Post release Q&A PT 3
Dinah Harper
Q: Could you please let us know your other pen names? Would love to read any and everything you write!
Q: Like Jasmine, do you also write under a different name? If so, would you share the name or give us a clue?
Q: My question is (if you feel comfortable sharing them) what are the other aliases you publish under? Or any hints you can give us? I'm such a fan of your writing style, and between your Crime Lord series and Bitter Heat you can see how much it has evolved. I'm curious to read these other books, and to see how they've gotten you to where you are in this moment in your evolution as a writer.
A: I’ve definitely evolved. I’ve been reading Crime Lord’s Captive for the first time in years and can’t help thinking of all the things I could do to improve it. Sigh. Anyway, although this is my 7th novel under Mia Knight, it’s actually my 20th published across 3 names over a decade. (I make 10 years in May, in fact). The more you experiment, the more you learn and grow and find your style and voice. I’ve always kept my names separate because I don’t want readers comparing one work to the other because I write in totally different mindsets and facets of my personality. I also selfishly write for myself, which is why I don’t announce it. I just write it, put it out, and let the book do whatever’s it’s gonna do in the world. I know. I’m weird. Sometimes, I just need to get something off my chest, be deranged, or have fun and what comes out isn’t as polished as what I put out under other names. I’m just… playing, if you will.
I guess I can give up one name... It only has one book at the moment and (OF COURSE) it’s a damn unfinished series, so you’ve been forewarned. Apparently, IDK how to write standalones. I created this name to write darker, more disturbed, taboo-ish (?) shit that I wasn’t sure was romance. I have plans for a super dark menage story, psychopaths, serial killers, and other stuff that didn’t fit under the Mia Knight umbrella. I was in a bad headspace after I published Bitter Heat and I channeled my aggression into this story to let off some steam. The book has a severe non-con trigger… and probably many others, but it’s Corrupt Idol by Dinah Harper. I listed myself as a debut author because I was trying a different genre (in my mind) and also the things I want to do under the name are going to be first attempts so… yeah. Also, this year I wrote a disturbed sci-fi romance I want to finish eventually and… IDK. I just love pen names. I’ll probably end up with 10 if I’m not careful. I love just starting fresh so no one has any expectations. Makes me feel free as a bird.
Anyway, there you go.
Q: Hi, I read a series by this author that I really enjoyed, and when she planned to release a new book—her pen name is J.C. Grant—it was available for preorder and everything, but she vanished without a trace. Are you the author? I’m just curious because I’ve been waiting for the book for a long time.
A: LMAO. No. I told my patrons the Dinah thing over a year ago and someone kept thinking I was any author who was having a breakdown or disappearing or wanting to leave social media. I can't remember if I met JC Grant, but that's not me. I have Mia, Dinah, and another name where I wrote teenage fantasy and romance so sweet it would make your teeth ache. And that's all the pen names I have. For now.
Q: Now that you’ve seen how crazy people are over Corrupt Idol is there any chance you could add a paperback option?🙏🙏🙏🙏
Q: Will you publish a paperback for Corrupt Idol? please please please please please consider it 🙏🏼
A: This was on my list of things to do. I’m in transition at the moment, so this probably isn’t the best time for me to be ordering proofs and things like that, but I’ll update the website when it’s available and I’ll have Emily post about it as well.
Q: Finding out that Dinah Harper is one of your pseudonyms was surprising. I loved Corrupt Idol because it felt like the book Deeper into Non con and Dub Con than most do. Are you planning in the future to write more of that? I really feel like you have fans of these troupes a voice when no one else did.
A: Yes, I do intend to write more books in a similar vein to Corrupt Idol. I got a lot of backlash for Bitter Heat, which I didn’t even think was that edgy in comparison to something like 50 Shades, but I got banned from retailers and a lot of people called me sick and disgusting and the hate parade was unreal. I was like, “you think Bitter Heat is bad?!” and I channeled my frustration into Corrupt Idol. I have dozens of unfinished stories kind of similar to this that I wouldn’t really consider romance that I intend to put under that name. I’ve been in a bad headspace for years and only now the fog is clearing so I have a ton of work to do, but we’ll get to it all in due time.
Q: I loved Corrupt Idol and the non-con/dub-con themes in it - it’s rare an author tackles it in a way that explains the psychological impact so subtly yet clearly and sensitively. I personally love thinking about why we enjoy these tropes, and I was just wondering if you had thought about why we as readers/as a writer we enjoy engaging in that material?
A: I have no idea. I personally like to watch murder documentaries before I go to bed and am intrigued and repulsed by heinous crimes. I think it’s a similar thing with more taboo topics. I think we’re drawn to inner turmoil and like experiencing it through someone else rather than ourselves? Dipping a toe in a pool of madness before withdrawing back to our safe, every day life without going too deep? IDK.
Q: OMG! I just learnt from the Q&A that you authored Corrupt Idol under the pen name of Dinah Harper. Are you planning to conclude that story?
A: Yes, but not anytime soon. I have a lot of series to catch up on before I go back to Jesse and Violet. When I do start writing the sequel, I'll update that website or my Goodreads.
Q: Hi mia, I thought whitney beanca from mansions is your another pen name. Please tell me if I’m wrong.
A: Nope. Not me.