*In which I ask an author a bunch of ridiculous questions and a few serious ones. 

Hey, ho, let’s go! Let’s jump right into our musical Lunchtime Poll. You and I have always bonded over our shared love of music, and even occasionally overlapped in our song choices. My first question is: if aliens invaded the earth, what song would you play to welcome them? 
My gut went right to R.E.M.’s “It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine),” but I think that’s only because of the film Mars Attacks! That movie always pops in my head when I think about aliens invading the planet.

Leonard Bernstein! I heartily approve. If your life was a movie, what song would you pick as your theme music? 
This is the hardest question in the entire list of questions! But every time I read it one song pops in my head. “Scott Pilgrim” by Plumtree. I'm not sure why that is the song I always think of, but if I had an educational guess, it's because a) Scott Pilgrim very much feels like a reflection of my own young adult life, and b) I have always been an outsider unable to function in social situations correctly. But I like me. I like my quirks and my oddness. I like that I'm comfortable being with 2 people who get me and not surrounded by people I can't relate to. If that makes me weird and unapproachable then okay. Cool. Thanks for stopping by.

That’s a great answer, and a great song. For the record, I like your quirks and oddities too. Speaking of oddities, what would your 80’s band name be? 
Fred’s Got Slacks. This was my band in the Rock Band game and all my characters looked very 80s. I accredit the title to a SNL skit with Will Ferrell when someone summoned the devil to sell his soul for a hit song. “Fred’s Got Slacks” was one of the songs he sang and it has always stuck with me.

Officially putting in my order for my Fred’s Got Slacks Tour Tshirt. What’s the first album/cassette/CD you owned?
I had a ton of music cassettes as a kid; Shirley Temple hits, Christmas songs, Disney sing-along songs (damn, I miss those), and Raffi (to name a few). If we are talking about my first mainstream music cassette, it was The Cranberries, No Need to Argue (took it from my mom). My first CD that I bought with my own money was The Spice Girls, Spice World album.

So it’s fair to say you’ve had eclectic musical tastes since the start! You mention on your website profile that your first writing project was a cartoon about a bedbug and his pet pill bug. What do you think Bedder and Roller are up to in 2023? 
I would hope Bedder has a decent job, making a decent living. Maybe a partner and a slew of little Bedbug kiddos. A nice pad on some mattress with plenty of space and food crumbs to munch on. Roller would be living the good life. Bedder took amazing care of that little bug.

If you ever want to add “children’s book author” to your resume, I think Bedder and Roller would be a lovely series. Who would you invite to a dinner party of your favorite fictional characters?
Willy Wonka, for a most colorful conversation. Merry & Pippin, for a deliciously good time. Molly Grue for some practical girl talk. And Howl’s Moving Castle would be the spot to host it all, with Howl and Sophie present of course 🙂
That would be an amazing dinner party. Or would it be a Second Dinner party? Just steer clear of the Everlasting Gobstoppers…

Okay, now onto far more serious questions: 
You write under two names in different genres. How do your author ‘personalities’ differ?
My personalities are split between. I decided on 2 pen names because I don’t write fantasy the same as my contemporary stuff. Keeping it under one umbrella would be so confusing for readers. My contemporary is a more practical, loosely vulgar, fun, everyday style of storytelling. But my fantasy work is more poetic, using Georgian style phrasing (as my editor put it). It’s my Edgar Allen Poe next to my Chuck Palahniuk. That is the best way I can describe them side by side. Not that I can’t go lighter or darker on either side, but it’s the way I write that makes each very black and white.

I loved hearing in your Scribbled Notes interview that you don’t believe in the concept of “balance.” (Makes me feel much better about my complete lack of work/life balance.) What is your advice for writers trying to “do it all?”
My advice is to pace yourself and be totally reliant on your gut. If you are trying to get things done just to get it done, don't. I flutter where my inspiration takes me. I write YA sweet romances when the mood strikes, but if I'm not feeling it and in the mood for something darker, I stop and work on something more fitting, like depressing fantasy. “Balance” is not about time management, it's about being in tune with yourself. Listening to your innermost creative and knowing when to stop or move on to something new.

Your followers know that music is very important to you. What comes first – the book idea or the playlist? Has music ever changed your story?
The idea always comes first. Music helps nurture the story. Sometimes it writes the story, especially since I never plan a novel out 100%. I hear a song and the scenes just unfold. Music has helped me get out of quite a number of sticky spots where I could not figure out the progression of the story. I do both side by side, construct the playlist and the story together. But there is always one song I find to be the wielder of the words sort of speak, the captain of the novel ship, before the writing begins.

Which of your books was easiest to write? Which was the hardest? Why?
I don't think any book was easier than the next. I can say my fantasy stuff, by far, took forever to nail down because I was creating so much and really had no clue how until I got more experience under my belt. I'm still very much learning about world building but it's worth the wait. The stories I finish fastest are my novellas. I can bang one of those out in a month or so. I'm working on one now that I've only been writing for 3 weeks and I only have 1.5 chapters to go.

What are your favorite writing resources?
The internet. I know that isn't specific but hell, I learned the most from there. Reedsy in particular is my favorite, most trusted resource when it comes to learning about authorship. I can't say enough about everything I've learned from that website. They have free classes and tools that have been invaluable to my growth as an author. I also use Prowritingaid when editing my books and it's become more robust in recent years. Well worth the 40$/year membership.

You regularly host writing challenges, such as the #WIPSoundtrackChallenge and #MerryWIPmas. Why did you start hosting these challenges, and how have they helped you grow as a writer?
I started them on a whim and they were so popular I kept doing it. I think, more realistically, they've helped others more than myself. Wipsoundrack is all about finding inspiration to write and MerryWIPmas is just a fun way to put your characters into new situations. I usually have a pretty solid grasp on my characters I focus on for these challenges, but I do enjoy seeing other authors benefit from them more than myself.

What are you currently working on? 
A lot. I have a Kickststarter planned to launch in 2024 for my fantasy series. It's taken over my life and become a creative balloon that I am very much enjoying so far. On my contemporary side, I have a novella in the works that I will publish next year as well. Both are darker than my other published works, my fantasy especially. 

Thank you so much for letting me interview you; we’ve been Instagram friends for three years, and I feel like I know you even better now! Where can readers find you? 
Instagram is my main hang out spot for both pen names. I also have a website for my contemporary author personae and a YouTube channel for my tunes. I don’t have anything other than Instagram for my fantasy stuff but that will probably change in the new year.
Website: www.dallysonhowlett.com
Youtube: @d.allymusic
Instagram: @d.allysonhowlett
Instagram: @oahowdyn

Also note: D.Allyson’s next writing challenge starts December 14. You can follow along (or better yet, join in) at: #merrywipmas2023