Interview with Monica Daddio, Author of "Humanizing the Jaguar"

Literal Exposure

ABOUT MONICA DADDIO

Monica Daddio was born and raised in Trenton, NJ. She attended St. Stephens and Holy Cross grammar schools, Junior 4, and

Trenton High. From there went to wrok for Mercer County Elections Office. Most recently she has retired and relocated to the Bristol VA/TN area. Her passion and love has always been music and she will jokingly tell you that she is a professional listener. With a vast collection of over 500 artists, she has a

wide range of musical taste and that's how her story came to be. This is her tribute to the musicians and music she loves so much.

  • 1. What inspired you to write your first book? My love for music and my interest in musicians is what drove me to put my thoughts on paper and before long I realized I had a story. My real surprise was the fun of developing a game I wrote into the story.

  • 2. What books have influenced your life the most? Actually, I have been more influenced by music than books. But my favorite authors are John Saul and J.K. Rowling.

  • 3. What are your current projects? I am promoting my book "Humanizing the Jaguar" with Pump Up Your Book tour.

  • 4. If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book? I might have included more music artists in my dedication. Initially I was interested in honoring the more established artists, however I also admire many of the newer bands and somewhat regret not including them as well.

  • 5. What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? The greatest criticism I have been faced with has not really been about my book but about how it is published. Some people have dismissed it because it is self-published though Amazon thinking that only books published traditionally have value.

  • 6. What has been the best compliment? Several readers have told me my story was interesting and fun. But I was most pleased with one reader (a man at that) who said he didn't read many novels but he really liked my book.

  • 7. Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers? Just keep writing.

  • 8. What is your favorite quality about yourself? When I set out to do something, I do it.

  • 9. What is your least favorite quality about yourself? I think my least favorite quality right now is not scheduling enough time to just sit and write. I would like to develop a more structured "work" attitude about my writing so I can get more done.

  • 10. Is there anything else you would like to share? I love creating stories and hope to have more books to share in the future.