An Interview with Dianna Love
The Reading Cafe is happy to welcome Dianna Love as our guest today.
Dianna has a new release upcoming on September 18th, and we were thrilled to be able to offer an early review of The Curse, which we reviewed yesterday.
Let’s begin our interview with Dianna
TRC: Hi Dianna. Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions today. We are always looking forward to reading about the author behind the book.
Dianna: Thanks for asking me, Barb. I’m thrilled to be at The Reading Café today.
TRC: Would you please tell us about yourself?
Dianna: I live in the Atlanta, GA area with my husband. He’s a long distance motorcycle rider and motorcycle safety instructor. I’ve been a two-wheel enthusiast for many years myself and currently ride a BMW F 650 GS when I can get out of the writing cave for a break. My other passion is saltwater fishing. I grew up in Tampa, FL where I fished most nights after school with my dad to feed our household of seven. I prefer to stay busy even on my time off. My husband says I’m like a shark in that I need to always be in motion – except when I write or read.
TRC: On your website, you say you never envisioned yourself as a writer. What changed to start your journey into writing?
Dianna: I guess what really put me on this path was the challenge of writing a book. It’s daunting, especially for someone who had no creative writing training. At the time, I felt very blessed to enjoy a good level of success as an artist, but after all the work and projects I’d done in that field I no longer felt a sense of challenge, and I thrive on tackling something difficult that I’m passionate about. Art will always hold a special place in my heart, but writing is here to stay as well.
TRC: We also read that prior to deciding to give writing a shot, you were an artist. Can you tell us a little bit about what you did, and why did you stop?
Dianna: I didn’t start out life as a writer, but as an artist and spent most of my life from age seventeen climbing over a hundred feet in the air to paint large murals. My specialty was photo-realistic portraits, but then I expanded the business to create giant three-dimensional outdoor products for a select group of Fortune-500 companies. Because I was working so high in the air, I spent a lot of time alone and made up stories in my head as entertainment during the day. When the business grew and I started spending more time on the ground, I sat down to write one of those stories and got bitten by the writing bug. I won’t commit to anything I’m not passionate about, but I fell in love with creating stories. That started in 2001, and I sold that first book, which won a RITA®.
TRC: Many writers bounce ideas and information with either a family member, a Friend, or another writer. Who inspires you? Do you have a muse?
Dianna: No one person inspires me, but everything around me triggers my imagination. I rarely go for a meal or meet someone that an idea doesn’t pop up for a character or a story. I have a file drawer I throw notes in that are written on everything from napkins (cloth and paper) to paper sacks. If something hits me, I write it down, no matter how obscure the idea seems. Later on, I’ll read one of those notes and it’s like finding a gold nugget in a mud hole. With a little attention, that nugget might blossom into something special.
TRC: Was Worth Every Risk your first published book? You won the RITA award for that book.
Dianna: Yes, that was the first book I wrote and the first one I sold. I was very flattered to win a Rita® with my first book. It was originally a single-title-length story, but Harlequin asked for it, so I cut it down to category length for them. Now, I’m revising it into the original full single-title novel again, and that will come out in February as LAST CHANCE TO RUN.
TRC: You met Sherrilyn Kenyon at a writers conference. How did the two of you decide to write a book together?
Dianna: It happened about 2:00 AM one morning in the middle of a tour. I don’t remember the city now, but we’d just gotten in from a late signing and were trying to unwind quickly so we could grab a couple hours sleep and be ready in time to head out by 6:00 AM. We started talking about each series she had going and got around to the BAD agency. She wanted to give it the darker, edgier feel of a thriller so I immediately started brainstorming something off the cuff. The next thing I know she suggested we write it together. This is where the cartoon dialogue cloud above my head read, ‘Let me think about this…collaborate with a #1 NYT bestselling author?’. My answer? Let me put it this way – my mamma drowned the dumb kids. 🙂 But that was the extent of our planning how we’d do it. Later that day, we started writing on the first book.
TRC: I have always wondered how two authors can work together on the same novel. Can you please tell us how you and Sherrilyn work to create the storyline, and to write it? How does it work?
Dianna: Sherrilyn and I are similar in some ways and different in other ways. She’s been writing since she picked up crayons, but I didn’t start writing until 2001. Sherri goes to bed at 4:00 am and I get up at 4:00 am. She’s a seat-of-the-pants writer and I tend to plot out complex story threads. We don’t take separate chapters or characters to write. I like to write the opening of the story, but once we get rolling we’ll hand off the book in the middle of a scene. We both read each other’s words and edit at will. From the beginning, we had one common goal – the story came first. Splitting up characters and/or scenes disrupts the author voice, in my opinion. I’ve read stories written that way and it’s easy to pick up who wrote what because I got pulled out of the story. I’ve also read stories written the way we write and find myself immersed on the journey, so that works for us.
TRC: B.A.D. was the first series you co-authored with Sherrilynn. What is the premise behind this series, and will the series continue?
Dianna: The premise is that B.A.D. is a shadow agency that supports national security by being able to cross any border and launch operations at a moment’s notice without wading through red tape. Conversely, there’s an international organization similar to the Illuminati that is called Fratelli de il Sovrano, who are an ancient order determined to bring the world back under control. Their control. To reach that goal, they’re willing to sacrifice any nation, the US being at the top of that list. We have the next book in the series in the works and hope to bring it out in 2013.
