Monday, April 21, 2014

Author Interview- Diane Burton

    Good Monday morning readers, I have with us today the talented Diane Burton, 
author of One Red Shoe.

    I was lucky enough to pick up One Red Shoe a few months ago and it was wonderful!!!! 
You won't be doing yourself any favors if you don't follow the links at the end of this post and get this book all for your very own.



      Hi Diane, tell me three words that describe yourself starting with A, B, and C.


Agile—mentally, not physically. I’m flexible and willing to try something new.

Bookworm—I read all the time, when I’m not writing. I love the adventures and romance in novels and try to incorporate that spirit in my own books.

Caring—I care for and about my family and friends; other authors. I try to help beginning writers because others helped me. Sort of paying it forward.
     
 What are your three favorite things?

My grandchildren. They bring so much happiness into my life. Their love is unconditional, as if mine for them.

Books. I couldn’t live without books.

My new house. After six houses that belonged to someone else, my husband and I now have one we designed and had built. Love it! Plus, we’re now close to our grandchildren.

What for you is the best part of writing?  What is the worst?

The best part is the discovery. I start a story with a rough idea, then the characters slowly take over and take the story where they want to go.

The worst is when the characters take over then box me into a corner.

Was there any particular inspiration for your characters or story?

One Red Shoe began as a writing assignment during a Mid-Michigan RWA chapter meeting. It was a fun exercise that I expanded into the story.

You did an excellent job bringing Daria to life.  How much is she like you?

Daria is a teacher. I was a teacher. That’s about it. She’s the youngest (I’m the oldest) of a large family. She rescues a wounded man. I would have called an ambulance. I’m too much of a wimp to do what she did.

Will there be more books in your series, or can you tell us about any previous books?

My previous books have been science fiction romances. Two series: Switched series (about twins separated before birth) and the Outer Rim series (about strong women on the frontier of space).






ONE RED SHOE Blurb:

Daria Mason’s life is too predictable. Nothing ever happens in her small Iowa town where everybody knows everybody else. But when she travels to New York City looking for a little excitement, she never expects to bring home a wounded spy.

From the moment agent Sam Jozwiak steals intel vital to US security from a Russian Mafia kingpin, Murphy’s Law takes over. No matter how he covers his tracks, the kingpin’s assassins find him. What’s worse than getting shot in the butt? Accepting help from an Iowa tourist.

Sam and Daria flee cross country with the assassins right behind them. Sharing danger and excitement—and a few kisses—with Sam soon has Daria convinced he’s the man for her. He thinks she’ll be better off once he’s out of her life for good. With their lives on the line, can she convince him they belong together?

Excerpt:

Jimmy bent down to look at the right front tire. I don’t like the looks of this.
The tire is fine, Daria said.
The others ignored her and all bent down to look. While they debated whether she should get a new tire, Rover dashed up. The reddish-brown mutt of indeterminate heritage nearly knocked her over with his usual enthusiastic greeting. She gave him a quick hug and ruffled his fur.
Billy, don’t feed Rover any table scraps. Only two cups of kibble a day. Andy, you’re going to put food in the barn for Archy and Mehitabel, right? She didn’t wait for his response. And, Tommy, you’ll take care of—
Jimmy straightened. For crissake, Daria, it’s a goddamn zoo around here.
At least he wasn’t trying to delay her with talk about new tires. She reached up and patted his cheek. Don’t swear.
I mean it, Daria Jean, Jimmy said. Don’t you dare bring home some wounded stray. I don’t care if it’s bleeding. No more. He ran his hand through his hair. You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into. You’ve never even been east of Chicago.
She smiled. I know.
I hoped you’d get this foolishness out of your system. He blew out a breath and thrust a small item at her. Since you’re determined to go, this is a top-of-the-line cell phone. It has GPS tracking so if you have car trouble and call for help, they’ll know exactly where you are.
Daria ignored the first part of his rant. She’d heard it before but was surprised at his thoughtfulness with the phone. She gave him a hug then the others. Standing back, she looked at the four of them. Tears threatened. She blinked rapidly. For goodness sake, it wasn’t like she was leaving forever. A week away from home, that’s all. She got into her car, eager to get started.
Call every night, Jimmy ordered. He just had to spoil the moment. So we know you’re okay. The others nodded. They meant well, she reminded herself.
She put the key in the ignition. Oh, God. This was it. She was going after her dream. A mixture of fear and excitement shot through her. She hadn’t felt like this since... since leaving for summer camp when she was ten. How pathetic was that. When she got back, things were going to change. First, she was going on a real adventure.
New York City, here I come.

ONE RED SHOE is available at:

Author Bio:
Diane Burton combines her love of mystery, adventure, science fiction and romance into writing romantic fiction. Besides the science fiction romance Switched series, she is the author of The Pilot, the first book in a series about strong women on the frontier of space. One Red Shoe is her first romantic suspense. She is also a contributor to the anthology How I Met My Husband. Diane and her husband live in Michigan. They have two children and two grandchildren.
For more info and excerpts from her books, visit Diane’s website: http://www.dianeburton.com

Connect with Diane Burton online

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8 comments:

  1. Thank you for being with us today Diane. One Red Shoe was an excellent read. It was fast paced and full of humor. Do you think there will be future books that might feature a brother or two?

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    1. Angela, thanks so much for having me here today. And thank you for the wonderful things you said about One Red Shoe. I've thought about a story with Jim (the oldest brother) and Sally (Sam's friend)--even wrote a couple of chapters. I think I'll have to revisit that idea. :)

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  2. Loved this interview! Good questions, Angela. And I enjoyed your answers, Diane. I have ONE RED SHOE on my TBR pile!

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  3. Fantastic interview...love the interesting questions, and I love Diane's answers. I second your praise of One Red Shoe. Wonderful romantic suspense. Great characters, great humor. (And I was lucky enough to be her Wild Rose Press editor!) :)

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    1. Thanks, Alicia. I'm sure I was the lucky one. :)

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  4. Sorry I'm late to the show! I loved your ABCs Diane! I can definitely tell you're caring, even though we've never met, you're always so supportive of your fellow Roses. I love the sound of One Red Shoe and I've already added it to my TBR list!

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