Diane: Cate, thank you so much for having me here today. I grew up on a farm outside of Findlay, Ohio. I often acted out characters from my own stories in the backyard. Before I got started on my writing career, I taught school and directed school plays. I started writing nonfiction after our first daughter was born. Later I switched to fiction. It kept me sane after having six children. LOL I write contemporary romance, inspirational romance, chick-lit mystery and women's fiction. I've been married to the love of my life for thirty-four years. We live in southwestern Ohio. Cate: Tell us about latest release with link and where it's available.
Diane: Whitney in Charge is my latest release. It's a story about sisters and their family bond. The focus had to be on the youngest sister, Whitney, since I'm the little sis in my family. I could easily write how the older sisters like to mother the youngest sis. I also enjoyed writing about Whitney falling in love again.
Whitney in Charge is available at www.desertbreezepublishing and also is at Amazon in Kindle format.
Book Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRIqajANaV4
Cate: At what age did you discover writing and when were you first published? Tell us your call story.
Diane: I wrote little plays when I was young because my siblings were so much older, so I had some free time to be creative. Here’s my call story…I almost deleted “my call” before realizing what it was. I didn’t get a phone call but an email from an editor at Samhain Publishing. It was unbelievable because I didn’t see the email the day it arrived in my inbox. I don’t know how I missed it. It came on March 2nd, 2006, and a couple of days later I was busy deleting emails and almost hit the delete button when I glanced at it. Total shock hit me when I read, “I am pleased to offer you a contract for No Greater Loss. Attached is the contract.”
Cate: Are there any other writers, published or not, in your family?
Diane: No, I'm the only one.
Cate: Describe your writing in three words.
Diane: Emotional, romantic, fun.
Cate: Do you have a writing routine?
Diane: Not really. I wish I did. I probably do most of my writing in the morning hours, but not always.
Cate: How do you pick the character’s names?
Diane: I check to see what names were popular in the year the characters were born. There's an online search under social security for the most popular names in each decade. I also look at baby name books, and try different names out before I get the right feel for the character.
Cate: What’s the most challenging aspect of writing? Easiest?
Diane: I have a hard time with smooth transitions and getting the character from one spot to another. It's hard sometimes for me to shift easily from one image to the next so that the reader's train of thought will remain focused. I love writing dialogue so that is probably the easiest for me.
Cate: What’s the most rewarding aspect?
Diane: I'll give you two rewarding aspects. I like to do the research for a new book, and it's pretty neat when I get lost in my story as I write.
Cate: Do you feel as if the characters live with you as you write? Do they haunt your dreams?
Diane: My characters become so real to me that it is downright scary. LOL When I finished No Greater Loss, I was actually depressed for a few hours because I loved the main character, Jennifer, so much that I wished I could be her.
Cate: What’s the most interesting comment you have received about your books?
Diane: A reviewer said, "A FIERY SECRET is a wonderful small town journalistic investigative mystery starring two likable protagonists and a horde of eccentric Midwesterners." Her saying that I had a lot of eccentric people surprised me because I only thought of a couple of characters being odd.
Cate: Who are some of your favorite authors and books? What are you reading now?
Diane: I just finished Mary Jane Clark's book, Dying for Mercy. I have many favorite authors but some of them are: Mary Higgins Clark, Carol Higgins Clark, LaVyrle Spencer, Jude Deveraux, Sophie Kinsella, Judith McNaught, and Sandra Brown.
Cate: What impact do electronic readers create on the bottom line for authors? Or in people/the environment in general?
Diane: I think they are growing in popularity. I don't have a reader yet but would like to purchase one sometime soon. But many people still like to hold a print copy in their hands so both ebooks and print books will continue to have a place in the literary world. I just wish more people would purchase ebooks instead of waiting for them to be published in print. Many of my friends still won't buy ebooks.
Cate: What's next for you?
Diane: I've written several story ideas down for future books, but haven't definitely decided which one to pursue. One is romantic suspense and the other one is about a family going through an unimaginable accident.
Cate: Where can you be found on the web?
Diane: Please visit my website www.dianecraver.com and my blog www.dianecraver.com/blog. I have contests at both places a lot, excerpts, and other information.
Cate: Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?
Diane: I love to hear what readers think of my books, so please email me at DianeCraver@cinci.rr.com. I always love hearing from readers.
Cate: Readers, Diane is giving away a free download of Whitney in Charge and a $5 GC to Amazon to one lucky commenter, randomly drawn from the comments during the week. She'll pick a winner on August 15th book around 7 pm EST.
EXCERPT:
After they left the restaurant and were outside, Jack stopped Whitney by a water fountain. He gently gripped her elbow and turned her to face him, and her smile stole his breath. The lights in the fountain twinkled in her green eyes. She was a knockout in her sexy dress. The hemline stopped a few inches above her knees, showing off her long, tanned legs.“What?” she asked.
“I’ve wanted to kiss you all evening.” He saw her green eyes brightened with pleasure.
She gave him a wide smile. “I love the sound of running water, so this is a perfect spot for our first kiss.”
He crushed her to him and his mouth swooped down to capture hers. Currents of desire raced through him as Whitney gave herself freely to the fervor of his kiss. He could kiss Whitney’s full lips all night. When he raised his lips from hers, he gazed into her eyes and felt happiness in seeing warmth and intensity there.
In a breathless soft voice, she said, “How about another kiss for the road?”
While he did exactly what the lady wanted, Jack wondered how much it’d cost to get a fountain installed in his backyard.
