Dianna will give away an e-book copy of her latest release, STOLEN VENGEANCE, Book 6 in the Slye Temp romantic suspense series, plus a set of signed Slye Temp Keeper Kase Cards to one winner. (Amazon or Barnes & Noble account required to receive ebook.) Open to int’l and US readers.
What genre(s) do you write in and why?
I write several genres – romantic suspense, urban fantasy and young adult sci-fi/fantasy, because I read EVERYTHING, especially in fiction, with the exception of horror. I would love to read Stephen King, because I know he’s a genius in his field, but my mind would never let me sleep again once I read his work. Here’s the rest of why I write what I do: First, I love romance in all genres, so there is always a romantic thread or actual romance in everything I write. I love exploring what makes people come together, especially when they seem to be the worst two to form a bond. I love the intricate puzzle of suspense that keeps a reader on edge, so I generally have suspense in everything I write. As for contemporary vs fantasy or paranormal or sci-fi… I just really enjoy the playground each of those genres allows me.
Tell us about your current series.
I just released STOLEN VENGEANCE, book 6 in the Slye Temp Agency series, which is built around a rogue black ops group faced with stopping an international trio of dangerous people who are determined to see the Orion Prophecy come to fruition. That series is a mix of fast-paced action and intense romance, with a splash of Dan Brown-style ancient-artifact intrigue, that results in big premise stories. I’m currently writing on WITCHLOCK, which is book 6 in my Belador urban fantasy series. Since it’s urban fantasy, this series has continuing characters and a romantic thread that runs through it. One thing different about this particular urban fantasy series, though, is that it was built around one woman and two men who are close friends, but like sister and brothers, not a love triangle. They each have their own life issues going, but the two men are Beladors and Evalle is half Belador and half “other,” which makes her an Alterant. This series is set in Atlanta, but travels to other realms at times and will include other geographic locations in future books as well. One of the most beloved characters in this series is Feenix, Evalle’s pet gargoyle who is two feet tall, has an overbite that causes him to lisp, and is learning to talk. This series is packed with fast action, high emotion and a lot of suspense (Are you sensing a common thread that runs through my writing? *grin*)
What inspired your latest book?
For STOLEN VENGEANCE, the inspiration came from thinking about how we sometimes have to make difficult decisions that scar us, and what happens when there’s a chance for redemption. Dingo had to walk away from Valene seven years ago to keep her safe, and without telling her why he left. But he comes back when that threat returns, and has to convince Valene to let him step back into her life so he can protect her. Few women would just go along with that as presented, and neither does Valene, who hates to admit that she still feels for him.
What is your favorite part of writing?
THE. END. LOL, no seriously. I once heard an author I admired say she loved having “written,” not writing. I thought that was so strange until I spent the past fourteen years writing. Now I realize that I wage war on every book, demanding the best that it can be, and that’s so draining. I want to write each book. I’m driven to write each book. The truth is that I can’t start a book unless something about it excites me. But the minute it’s truly done and heading to be published, there is such a sense of relief and joy it’s hard to describe. Other than that, I love coming up with surprises in my stories. That’s when I sit in my writing room thinking, They have no idea what is coming in this one. I get a big chuckle, but then I also get anxious to share the story with readers.
What is your next project and when will it be released?
WITCHLOCK will be released June 30, 2015 in e-book and print. This book grew out of an idea that I’ve had for a long time about an ancient power that was thought destroyed, but has returned. I like the idea of taking things that are just accepted in our world – the status quo – and throwing a monkey wrench into it then standing back to see what happens and who survives. J Of course, Evalle, Storm, Feenix and the rest of the crew will be back in WITCHLOCK, as well as some characters that readers have only seen glimpses of in the past.
How has your experience with self-publishing been?
