Bonnie Dillabough: Her 6 Incredible Books Shape Her Journey

Bonnie Dillabough is the author of The Dimensional Alliance, a nine-book science fiction and fantasy series that began with The House on Infinity Loop. She published her first book two weeks before her 64th birthday after wanting to write since age 16. Bonnie brings 15 years of broadcast television experience and now mentors aspiring authors through the publishing process.

Bonnie passed away on April 25, 2025. Read the tribute.

Host: Richard Lowe | Guest: Bonnie Dillabough

Interview Transcript

Richard: We started this together about four years ago. We did 25 episodes, and I’m restarting it. You’re the first one. Tell me how you got into the writing field.

Bonnie: It’s full circle for me. I started wanting to write a book when I was 16 years old, and I didn’t publish the first book until two weeks before my 64th birthday. I got to a point where my life was changing drastically because I was going to be in a wheelchair.

In the meantime, I ran into this guy called the Writing King. I had been marketing online and making my living that way for many years, teaching marketing classes. Through that, I got hooked up with Richard, which was a good turning point. One of the things I started doing was helping him edit his Author Talks videos — I had 15 years of broadcast television experience.

The more I listened to all these different authors, the more I kept thinking, “I think I could maybe write a book.” Then Richard gave me the opportunity to interview Mercedes Lackey. I said, “She’s not going to talk to me, I’m a nobody.” And Richard said, “What can it hurt to ask? The worst she can say is no.”

So I asked, and she said yes. We did a 30-minute interview. She was delightful. She’s written over 140 books. We turned the recording off, and she talked to me for another 45 minutes. Finally, I very shyly said, “I’ve been thinking about writing a book.” She leaned up into the camera and said, “So put your butt in the chair and write.”

Then Richard steered me to NaNoWriMo — National Novel Writing Month. It’s a 50,000-word challenge in a month. I took that challenge. By the time I was done, I had 78,000 words. I thought, “I’ve got about half a book here. Maybe I should keep going.” I finished the book on January 1st, started the new year with a finished manuscript, and published it in April — two weeks before my 64th birthday. I just turned 69, so that gives you an idea of the time span.

No Author Is an Island

Bonnie: One of my favorite sayings is, “No author is an island, nor should they be.” You can’t write in a vacuum. There are so many ways to get help — a writing coach, a ghostwriter, beta readers, other authors.

What I like to do, strictly volunteer, is mentor aspiring authors. I don’t write copy or edit for them. I just help them get over the bumps in the publishing process. It would have saved me so much time, blood, sweat, tears, and money if I’d known more from the beginning.

Writing is fun. I write science fiction fantasy. I call it “pretending on paper.” I don’t have to grow up — I can just go out there and pretend all I want. Now that I’ve got six books under my belt, I have fans. People come up to me in the grocery store and say, “When’s your next book coming out?” That is so exciting. It’s going to be a nine-book series, and I’m over halfway through book seven.

Sci-Fi Fantasy and Universal Mythology

Bonnie: When I had to choose between science fiction and fantasy, I decided to interweave them both. There are robots and dragons in my books. I use science fiction to explain some of the fantasy.

Have you ever noticed that every culture on the planet has some kind of mythology or legends about dragons? They’re often described somewhat differently, but it’s the same creature. And elves, dwarves, fairies — those types of creatures are intermixed throughout cultures all over the world. Why is that? Part of the science fiction in my books explores the origins of some of the fantasies we have on Earth.

One of my characters often says that magic is only science we don’t understand yet.

Richard: Arthur C. Clarke.

Bonnie: Yes, he originated that in his three principles.

Publishing Advice

Bonnie: There are so many options for publishing now that we never had before. Self-publishing can work out well if you do it right. More and more libraries and bookstores are accepting independently published books. I already have a book signing booked with our local Barnes and Noble for my next book because they’re selling so many.

But even if you’re traditionally published, you need to understand the publishing industry. Traditional publishers aren’t going to give you a free ride on marketing and promotion. You’ve got to learn to do that yourself.

Be careful of critique groups. There’s a difference between a critique group and a critic group. A lot of critique groups spend more time tearing your stuff apart than telling you what’s working. Also, beta readers have opinions — you don’t have to accept everything they tell you.

The two hardest parts are starting and finishing. If you can get those two things done, the rest works out eventually. Don’t sit in your cozy attic waiting for the muse. And don’t compare yourself to JK Rowling or Stephen King. Just get your story out there. Writing is really good therapy, too — cheaper than a therapist.

Richard: Tell people about your series.

Bonnie: My series is called The Dimensional Alliance. The first book is The House on Infinity Loop. It’s Bonnie K.T. Dillabough.

Learn more about Bonnie Dillabough and The Dimensional Alliance series.

Find Richard Lowe at TheWritingKing.com.