am busy writing at the moment.
Do you have any advice/wisdom for a budding writer?
Write a lot and frequently.
Don't try to write a novel to start. Just start writing some text and see where it goes.
There are a ton more ideas I started working on and the story went absolutely nowhere. I go back to some old works from time to time and see if there is anything there to work with. Sometimes when you are writing, a piece of something else you were working on will come together in another. Ideas continue to generate ideas.
Where do you get your ideas about what to write?
Everywhere. Usually my ideas start when someone asks me a question, or makes a comment about something. Then, the light bulb goes off inside my brain and away we go.
Do you have any say in what goes in your book/on your cover/on your back cover descriptions?
Yes. I am completely self-published in every aspect. That includes writing the back covers, picking the cover art designs, and formatting the book for digital distribution and print books. I then have to write all of the inside content, as well as edit the manuscript and rewrite sections as the book progresses along.
You work full time and write. Can you describe your typical day?
I work 9-5 Monday through Friday as an accountant for a local small business. I do not watch very much TV, so I spend most of my evenings writing or involved in social activities. Sometimes I sit and write for hours, sometimes it is just a few minutes. My writing schedule is fairly cosistent as I try to write a little almost every day.
How long does it take to write a book?
That's a tough question. I spent almost 15 months on Mattress Buying 101 because I had no idea what I was doing and stopped along the way several times. I talked openly about this at the end of the book.
Start Winning with Money came together in about 12 months total and contains a lot more content.
On a side note, a lot of well known authors use “research specialists” that bring together the raw data for them so they don't have to slow down the actual writing process. The writers focus on writing the story, the research team then puts the content into small, usable pieces they can reference as they go along. For example, if I were writing a book based on skydiving, I would have to devote a lot of time to researching planes and skydiving techniques in order to make it believable as I know nothing about that.
Do you do a lot of rewriting and changing?
All the time. I actually just went back through Mattress Buying 101 again and updated it for the 2nd edition on Kindle. I like to make my content easy to read, so I am constantly adding and deleting poor sentences and overall bad grammar. I literally read something the other day were one sentence made up the entire paragraph. Stuff like that drives me crazy as a reader!
Do you outline what you are writing about?
Always. For me I have to know where I am going to go with the book ahead of time. I outline what each chapter is about first. Then I make sure that the content in each chapter goes into enough detail on each subject by keeping lists of what needs covered within that chapter of text. Sometimes I have to re-write and edit large sections of the book in order to get my thoughts from brain to computer screen.
What do you do outside of working and writing?
A lot. I am a socially active person so I have friends and family that never see me enough. I love to go fishing when I can get it in. I also like to spend as much time with the family as possible since I essentially work 2 jobs most of the time. We go hiking, fishing, to amusement parks, and a lot of day trips. I never want for things to do, but for time to do them all. My latest craze is gardening.
When did you start writing seriously for publication?
After I left the mattress business in 2015. I was able to get my education completed while working for Sleepy's and so I ended up changing jobs and my schedule changed drastically as well. The new schedule allowed for a lot more time at home. I began writing with the intent to publish in March of 2016.
Are you married? Do you have children?
Yes, married to my wife Jennifer (she is awesome). We each have one son from our first marriages, so we have 2 boys.
What are you working on next/now?
A couple ideas that I am hoping to bring to published form.
