Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Hanging Out With Dianna Love!!!

Ceud mìle fàilte! A hundred thousand welcomes to you, TLN'ers!

No need to go looking for rainbows, I got your pot o' gold right here!

Please help me welcome DIANNA LOVE and her soon-to-be released SILENT TRUTH to the TLN Hot Seat!

We're definitely sitting rich in luck, my friends. Not only is the lovely Ms. Love dishing up some smokin' hot advice, she's giving away an autographed copy of either PHANTOM IN THE NIGHT or WHISPERED LIES and an "I'm in a BAD mood"T-shirt to TWO lucky commenters!!

Talk about finding a four leaf clover!

So, grab yourself an Irish coffee and a wedge of Guinness Porter Cake! Let's get this party started!

1) If you were a book, what would your blurb be?


For Dianna Love, life is an adventure to be lived with passion in every moment. She’s always liked to do things big, spending her days 100 feet in the air creating three-dimensional advertising projects for Fortune 500 Companies. Gravity was her biggest challenge until the fateful day she came face to face with her muse while painting a billboard.

Now Dianna has signed on for the ultimate adventure—teaming up daily with her muse to write big romantic thrillers and urban fantasy. Powering through life with a high-energy drive, Dianna will stop at nothing in the epic battle to write her best book every time, tell the story that’s true to her characters, and give readers the ride of their lives.


2) Using three words, describe your voice.

Intense, emotional and exciting

3) What has been the biggest obstacle you've had to overcome in your writing career? What's been the highlight?

My biggest obstacle is the constant worry of “is this the best this story can be?” I always think there’s a way to twist it again or deepen the emotion.

As for highlights, I’ve been very fortunate to have had some wonderful moments that help balance out a few really low times along the way since deciding to write that first novel.

Winning a RITA® and hitting the NYT best seller list are hard to top, but there are two times that will always stick with me. The first one was when I won a Golden Heart® award [the highest award given by Romance Writers of America® in different categories for an unpublished manuscript] with the first book I wrote, because my husband was there to see me win and it was at that moment I started thinking I might get published. The second moment was when Sherrilyn Kenyon asked me to collaborate with her on a high concept romantic thriller series. Those are moments you don’t forget because they are so personal.


4) If you had to start all over again, what's the one thing you've learned that would be the most beneficial?

If I were to do this again, I would be more judicious about balancing volunteering and my free time. I believe in volunteering and giving back to the organizations that helped me get started, but I allowed myself to be too heavily committed for a couple years. Even when you’re unpublished, you owe it to yourself to hold firm on your writing time. I just made myself crazy meeting all my commitments and getting my writing done. It would have been nice to get a little free time along the way to allow my muse to rejuvenate.

5) What's been the best writing/career advice you've ever received?

Trust your voice and protect your writing. Critique partners are the best – bless those who have been so much help to me over the years. But they are of far greater help once you gain enough experience to know your story and your strength/weaknesses to be able to utilize their advice and feedback without damaging the magic in a story.

6) Give us a little sneak-peek into you writing process. Pantser or plotter?

Since I developed the Break Into Fiction® Power Plotting program with Mary Buckham, I have to weigh in as a plotter. That being said, I am actually what I think of as a hybrid. I believe in a writer figuring out their “process” for creating a story then sticking with it – regardless of what that process is called.

There are many variations of plotting and pantsing [writing by the seat of the pants]. We created Break Into Fiction ® for both types. Once I have an idea who the characters are in a story, I like to write a chapter or two to get a feel for the world, the emotions, anything that anchors me into that story deeper. Then I start plotting.

I tend to plot very complicated and twisted stories so once I know where all the threads go I feel free to write at will. Just because a plot point might be that the protagonist finds X that creates a question about Y that will lead him/her a step closer to stopping the villain – there are a hundred ways to write that scene.

I don’t want to spend days writing 100 pages I might have to throw away because I went down the wrong rabbit trail. That would ruin writing for me. BUT – that is part of the process for a pantser and knowing in advance what will happen often ruins it for the pantser. Neither process is right or wrong…just different.



7) (This is for the fan and the angler in me!) What's the biggest fish you've ever landed and where? What sort of rigging do you favor? Do you have a certain species you like to catch above all others?

I love, love, love to fish. Don’t get me started. I grew up in Florida with a fishing pole in my hands. I’ve caught bull reds [largest of the redfish family] that weighed over forty pounds and a tarpon years ago that went over a hundred (did not mount it) and some hefty sharks, but I love light tackle fishing.