TRC: The Beladors is your latest urban fantasy series. How did you come up with the idea for this series, and can you tell us a bit about your latest release The Curse, which is to be released September 18th.
Dianna: Back in 2006, I started thinking about these mythological gods and goddesses, wondering what would happen if a deity from one mythology had a conflict with a god or goddess from another mythology. In the first novella, then the first book, that happens when warriors of the Celtic goddess Macha have a throwdown with a Hindu warrior who belongs to the god Shiva. Beladors are Macha’s warriors, and at one time, they were deadly warmongers. Macha destroyed many of them and laid down the law to the rest. Now each Belador warrior lives by an oath—a code of honor—that if broken, could destroy the warrior’s entire family, spouse and children. As an Alterant - part Belador and part unknown – in this world, Evalle is an outcast who is accepted by only a few. She suffered a terrible attack as a teen and is vigilant about maintaining her control or she’ll shift into a beast that is one of the most deadly creatures around...but there’s a sexy Skinwalker named Storm….and that hasn’t stopped him yet from pushing her buttons. *grin*
Links to pre-order The Curse:
Amazon:
Barnes & Noble:
TRC: How many books are planned for the Beladors. Will Evalle ever have her HEA?
Dianna: We don’t have a set number of books at this time, but we do know there will be several major series arcs, the first of which will be in the fourth book coming out in 2013. I can’t tell you about Evalle without giving away spoilers, but I will say as a romance reader myself that I’m dying for you to read The Curse and the 2013 book because of Evalle and Storm. How’s that for a non-answer? 🙂
TRC: What are you currently working on? Any thoughts of a new series?
Dianna: I’m excited about my new Slye Temp romantic thriller series. I wrote several books in this series years ago, but before I could take it out I made the commitment to collaborate with Sherrilyn. Now that we have a flow going to handle the work load on the collaborations, I’m ready to expand. LAST CHANCE TO RUN—the one I mentioned earlier as the first one I wrote—is actually a prequel to this series. It was originally published as WORTH EVERY RISK, but I’m taking it back to a full-length novel to set the tone for the Slye Temp series. Prominent characters in LAST CHANCE TO RUN return in the first Slye Temp book – NOWHERE SAFE. I love this series and am having a blast working on the Slye Temp team again.
TRC: Do you have any advice for new authors?
Dianna: Don’t let anyone tell you there is only one way to write, because the only rule you must follow is: Write the best book you can every time. If you’re new to writing, don’t be surprised if book three is when it all starts to click. I did sell the first book I wrote and it did win a RITA® that I’m very proud of, but I recently got the rights back and am enjoying going back through to revise. I’ve learned SO much since then. Revise and get ‘beta’ reads (not your friends and family) before you put your work out there. You’ll be judged on that first page and that first scene – make sure they both rock. Last – writing is hard. Only the dedicated become career authors. You have to write when you don’t want to and when everything you put down sounds like garbage. I promise you when you go back to read later, you’ll be surprised that some of it is better than you thought and you’ll fix the garbage. I wish you all the best of luck in this business and will cheer your success!
TRC: Would you like to add anything else?
Dianna: Yes, I’d like to invite readers to visit www.KeeperKase.com where I and other authors are giving away signed cover cards of books. I created this program specifically for E-fans who no longer have something to put on their keeper shelves, but all readers are welcome to collect these cards.
LIGHTNING ROUND
Favorite Food: Anything my husband cooks, which is all wonderful (marry a man who cooks!)
Favorite Dessert: Homemade banana pudding
Milk or Dark Chocolate: DARK!!! 🙂
Favorite Author: Besides Sherrilyn Kenyon? <g> I have many favorites, but I give credit to Alexander Thom for reigniting my passion for reading after a hiatus when he wrote From Sea to Shining Sea. Brilliant.
Last book that you read: Hank Phillippi Ryan’s new thriller – The Other Woman (excellent)
Favorite Movie: I love action movies like the A-Team and Star Trek, but I also enjoy clever story telling in more subtle movies like Lars and the Real Girl.
Favorite TV Show: That’s hard – Amazing Race and Burn Notice
TRC: Thank you, Dianna for answering our questions. We look forward to continuing to read your books, and to work with you in the future.
Dianna:You’re more than welcome! I’ve enjoyed it, and I love interacting with readers. It’s my favorite part of being an author. You are all welcome to visit my website where I update the news items every week, and there’s always something going on, including contests and scavenger hunts, at my Dianna Love Fan page on Facebook.
If you would like to find out more about Dianna, you can visit her at the following sites:
Website: http://www.authordiannalove.com/
Twitter:
Facebook:
Goodreads:
Dianna has graciously offered to give a member of The Reading Café a chance to win a signed copy of The Curse and a Keeper Kase*™ loaded with a special selection of Keeper Kase*™ *Cards.
1. You must be a member at The Reading Cafe. If you are not a member, please register using the Log-In at the top of the page, or by using one of our social log-ins.
2. If you are using a social log-in e.g. Twitter, please leave your email address along with your comment.
3. Please post a comment and say hello to Dianna.
4. Giveaway open U.S. & Canada Only
5. Contests runs from September 7th – 10th.
