Author Donna Hill Celebrates 25 Years in Publishing

Author Donna Hill had no idea when she published her first romance 25 years ago that she would still be a major part of the publishing industry.

“The very idea that I’ve been able to hang on for 25 years is the real best part,” Hill said. “I still can’t believe it has been that long. My children were babies, and now they are grown with children of their own.”

Hill, who is also a college professor, has more than 70 published titles and three TV movies. She recently released Murder In The Aisles, the first book in a new series, under the pen name Olivia Hill.

“I decided to use a pen name Olivia Hill for this series because I want these stories to be distinct from my romances and women’s fiction,” she said. “Olivia is my middle name.”

Murder In The Aisles features librarian sleuth Felicia Swift.

“Of course she is not your typical librarian. She’s hot, sexy and brilliant, and she has some personalities quirks that play a big role in her life,” Hill said. “She works for The Library of Congress in DC, and she comes to work early one morning to find one of her colleagues dead in the aisles. The detective assigned to the case, ultra-fine Mark Rizzo, doesn’t believe Felicia when she insists that the death was not an accident, and she sets out to prove it. Needless to say the two team up for a thrill ride in more ways than one.”

As a working mom, Hill is no stranger to being part of a team.

“As a mother of three it was a bit more difficult to manage work, writing and family, especially when they were young. However whenever I could I would take them with me to signings and sometimes when I traveled out of town. It was important for me to let them know what it was that I did and that they were a part of it. Now that they are grown, they are probably more of a distraction than they were when they were little. They’ve gotten so use to seeing me ‘just do it’ that they don’t think twice about stepping into my head space and having a seat,” she said with a laugh.

“I wish I had a magic answer for how to balance a career and writing. All I can say is that when you do what you enjoy, it doesn’t feel like work.”

To learn more about Donna Hill and her books, visit donnahill.com or facebook.com/donnahillfans.