I really enjoy using a spec rig to catch speckled trout or a redfish rig to catch the slot size redfish. I love to fish with a bobber, too. If the wind picks up and it’s a good place for some big reds or other drum fish, I like to use a Carolina rig (just like you rig for fresh water bass fishing). That’s all saltwater fishing.

If I’m bass fishing I really love to watch a bass hit a top water plug. We limited out on specks by noon one day last November when my husband and I were saltwater fishing down in Delacroix, Louisiana at the camp of some dear friends who live in Biloxi near my family. That was a lot of fun and we’re still eating on the trout.


8) What can Dianna Love followers look forward to this year? Dish up the good news!

Silent Truth is the latest romantic thriller in the Bureau of American Defense series coming out April 20, 2010. Here’s a quick peek at Hunter and Abbie:

“Do you have some aversion to traveling like a normal person?” Abbie shouted at Hunter over the retreating helicopter that was turning into a speck of light in the moonless night. Didn’t the pilot wonder about dropping two people in the middle of nowhere?

In the middle of freezing ass nowhere.

Really. This place might not have a zip code for another decade.

They were in mountains and she’d seen snow-tufted trees all around this open patch when the spotlight under the helicopter had swept the frozen terrain right before they landed. The temperature had to be around low thirties or upper twenties.

“Move over here.” Hunter’s voice came through the dark quiet as a spirit, but with the bite of a general’s order.

“Like I can see where you’re talking about?” She couldn’t see the frost that had to be coming out her mouth.

His fingers cupped her arm.

She jumped. And screeched.

“Who’d you think had touched you?” He held onto her arm, but didn’t try to move her.

She would not let him know how close she was to losing it. There were scarier things in life than fear of being alone in the dark and almost getting killed twice in one night, like not seeing her mother alive by the time Abbie got out of this mess.

Hunter tugged a little to get her stepping forward then hooked his arm around her waist to guide several more steps. How could he see anything? “Be careful. Don’t move or you could fall and hurt yourself. I’ll be right back.”

“Wait.” Maybe she should let him know she had a limit when it came to terror and hers had been pushed over the top too many times in the last twelve hours. “Don’t leave me in the middle of the woods in the dark. Something might attack me.”

“Not unless it’s deaf. Could you hold it down some?”

“Who could possibly be here?” she shouted. Was he serious?

The quick shush of air that blew past her ear sounded like a irritated sigh. Maybe a tired sigh.

She’d never been a nag and didn’t care for coming across like one now, but it was damn cold and pitch-freakin’-black. “Sorry, I just can’t see anything.”

“That’s why I told you not to move.” He said each word carefully, as though she had stepped on his last good nerve.

Her patience had been ground to bits over the past hour and a half, too.

She’d fallen asleep on the jet’s sofa while waiting on him to return from the cockpit so she could demand he tell her the truth about having met her somewhere before.

He was lying. She didn’t remember meeting him and had never begged a man to take her home for a night.

How would any woman not remember sleeping with Hunter?

Besides, even if she was the kind of woman who habitually jumped into the beds of strange men Hunter might fit her physical criteria, but he was cold as a stone inside.

He hadn’t even come back to finish their conversation before landing, just sent the flight attendant with this gargantuan flight suit and orders from Hunter to put it on.

When Abbie hesitated, the flight attendant had given her the last of his message. “This is your ten-minute warning to get dressed. You’re leaving in whatever you’re wearing when we land.”

The jet touched down at a small airport with one hangar, a single-level brick building and a barely-lit runway. In less than a minute after landing, Hunter rushed her from the cozy jet to a waiting helicopter that was one-degree warmer than a refrigerator.

The same helicopter that dumped her in this godforsaken hole.

“Abbie?”

She might be cranky, but who wouldn’t be at this point? “What?”

“Are you going to stand still when I leave you?”

“What country am I in?”

He muttered something that sounded four-letter short. “United States.”

“What city?”

“TMI for now. The sooner you let go of me the sooner we’ll get out of here.”

She didn’t realize she’d been clutching his arm. She let go and tried to stick her hands in her pockets, but those were somewhere around her knees. “Why can’t I go with you? Where are you going?”

“To. Get. Our. Vehicle.”

If his face looked anything like his voice sounded he was grinding his jaw muscles.

Transportation. That raised her comfort level. “Okay, I’ll wait...maybe. Unless I hear something.”

He didn’t say a word.

