Mystery & Suspense
Date Published: February 6, 2018
Publisher: RedBird Books
Paige Carson never expected that both a handsome sheriff and a charismatic newcomer would be vying for her affections. The choice isn’t an easy one, as she’s now responsible for raising her orphaned goddaughter, Jess.
Sheriff Sam Wallace didn’t lose at love. He got kicked to the curb. Hopeful that courting the feisty Paige will end differently, he can't help but feel suspicious about his romantic rival. Is Ben Hampshire the man he seems—or is Sam’s jealousy clouding his perspective?
Sam’s determined to win Paige’s and Jess’s love, but he also has to keep Providence Island safe. More than just Sam’s heart is at risk if he fails to find the killer who walks the streets of PI—a killer with more than one agenda.
Interview with Author Dianna Wilkes
As a
writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
For my spirit animal, I’d chose the hummingbird which represents
releasing negativity and finding wonder in both the big and small things around
me. This is the same token I selected for Dana Canfield, the heroine in Main Street.
How
many hours a day do you put into your writing?
It varies. Somedays, it may only be a 1-2 hour sprint.
Other days, I may write up to 8 hours. My most productive time to write is from
10pm to 2am.
Do
you read your book reviews? If yes, do they affect what you write in the
future?
I do read reviews because I appreciate the feedback,
both positive and negative. However, it doesn’t affect what I write.
Do
you leave hidden messages in your books that only a few people will find?
Not in the sense of an “inside joke”. However, each
book in the Providence Island series includes an object on the cover that has a
personal significance to one of the characters. (hint, hint – spirit token)
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in the Providence
Island series?
Main Street, book 1 in the series, begins the
story of a recently widowed interior designer who starts a new life on
Providence Island. There, she finds a secret connection to her past and the
murder of her husband. She also meets garage owner Nick Warden who saves her
life on her first day on the island. From there, it’s zero-to-sixty for the two
of them.
Can you tell us a little bit about your next books or what you have
planned for the future?
The original plan for the
Providence Island series was for a trilogy, with each book (Towne Square and South Pointe) having a romance set against the mystery of Dana’s
past which is resolved by the end of Book 3.
After that, I had planned
on starting a new series. However, I felt there were stories left to be told
for other characters, ones who’d played important parts in the previous books,
along with tying up some loose threads. So, I’m now working on Book 4 which is
titled Crossroads.
Do you allow yourself a certain number of hours to write or do you
write as long as the words come?
I write as long as the words flow. I
also dictate on a voice recorder which is not as polished as writing on a
keyboard but it does speed up getting the first draft written.
Do you have a certain number of words or pages you write per day?
I don’t set a word count though I do
make note of it when I finish that writing session. Overall, I judge my
progress less by word count and more by how much I’ve progressed the story.
When I’m writing the first draft, it’s more important to me to get the framework
of the story written. I can expand and improve those words on the next round of
edits. When I wrote South Pointe, the first draft was around 50K words. After revisions,
it was over 70K.
What inspires you to write?
I get ideas from the world around me. Watching people
or hearing a snippet of a conversation can spur the “what if” that leads to a
storyline. Here’s a recent example: I moved last year to a different state and went
to the court house to register my car. Because of an error of the VIN number on
my previous registration, the clerk and I had to walk to the parking lot to
confirm the number. While waiting for her to check the number on my car, I
looked around the area, admiring the building and landscape. Beyond one side of
the building was copse of trees, and my immediate thought was “What if my
character parked closer to that side of the building? What if a body was lying
there? What if…” Well, you get the idea.
Would you rather
Read fiction or
non-fiction?
Fiction. However, one of my hobbies is genealogy so I do enjoy reading
history books about the areas where my ancestors have lived.
Read series or
stand-alone?
If it’s a good book, either is fine with me.
Read Science fiction
or horror?
Sci-fi though it would be more to the fantasy side. Terry Brooks is one of
my favorite authors. I love his Shannara series.
Read Stephen King or Dean
Koontz
Probably Koontz though I’m not a big horror fan especially when it gets intense.
Read the book or
watch the movie?
Book. I can sit for hours reading, but not so much for a movie.
Read an ebook or
paperback?
I love the feel and smell of a real book but ergonomically, I prefer
ebooks. Plus the advantage of carrying dozens of books on a tablet.
Be trapped alone for
one month in a library with no computer or a room with a computer and Wi-Fi
only?
Computer definitely – I can write plus read books I’ve downloaded and if
the wi-fi co-operates, I can research online.
Do a cross-country
book store tour or blog tour online?
Though the interaction is not as personal as in an in-store meeting, I
feel I reach more readers though online tours. I’m active on Facebook and love
hearing from readers.
About the Author
Dianna Wilkes is an award-winning contemporary romance author, known for the Providence Island mystery series.
Reading has always been an important part of her life. “I learned to read when I was four years old,” she said. “Writing my own stories seemed a natural progression.”
Dianna holds a B.A. in Visual Communication and a M.Ed. in Instructional Technology. She worked as an Education Consultant for a medical technology company before leaving the corporate world to write full time. Despite all that nerdy stuff, she loves creating stories of romance and mystery with touches of humor.
When she isn’t writing, Dianna is deep in researching various twigs and branches on her family tree or fulfilling entries on her travel bucket list.
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1 comments:
thanks for hosting
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