Every story has a heartbeat, and for Danielle Morris, that pulse is shaped by personal experiences, past trauma, and the raw emotions that come with them.
In this 60-second interview, thriller author, Danielle Morris opens up about how she channels real-life struggles into her storytelling, writing novels that are as powerful as they are compelling.
We dive into Danielle's latest book, In All My Dreams, the inspiration behind it, and the process of turning personal history into gripping fiction.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I was born and raised in Southern California, but being a military brat and now a military wife means that I've lived all over the place. I've lived in California, Colorado, Italy, Arkansas, Germany, and now reside in Texas before we move again.
I've always been a huge lover of books, and when I was younger my parents and grandparents nurtured that passion.
I've wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. My first "book" was actually a fourth grade assignment where we had to write an on-going series and mine was called Danielle and The Pickle Factory. I wish I knew where all those short stories went, lol.Â
"There's something terrifying about knowing how dark a person can go to bring a wicked story to life." Danielle Morris
What draws you to write thrillers?
Thrillers are both my favourite to write, and favourite to read. There is something terrifying about knowing how dark a person can go to bring a wicked story to life.
From a young age I was always obsessed with the dark and twisty things in life. My favourite movie growing up was It. Because of that, my heart lies with thrillers, but I'm a hopeless romantic at heart, so I decided to combine the genres and love to throw a dash of spice into my traumatic thriller stories.Â
"Writing allows me to disconnect from my own personal loss..." Danielle Morris
Are there any themes or messages that you aim to explore in your books?
If you've read my books, you'll notice a consistent theme of loss and grief. Having struggled to understand those things myself, I wanted to explore it in a neutral setting in my stories.
Writing allows me to disconnect from my own personal loss, and really get into the head of why humans as a whole tend to have a hard time letting go of these feelings.
While my stories may not always have a happy outcome, I'd like to think that someone out there will read them and really find themselves immersed in the pages as they struggle with their own darkest parts of life.
"I may have had to ask Google if someone would die immediately if struck by an axe, lol." Danielle Morris
What was the most challenging scene to write in any one of your novels?
In my debut novel, Birds of a Feather, there is a scene towards the end where you get to "see" when Florence and her unborn son were stabbed by her husband and left for dead in the forest (don't worry that's not a spoiler because you find out what happened to her in the prologue!) I bawled my eyes out writing that scene and had to wait until I was finished writing the rest of the book before I could sit down and write that scene in its entirety.
"I love to find ONE song that fully grasps the mood of the story and I will listen to it on repeat until the book is finally written." Danielle Morris
What research method do you use to write your novels?
Mostly life experience. In my novel, In All My Dreams, the main character suffers from horrible sleep paralysis and sees this ghost standing at the end of her bed staring at her. I too have experienced this in a couple of not-so-fun sleep paralysis spells.
But I may have had to ask Google if someone would die immediately if struck by an axe, lol.Â
What is the strangest or hardest thing you've done to write a book?
I don't know if I'd call it strange, but I love to find ONE song that fully grasps the mood of the story and I will listen to it on repeat until the book is finally written.Â

Let's talk about your latest book. What inspired the storyline, and what can readers expect from it?
In All My Dreams is a book about deep betrayals and misunderstandings. I'm not sure what inspired it, I just knew that I wanted to tell the tale of the lengths parents will go to keep their children safe, while also exploring the paranormal side of the thriller genre.Â
Are there any upcoming projects or collaborations that you’re particularly excited about?
Yes! My first collab project that I'm a part of. It's a short story anthology called Heartstrings & Haunts at Hardscrabble which releases in June 2025. The book is a multi-genre anthology featuring 8 indie authors!
For my personal backlist, I am currently working on a Christmas slasher that I'm hoping to release later this year!
Tell us about your work in progress in 5 words.
Christmas party gone very wrong, lol.Â
"Let yourself feel whatever you need to feel to get through it, because those emotions will write some pretty amazing and traumatic books one day that your future readers will love." Danielle Morris
What trends do you see emerging in the thriller genre (your genre), and how do you adapt your writing to stay current?
I've started seeing more and more 'pretty' thriller covers over the last few years, and I can say I've definitely adapted that to fit my author brand. Romance + Thriller = it needs a pretty cover lol
If you could tell your past self anything, what would it be?
Let yourself feel whatever you need to feel to get through it, because those emotions will write some pretty amazing and traumatic books one day that your future readers will love.Â
About Danielle:

Danielle Morris has been an avid reader her whole life and always dreamed of one day writing her own novels.
She loves reading and writing about complex and flawed, but highly relatable characters that make you laugh, cry, and feel all the things.
If she's not reading or writing she's likely spending quality time with her husband and two kids. She loves starting her day with a good cup of coffee, traveling, and being creative in other areas.
Find Danielle here:
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Thank you, Danielle, for taking part and sharing your journey! 😀