“Do you have matches or something that lights up, like maybe a key light...or...something?” she asked, her voice trailing off in the silence. She hated to feel afraid. Just pissed her off.

“Where’d you grow up?”

“Southern Illinois.”

“On a farm, right?”

“Yes. What of it?” She hadn’t forgotten his snobbish “no” when she asked him if he’d owned a farm.

“Isn’t that out in the country?”

She saw where he was going with this and cut him off. “A farm is not in the wilderness with bears or mountain lions or whatever lives here that have teeth big enough to rip a person to shreds.”

Another sigh. This one parted her hair.

They were getting nowhere arguing. Someone had to make peace.

“I’m sorry, I’m just...” Her teeth chattered. Her head felt like an explosion waiting for a fuse. She hugged her middle ready to make another stab at convincing him to take her with him.

His fingers curled around her arm again, but this time he pulled her to him and wrapped her up against his chest.

Yes, yes, and oh hell yes.


Well, hey, hey! Nothing like a little snuggle from a hottie with a naughty body to get your motor running! Wowza! Sign me up for that trip!

I'd like to extend a huge thank you to Dianna for taking the time out of her busy schedule to hang out with the novices today!! Another thank you goes to the awesome Cassondra Murray for all of her help and patience. If you'd like to learn more about Dianna Love, please check out her website:
http://www.authordiannalove.com/!

THANK YOU, TLN'ers!! I hope your St. Patrick's Day is a blast! Go enjoy some Corned Beef and have a pint or two of green beer! To get you in the mood for a rousing good time, here's
THE DUBLINERS croonin' THE BLACK VELVET BAND! (one of my personal favs!)

Tabhair aire --Stay safe, take care-- and we'll meet ya back here next week!

Psst: Don't forget to leave a comment to be entered to win. The TWO lucky commenters will be announced Thursday AM! Cheers!

36 comments:

Carol L. said...

Hi Diane,
Happy St Patrick's Day. Some Hunter and green beer would make my day. :)
I truly enjoy your stories and look forward to Whispered Lies. Thanks so much for sharing. I loved the excerpt and hope you'll enter me for a chance to win Whispered Lies. Have a great day !
Carol L.
Lucky4750@aol.com

Rebecca J Vickery said...

Hi Dianna and Sarah,
Fishing? I love brook trout fishing on light tackle. Nothing like the feeling you get when you feel that tap-tap and then the grab. LOL
Congrats on all your success.
Great blogging, Sarah!!!

Dianna Love said...

Hi Carol -

lol - I like that visual. So glad you're enjoying my and Sherri's foray into collaborating. We have way too much fun working on this series.

thanks for stopping by!

Dianna Love said...

Hi Rebecca -

I know exactly what you mean. I had only saltwater fished when I met my husband then he took me bass fishing. I fell in love with freshwater fishing, too. I love that tap-tap then watching the fish dance. My favorite saltwater fishing is light tackle.

okay...don't get me started. ;)

thanks for visiting today.

Dianna Love said...

Sarah -
This blog site is beautiful and you did a wonderful job with mine. Thanks so much for inviting me to come blog and a Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone.

misskallie2000 said...

Hi Dianna, Oh my gosh but this book sounds just like what I like to read. Suspense, humor, intrigue and romance. I loved your interview Dianna and I also love to fish. Have not fished in yrs but hope to win the lottery and buy cottage on lake so I can sit on dock and throw my line in and wait for the bite...Such an awesome feeling. LOL Of course I love water so even if not fishing just listening to the waves lapping on the beach lull me to sleep. The sound of water is so calming. Thanks for stopping by for chat.

misskallie2000 at yahoo dot com

Dianna Love said...

Hi Misskallie -

I love your wish to have a cottage on a lake, but if I had something like that I'd never get any writing done. lol - I'd be out on the water all the time. I miss living near the gulf, but visit my family in Biloxi often and we fish when we're there. I run over to a lake in our subdivision for a "quick fix" in between visits. I'm speaking at the Silken Sands conference this weekend in Pensacola, FL so I'll at least get to go barefoot on the beach at some point - I find the water soothing,too.

thanks for stopping by to visit.

Anne Patrick said...

Oh I love bass fishing. My biggest was a 8 1/2 pound large mouth out of a farm pond. Man did he put up a fight. I've had people tell me I was an idiot for not mounting it, but I just couldn't do it. Every so often I go back to the pond and see if I can't catch him again, but I'm afraid he might of ended up on someone else's wall. Oh well.

