Author Blog

Author Blog

The mid-life journey of a product leader turned mythological fantasy and children's book author. D.M. De Alwis is a Canadian-born Sri Lankan author living north of Toronto. She has over a decade of experience as a product leader working with startups and has authored children's books and fantasy fiction.
31
May
Writing neurodivergent characters

Writing neurodivergent characters

Sinha is someone with a touch of ASD. What does this mean, and how do I convey it?
2 min read
24
May
My experience with #PitDark

My experience with #PitDark

Spoiler alert: You will need a Twitter account for this one.
5 min read
16
May
When feedback lights a fire to revisions

When feedback lights a fire to revisions

Help comes from the unexpected. Keep to the journey. Get better with every round.
4 min read
08
May
Clearer plot points, obstacles, and characters’ attempts to overcome

Clearer plot points, obstacles, and characters’ attempts to overcome

I want to praise 2 literary agents. Neither represents me. That’s ok. What I appreciate is that they gave me feedback.
4 min read
30
Apr
The author and her sister stand in front of an eight story or more stupa (before its restoration) in Sri Lanka.

Making Sense Of Ancient History

To write a historical retelling necessitates going down multiple rabbit holes. I research ‘just enough’ to create a setting for my novel, set in 600 BCE on the Indian Subcontinent.
5 min read
26
Apr
Did the lion or the cat come first?

Did the lion or the cat come first?

The cat I picked up a few years back has been inspirational for one of my characters. But…
4 min read
18
Apr
Where Do My Stories Come From?

Where Do My Stories Come From?

Memory, past lives, what we call our gut or a hunch — are they built into our DNA?
4 min read
14
Apr
Social media will kill your motivation

Social media will kill your motivation

BIPOC author rant. Querying is hard enough as it is without the demotivation. Is it me?
5 min read
07
Apr
Writing the premise

Writing the premise

I followed a helpful instructional video by Jed Herne. If you want to learn more about my novel, keep reading.
1 min read
29
Mar
A Kaleidoscope Coming into Focus

A Kaleidoscope Coming into Focus

Feedback is a great way of learning more about how my ADHD affects the people around me.
2 min read