December 27, 2007 | Me, myself, News, Quirky notions, The stories

Hullo!

I’m blogging today over at Brava Authors about pre-New Year’s Eve fun.

Please stop by and let me know what you like to do!

Diane

December 18, 2007 | Me, myself, News, The stories

I just delivered BOND OF DARKNESS, the Texas vampires trilogy volume 3, to my editor! Wheehaw!!!

Next step: Christmas cards! We took photos at Disney World (duh!) and had a particularly holiday-ish one translated into a wonderfully festive card by Snapfish. Now I’ve just got to figure out how to print address labels from Outlook 2007, since all my addresses currently exist only on my Treo.

It’ll give me time to listen to some new music. My sister gave me Celine Dion’s latest album, Taking Chances.

Or Ruderial…

Or Brad Paisley…

Fun, fun, fun.

Diane

December 15, 2007 | News, The stories, Tuning the instrument

I’m blogging over at Circle of Seven on motivating your characters - especially when an author wants to try something new. It really helped me write THE IRISH DEVIL.

Check it out!

Diane

December 5, 2007 | The stories

Judy, a reader, emailed to ask what Sean and Beth have been up to since The Switch was over, asking for another contemporary novel. Hoping others might be interested in the answer, I’m blogging about it here.

Actually, I know a fair bit about what Sean and Beth have been up to since the end of The Switch. But it’s more like getting occasional phone calls from friends, than enough to fill out a book let alone a novella. Maybe a couple of short stories, though.

Beth is still very, very much a Treasury agent and Sean is right there by her side. Having finally found and claimed his lady, he’s not about to do anything, which would take him away from her. They were in Baghdad when Saddam Hussein was deposed and sent me a very scary vision of some things which happened to them.

Sean was rather melancholy when they took Mike to West Point but Beth successfully distracted him. (I had no idea you could have such fun with goodies snuck past airport security!)

They’ve had at least one baby. No, I don’t know the sex but I’m sure they’re both doting parents. (Told you it was like getting phone calls from a friend!) They’re currently based in Washington, DC but I’m not sure that’s where the Treasury Department has stationed Beth.

And no, I still don’t know what Mike is up to!

Diane

October 27, 2007 | The stories, Tuning the instrument

Some authors are plot-driven, others are character-driven. If you think that really means driven to insanity by voices in their heads, you’re probably pretty close to the mark. It’s probably why we learn to write books out of pure self-preservation: got to get those voices out of our skulls and down on paper!

But bless those darling characters’ hearts, they don’t talk all the time - especially when you’re staring at a page with a deadline looming over your head. That’s when I sometimes think I’m fumbling around in my brain’s dark caverns, hollering, “Yoohoo! Anybody want to come out and play? How about sharing a nice bit of gossip on your nearest and dearest? Or maybe your worst enemy? Hmm? Willing to listen to all your problems?” And all I hear is the echo of my own voice, drat it all!

Fortunately, my heroes and heroines can [usually] be lured in by playing their theme songs. Each theme song tells me quite emphatically what their core issue is in the relationship - and it’s not always what I expected when I started the book. Mercifully, they always tell me early on what their theme song is. (Well, except for one heroine - and that book is known to my friends as “The Tale of the Ever-Morphing Characters.”) Once I have the theme songs, I can play them and my hero and heroine will talk to me about their emotions. It’s a blessing that’s kept me going more than once.

Last week, I blogged over at Brava Authors about The Irish Devil’s theme music.

As befits an entirely different book, BOND OF BLOOD’s hero expressed his preference for an entirely different theme song. Don Rafael chose “Drowning” by the Backstreet Boys. Absolutely and unequivocally.

“Girl, you leave me breathless
But it’s okay
‘Coz you are my survival.”

You can read a more precise version of the lyrics here.

The Backstreet Boys’ video is very elegant and romantic.

As befits a Spanish knight who’s lived for more than seven centuries, Don Rafael likes many more artists than the Backstreet Boys! He opened my eyes to a wonderful of artists, while I was writing BOND OF BLOOD. But that’s a subject for another blog, just like the theme songs for my other characters.

Hope music brings you as much joy and comfort!

Diane

October 17, 2007 | News, The stories, Tuning the instrument

I’m blogging tomorrow at Brava Authors about music and my books. Please stop by and keep me company!

Diane
Diane Whiteside
THE IRISH DEVIL and BOND OF BLOOD, mass-market reissues - October 2007
“Caught by the Tides” in BEYOND THE DARK - December 2007
BOND OF FIRE, Texas vampires trilogy volume 2 - January 2008
www.dianewhiteside.com

September 26, 2007 | News, The stories

Hello again!

I’ll be blogging on Friday, September 28th at the Idea Boutique about how The Irish Devil came into the world.

Please stop by and check it out.

See you Friday!

Diane