Great interview ladies. I'd love to be entered in your drawing for Whispered Lies.

annepatrick07@yahoo.com

Rebecca Rose said...

What a wonderful interview, Dianna. Sorry no fishing here, they're too slimy! lol As for Hunter. Hmm-Mmm he sounds yummy. Love tough men. :)
I understand how you over extended yourself with volunteering. The month of March and my muse have shown me that my plate is too full and I need to not pack so much into my day. April I've cut back, but not too much. It's hard keeping the right balance.

Becc
(Rebecca Rose)

Dianna Love said...

Hi Anne - You must enjoy today with it being St. Patrick's day. :)

8 1/2 pound bass!! That WAS a fight. I've turned a ton of fish loose, keeping only enough for a meal so I know how you feel. I've never mounted one either and I've caught some nice bull redfish. I just got my box of Whispered Lies in and am ready to give some away. :)

thanks for coming out to visit.

Dianna Love said...

Hi Becc -

Fish can certainly be slimy - you have to want to handle them for sure. I'm glad to hear that you're giving yourself a break from over committing. My muse is so looking forward to going to the beach this weekend for the Silken sands conference it's only happy to visit on the blog today, which works for me. I'm enjoying chatting with everyone. Wishing you a good day of writing.

thanks for coming out to visit.

Kaily Hart said...

Sarah, great interview (as always) and an awesome excerpt. Fishing? Me? Not so much. Don't get me wrong. I'm not squeamish - I've even baited hooks and taken the fish off, but I guess I'd rather be lying down relaxing somewhere LOL. Dianna, enjoy the conference this weekend! I'm actually a finalist in the Linda Howard Award of Excellence and the winners will be announced at the event. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to go, so keep your fingers crossed for me!

Nicole Zoltack said...

Sarah and Dianna, what a great interview! Your book sounds like it would be a great read. Have some green beer for me, Dianna, I can't because I'm pregnant, although I'm not a beer girl anyhow so even if I weren't, I still wouldn't have any!

~Nicole
Nicole.Zoltack AT gmail.com

Dianna Love said...

Hi Kaily -

Congratulations on being a finalist in the Linda Howard AofE - that's awesome!! I'll be listening for your name and cheering.

I have friends who enjoy sunbathing over fishing, but I'm someone who cant' sit still so I have to be doing something so to me water = fishing. :)

thanks for coming out to visit

Dianna Love said...

Hi Nicole -

LOL - I'm not a beer drinker either but I can be talked into an apple martini - those are green. We don't want you drinking for a few more months - take good care of yourself. I appreciate the kind words on my books.

thanks for coming out to say hello

Helen Hardt said...

Hi Dianna! I had the pleasure of meeting you last May at Romancing the Rockies in Colorado. I'm a huge fan, and I wish you continued success!

And of course, Sarah -- as always, you rock!

Dianna Love said...

Hi Helen -

So nice to see visit with you again. Thank you for the kind words and for being a fan. I'm so flattered to be asked to speak at conferences and to guest blog. :) Hope your writing is coming along well since then - RTR is wonderful conference.

Thanks for coming by to say hello today.

Debra Kayn said...

Sarah, my dear, you did it again. Wonderful interview and *squee* another fisherwoman! Woot!

Dianna- Loved the excerpt...certainly grabbed my attention and I want to read more. :-)Thanks for sharing a part of yourself, and your preferences for fishing. I've love to fish, but the last few years I have developed a love for flyfishing.

Sarah Simas said...

Holy cow!

I take kids to school and speech therpay and there's a party going on!! lol I'm so glad to see all my peeps are swinging by! Wah-hoo!

Have fun at the conference, Dianna! I've never been to one. Bummer, huh? I can't wait to go though. lol I imagine it's like Disneyland for romancers! Too cool!

Thanks for letting me interview you, Dianna, this is so much fun! :)

Sarah Simas said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Dianna Love said...

Debra -

Great to meet so many fisherwomen. :)) I'm glad you enjoyed the excerpt. We really had a great time writing Hunter's story. He and Abbie were so adorable together - especially when they were pushing each other's buttons.

I so want to learn how to fly fish and once I do I want to go bonefishing.

thanks for visiting and keep tying those flies.

Dianna Love said...

Hi Sarah -

You throw a great party. I'm starting to consider the green beer and would love some Shepherd's Pie to go with it. Have to tell my husband since he's the cook in the family. He'd drink his beer green if it was Guinness.

thanks so much for inviting me - you have a wonderful group here and your blog is just adorable.