Going Indie on new projects has been something that fits me perfectly, because I’ve been in business for myself since I was seventeen. I’ve always built marketing plans for my New York published books and I’m a very Type A person, so the idea of developing a team and expanding my business base was not overwhelming. If anything, having this control invigorates me. I hold myself to a high standard for delivering the best book I can to my readers. I have a saying that responsibility starts at the top of a business, regardless of whether the company is small and local or huge and international. I can say without question that the people on my team are the very best at what they do and strive to do everything they can to help me publish books that readers, more often than not, think were published in New York. That’s quite flattering, but as I said, it’s also a responsibility that must be met each time I start to write. For me, that’s what it takes to be a professional author. My books go through a battery of editing and beta reads. I believe there is a place for Indie and traditional publishing – that it isn’t an either-or proposition. Tomorrow is always a new and exciting day in this industry!
What advice do you have for other authors wanting to self-publish?
Read what I said above, then – decide if you really want to be “in business.” There’s a lot to it, which often requires the successful authors to work seven days a week. Publishing your own books means writing the book, having content editing you trust, revising, beta readers, probably revising some more, copy and proof editing, the handling the loading for e-books and print, making decisions that are best for you when it comes to buying ISBNs or not, promotions, interacting on social media, participating in live events… on and on. You have to spend time vetting out the resources, but I do have a tip for a new place where you can find those resources in one spot – AllWriterResources.com – that saves time, your most valuable commodity. Basically, you’ll get out of self-publishing what you put into it, but that doesn’t mean if you work 7 days a week that you’re guaranteed to be successful. And figure out what “success” means to you, because it’s different for everyone. Decide what your goal is up front and post that somewhere you can see it for the days that it seems like things have jumped track. Don’t chase someone else’s idea of success or you’ll probably be disappointed. The last thing I’ll tell you is that with the exception of those rare “lightning in a bottle” books that explode out of the gate, it has always taken time to build a following. At one time, New York expected it to take four to seven books, released one book a year, for an author to get established. In the past decade that shifted to the idea that every book should launch a career, but that was never the norm and still isn’t. It takes time for readers to discover an author and for a fan base to become established. Give yourself and your books a chance to build an audience.
How likely are people you meet to end up in your next book?
Never. I do not include any real person in my books. The characters I create are a mix of things I’ve experienced, people I’ve met who struck a note in me, and characters that come to me from somewhere unknown. The closest I’ve come to putting a real person in a book was naming a secondary character June Tinker. In Stolen Vengeance, I made June the bombshell sixty-year-old wife of billionaire Jon Tinker. The real June Tinker will turn ninety this year, God willing, and she’s read my books since the very beginning. I dedicated the book to her and wanted to immortalize her as the hot number she was in her prime. She loved it. Her kids loved it. She’s the only character in my books who is not a hundred percent fictional.
What is most difficult for you to write? Characters, conflict or emotions? Why?
You picked the three things I LOVE MOST to write. I LOVE conflict! That’s the heart of every story. Without conflict we would be bored. I HATE to be bored. I love writing emotion, because without that I can’t sit down to write. I need that right from the start, or I can’t get invested in each story. Characters are only difficult when I have to keep digging to find out what makes them tick, but even then it’s fascinating because inevitably I discover something that surprises me. As long as I’m entertained, I’m in my element.
Give us an elevator pitch for your book.
STOLEN VENGEANCE – He’s the last man she’ll trust and the only one who can save her.
What genres are you drawn to as a reader?
My favorite books to read are in exactly the same genres that I write today except for historical (which I love, but have no desire to write) . I love to read suspense, romance, sci-fi, fantasy, paranormal.
Do you prefer to read in the same genres you write in or do you avoid reading that genre? Why?
I don’t read in the genre I’m writing at that time. Right now I’m reading contemporary romance and a historical novel while I’m writing urban fantasy. That prevents any accidental cross over, but allows my brain a chance to relax a little.
Will you share some encouraging words for authors still struggling for that first contract?
First–Always strive to improve. Take workshops. Even if you can’t go to conferences or travel to workshops, you can still learn and grow by taking online classes. I’m teaching some classes at a great new online workshop venue—AllWriterWorkshops.com–along with a bunch of other instructors and experts in fields of value to writers. Never stop searching for ways like this to get better at storytelling and to improve your stories.
Second—there are a few basic things that will really help you if you can remember to apply them.
