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Donna Barker

Goodreads Author

Born

in Cowansville, QC, Canada

Website

https://www.donnabarker.com/

Twitter

donnabarker

Genre

Nonfiction, Memoir, Contemporary

Influences

A.J. Jacobs
Mary Roach
Louise Penny
Eileen Cook

...more

Member Since

February 2012

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/donnabarker

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Donna Barker is a career non-fiction ghostwriter and curriculum creator whose work has won national awards (which other people get to show on their shelves). She has also written award-winning fiction under the penname Danika Bloom.

Donna is the co-founder of The Creative Academy for Writers with her author pals Eileen Cook and Crystal (CJ) Hunt. With Eileen and Crystal, she is the editor of books in the *Creative Academy Guides For Writers* series.

When she's not wearing her Danika Bloom persona, Donna leads a weekly mastermind group for writers, edits creative non-fiction, and does her best to only put on 'leaving the house clothes' once a week.

Join her free writer's community for support on your own writing adventure at http://creativeaca ...more

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Ask the Author

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Popular Answered Questions

Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Donna Barker My brother and I were brainstorming blended genre books and titles you would never — and should never — find in a bookstore. Things like:

Astrology + B…moreMy brother and I were brainstorming blended genre books and titles you would never — and should never — find in a bookstore. Things like:

Astrology + Business = Float with the Angels without Being Eaten Alive
Humour + History = Not That Kind of Nazi
Business + Science fiction = The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Extraterrestrials
Hobby + Psychology = Deco Designs for the Serial Killer Mind
Travel Guide + Murder mystery = Best Places to Murder on the Orient Express

And finally,

Religious + Self-help = Mother Teresa’s Advice for Jilted Lovers

It seemed like a crazy cross-genre blend, but when I thought about it, I realized that I’d actually read a religious self-help book — The Secret.

I wondered what MY life would be like if I had the power to control the Universe (as The Secret asserts we can) and believed, like Mother Teresa did, that suffering was a gift from God. The answer was obvious: I’d become a psychic serial killer.

This novel is a cautionary tale to myself to not try to develop my universe-controlling abilities!(less)

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Is there a character in the book that's a favourite for you?

Donna Barker I do have a favourite character, Tara, the protagonist.

I find it interesting that readers have strong reactions to Tara -- some have said that at mome…moreI do have a favourite character, Tara, the protagonist.

I find it interesting that readers have strong reactions to Tara -- some have said that at moments in the story they want give her a swift kick in the back-side to smarten her up, and others have said they want to hug her.

There are several scenes where, while I was writing, I wanted to both kick and hug her at the same time -- which is sometimes how I feel about the people in my life who I love the most deeply! She feels like family to me.

Thanks for asking!(less)

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See all 6 answers from Donna Barker…

Combine Editions
Donna Barker’s books

Average rating: 4.14 · 411 ratings · 100 reviews · 7 distinct works • Similar authors

	Build Better Characters: The psychology of backstory & how to use it in your writing to hook readers (Creative Academy Guides for Writers Book 2) by Eileen Cook (Goodreads Author), Donna Barker (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Crystal Hunt (Goodreads Author) (Editor) 4.17 avg rating — 163 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Scrappy Rough Draft: Use science to strategically motivate yourself & finish writing your book (Creative Academy Guides for Writers 1) 4.31 avg rating — 141 ratings — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mother Teresa's Advice for Jilted Lovers 3.83 avg rating — 127 ratings — published 2016 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Strategic Series Author: Plan, write and publish a series to maximize readership & income by Crystal Hunt (Goodreads Author), Eileen Cook (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Donna Barker (Goodreads Author) (Editor) 4.37 avg rating — 86 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Create With Co-Authors: How to use effective collaboration to level up your writing career by Donna Barker (Goodreads Author), Crystal Hunt (Goodreads Author), Eileen Cook (Goodreads Author) 4.38 avg rating — 8 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Romance Lover's Journal by Donna Barker (Goodreads Author), Danika Bloom (Goodreads Author) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 4 ratings — published 2021 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Romance Lovers Coloring Book & Reader Challenge by Donna Barker (Goodreads Author), Danika Bloom (Goodreads Author) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Donna Barker…

56 posts
Donna Barker's Blog

16 Good habits for writers to model

Sent by Angie Noll As writers, we can model other writers who are good at any aspect of the writing life that we’re struggling with, be it writing or publishing strategy, coping with stress and anxiety, overcoming limiting beliefs …. Whatever it is you need, there’s a writer out there to learn from.

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Published on December 21, 2016 14:12

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Donna is Currently Reading

Donna Barker is currently reading

The Hero: The Enduring Myth That Makes Us Human

by Lee Child (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Nov 28, 2019 06:53AM

Donna Barker is currently reading

Sparrow

by L.J. Shen (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Jun 06, 2019 11:09PM

Donna Barker is currently reading

Lost & Found

by Brooke Davis (Goodreads Author)

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Apr 01, 2016 02:03PM

Quotes by Donna Barker (?)

“I don't care what it is you're doing; if you're not laughing, you're not doing it right.”
― Donna Barker

tags: attitude-toward-life, humor, inspiration, life

6 likes

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Making Connections: 4083. MOTHER TERESA’S ADVICE FOR JILTED LOVERS by Donna Barker	9	15	Nov 13, 2015 08:39AM
The Challenge Fac...: Sara F's Challenges	4	9	May 27, 2016 02:44PM
The Challenge Fac...: Alphabet Yearly Challenge 2016	52	246	Jan 08, 2017 11:32AM

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Donna’s Quotes

“The only difference between reality and fiction is that fiction needs to be credible.”
― Mark Twain

141 likes

“Use your imagination. Trust me, your lives are not interesting. Don't write them down.”
― W.B. Kinsella

tags: a-ha-moments

2 likes

“All good books are alike in that they are truer than if they had really happened and after you are finished reading one you will feel that all that happened to you and afterwards it all belongs to you: the good and the bad, the ecstasy, the remorse and sorrow, the people and the places and how the weather was. If you can get so that you can give that to people, then you are a writer.”
― Ernest Hemingway

tags: authors, good-books, truth, writers

2756 likes

“FOLLOW YOUR HEART
for your heart will always know the answer. but if it tells you to strangle kittens or something then DON'T follow it anymore.I mean it's just a heart, right? It's not the Dalai lama.”
― Edward Monkton

12 likes

“I don't care what it is you're doing; if you're not laughing, you're not doing it right.”
― Donna Barker