Unknown said...

Hi Sarah, Hi everyone!

Sarah, what a GORGEOUS St. Patrick's day motif you have going!

So cool that there are so many readers here who are into fishing. I LOVE fishing, and one of my goals this year is to a) do more fishing, and b) maybe, just MAYBE get to deep-sea fish for the first time. I'm a baby fisher-person. I've done mostly pond fishing--grew up in landlocked Kentucky, so I don't know the finer points of these things and all that fancy rigging is WAY over my head. Someday maybe I'll get there though.

Okay I probably shouldn't but I'll gloat a little. I've read SILENT TRUTH, and it's such an amazing story. Hunter and Abbie are the most powerful couple I've read in a long time. This story may be my favorite of the series so far. It's a heck of an emotional ride, fast-paced and satisfying. Dianna's been a friend for a long time, but I'd say the same thing if I read the book and didn't know her. I know y'all will enjoy it.

Sarah, you're a sweetheart. Thanks so much for inviting Dianna onto the blog and letting us get to know you and your readers!

Micole Black said...

Dianna and Sarah...

Thank you Sarah for another great interview! :) Dianna, thank you for all of your wonderful advice. I don't want to throw away 100 pages of writing either, but unfortunately for me... I am a panster!:) I only wish I could learn to be a plotter and be okay with the process. Thanks again for spending time with us!

hugs

Micole Black

Barbara Vey said...

Intense, emotional and exciting describe your voice, but I also think it describes your life. Thanks for the sneak peek of Hunter and Abbie.

Dianna Love said...

Let me introduce Cassondra to all of you. She's been a close friend for a long time and has recently agreed to come onboard to help me keep my head above the piles of work. It's because of her I'm now getting some free time to do things I really enjoy like visiting this blog.

She's also an early reader who gets to see what's happening "next" in our series before it happens.

I can see now I'm going to have to plan a day of brainstorming on the lake.

Dianna Love said...

HI Micole -

Do not let anyone convince you that you should learn how to plot if writing as a pantser (by the seat of the pants, for non writers) is what feels natural to you. That's why Mary and I created Break Into Fiction for "both" types of writers. Your process is fine, you just flush out those important story elements in the revision process.

Good luck with your writing and thanks for stopping by.

Dianna Love said...

hahaha...Hi Barbara -

You've certainly seen me at enough conferences to know too much about me. "g" Thanks for taking a break from your anniversary week to say hello. For those of you who don't know, this is Barbara Vey of Publisher's Weekly who is the most supportive person on the industry when it comes to our genre. She's highlighting something different each day this week and today includes blogs. So stop by and mention Lovestruck Novice blog at www.BarbaraVey.com (goes right to BeyondHerBook Blog).

Dianna Love said...

Sarah -

I'm signing off for the night. I'll be rolling early tomorrow because of traveling. I'll jump on before I go to chat with anyone else who comes in late.

Thanks again for hosting this today and Good luck with YOUR writing - I do hope to meet you in person somewhere this year. Until then, it's nice to visit in cyberspace.

And thank you to everyone who shared their time today. I appreciate all the kind words about me and my books. You've made this a real fun visit.

Sarah Simas said...

Thank you so much, Diana!!

I appreciate your time and generosity! Best wishes for Silent Truth! :)

I really enjoyed having you on my blog today. ((hugs!)) I was very excited for this day to come!

Sarah Simas said...

HI Barbara!

Thank you for swinging by for Dianna's interview. It was awesome to see you here, especially since I know how busy you are this week. Thanks for all you do!! :)

June Rodriguez said...

Great interview as usual Sarah. Thanks Dianna for stopping by Sarah's place to chat with her and sharing a teaser of Silent Truth with us.
All that talk about fishing brought up a long ago memory of fishing at the edge of Kentucky Lake with my grandfather.
Take care and my Irish prayers are with you.

Stacey Smith said...

Happy St.Patricks Day.Your books look good can't wait to get around to reading them.
sasluvbooks(at)yahoo.com

Dianna Love said...

Hi June -

Oh, that's so nice. I love when we read something that brings back a good memory. Thanks for the Irish prayers - those are especially nice on St. Patty's Day.

Thanks for coming by to visit.

Dianna Love said...

Hi Stacey -

I appreciate your kind words on my books and hope you do get a chance to try out our series.

Thanks for stopping by to say hello.

Kaye Manro said...

Sorry I'm late for the party, but glad I finally made it! Great interview and answers Sarah and Dainna. Wow.