Always compete only with yourself, not other writers. Challenge yourself to step up your game on every book.
Always ignore sound bites such as, “I just dashed this book off in twelve hours and eight publishers went into a bidding war.” There’s always more to the story and what someone else says about how they wrote or sold doesn’t matter, because your goal never changes—it’s to write the best book you can and build an audience for it.
Always have a support person or group, someone with whom you can rant or share joy or just take a break with from writing. Surround yourself with positive, like-minded people.
Always write with your readers in mind. Don’t use your book as a platform. If you make a promise to entertain readers, then stick to your promise.
Always protect the work. Be honest enough with yourself to know when you should accept advice on the story or the characters, but also know when it’s time to pull your story away from destructive influences.
Always write, no matter what. I know you hear that a lot, but it’s true that you learn something new on every book you write, and constant writing will build those mental muscles.
What does all of that have to do with struggling to gain that first contract? If you do get the contract, you’ll know how to produce another wonderful book and you’ll be better prepared for working with an editor. If don’t get a contract, the worst that has happened is you end up with a great book to publish another way.
What’s next for you?
I’m heading to Illinois June 8th for the Keeper Books Tour that will be in the Chicago area for a week. I’ll be there with five other bestselling authors (www.KeeperBooksTour.com) and then I’m on to the Romance Writers of America national conference in New York this July. I’m looking forward to riding my BMW motorcycle out west for a week before arriving at the RomCon reader convention in Denver, CO this September. Other than that, you’ll find me in my writing cave!
EXCERPT from STOLEN VENGEANCE
by NYT bestseller Dianna Love
How could Dingo tell Valene that he’d taken a bullet and suffered much worse so that Garcia would leave her alone? Then he’d have to tell her why he’d done all that. She’d be devastated with guilt because she’d feel responsible.
Hadn’t he hurt her enough? “My people are hunting a dangerous group who might remember you from back when we were together.”
“I’ll ask the police to make some rounds here.”
“If they come for you, the police won’t stop them. I’m just asking how long you’ve known this guy who’s offered you a contract.”
“Long enough.”
Dingo changed his tactics. “These people can infiltrate a lot of places. You don’t want to find out you’ve been dealing with a criminal, do you?”
She dropped her arms and curled her fists. “Charlie is not a criminal. I investigated him myself and checked his references. Don’t you dare come here threatening him.” She closed the distance between them, getting right up in his face. “Unless you have hard evidence to show me, do not screw up my relationship with this client or I will not be responsible for my actions. Do you get that?”
He got it. And he could ignore a lot of things, but seeing her all fierce and ready to do battle only turned him on. He’d spent many a night seven years ago tweaking her temper just for the passion that followed.
His body came alive with her this close.
All systems go and target locked.
If he touched her right now, though, she’d try to break his arm or he might hurt her accidentally by defending his favorite parts.
Dingo had backed into a corner. Not a smart place to be if Valene decided to make him pay for showing up here and breaking into her place.
Did that matter to his dick giving her a standing ovation? Not one bit.
Val poked him hard in the chest. “This has to stop. You’re making me crazy, Dingo.”
Welcome to my world.
She pushed again and his body begged her to use all those wild fingers on him.
When she jabbed a third time, Dingo grabbed her wrist.
He could feel her pulse racing.
His was doing its own version of heading for the checkered flag on a NASCAR straightaway.
Out of pure insanity, he started rubbing his thumb softly across her skin. He could smell her. Loved her scent.
She vibrated with a mix of anxiety and anger, and her shallow breaths interrupted the silence piling up between them.
Dingo tried to remember why he was here, but the call of her body kept sidetracking him.
He swallowed and dug around for some way to reach past her anger. Words weren’t his forte. When he spoke it was in the same low voice he’d once used to wake her before daylight on mornings when he showed up unexpectedly.
“I don’t want to fight with you.” He wanted to kiss more than he wanted anything else at this moment, but he hadn’t come here for that. Not as his primary objective, anyway. “You can hate me all you want, but please don’t lock me out right now when I can’t sleep for fear that I won’t be here when you need me.”
She’d either hear him out or kick him out.
