|
Dianna Love (aka Dianna Love Snell) |
|
Dianna’s 18Q |
|
The Eighteen Questions |
|
18Q |
|
Bibliography |
|
URL |
|
Nominate us as a Writer’s Digest 101 Best Web Site.
Email: writersdig@fwpubs.com with as the subject. |
|
The Eighteen Questions and 18Q are trademarks of Fabulist Flash Publishing.
This website, The Eighteen Questions, and 18Q are part of
The Fabulist Flash Publishing Family |
|
1. Did you choose the writing profession or did it choose you? I chose writing, but only after having built a career with my art background (www.ArtProductionsinc.com). I started "creating stories" in my head while hanging over a hundred feet off the ground working on unusual marketing projects. When I decided to take a break from climbing so much in 2001 I decided to put those ideas on paper. That led me to writing my first novel. I only do things I'm passionate about and am extremely passionate about writing.
2. What is your background? (education, work, etc.) Due to circumstances, I ended up living on my own at seventeen. I started my first company that year and built three since then. I have since sold everything except my current corporation where I produce unusual projects for a handful of Fortune 500 companies such as Coca-Cola.
3. When did you 'know' you were a writer? The week I won both the Daphne du Maurier and Golden Heart contests (for unpublished manuscripts) was the first time I thought I might get that book published. I tell all unpublished writers if they take what they do seriously and give a story their all, that "they ARE writers" regardless of anyone else's perception. But I didn't feel like an author until I held my first book in my hands. I still am excited every time I hold a new book.
4. How would you describe your style of writing? I writer dark, edgy thrillers. Even the urban fantasy I wrote was a suspense. I write what I love and I love fast paced, action-adventures with a high concept plot.
5. What is your writing process? I write anywhere, anytime, anyplace. I carry an AlphaSmart NEO (word processor you can find out more about at www.alphasmart.com) that is very light and syncs up to my computer. I don't have a "normal" schedule so if I have a full day I can write I start at 5am and write until 9pm - regardless if it is Sunday or Tuesday. I don't believe in waiting on the muse to show up - if I show up to write, the muse is not far behind.
6. What was your path to publication? As mentioned above, I started writing in 2001 and finished that book in 2002. I pitched it at a national conference in 2002 to an editor who requested the book then it went to two senior editors over the next year while the book received the nine awards (I entered it in contests because I'd heard how long it took to get a full read and wanted a back up plan since editors & agents were judging contests). The senior bought the book in early 2004 and WORTH EVERY RISK was released in March 2005. Since then, I've released an urban fantasy novella in an anthology that debuted at #5 on the NYT list, and am currently cowriting a romantic thriller series with #1 NYT best seller Sherrilyn Kenyon. Our new book - WHISPERED LIES - will be released May 12, 2009. I also have a nonfiction book with Mary Buckham - Break Into Fiction(R): 11 Steps to Building a Story that Sells - coming out June 18, 2009.
7. What is your favorite self-marketing idea? I would say attending Reader events (like Reader luncheons) so that you meet the people who read your books and to give away excerpts. I'm fortunate that my publisher will produce a lot of promo, but when I had to do it out of pocket I would only spend money on excerpts because, as a reader, I bought books from excerpts.
8. What are the biggest surprises you've encountered as a writer? The number of new people I've met and now know. Writing is this amazing community of great people you never knew existed if you weren't around it before. The other thing that surprised me are how incredibly generous readers are with their time and their feedback. When I'm on tour, I meet the nicest people whose comments touch me deeply. I will never get past being awed by someone coming up to tell me the read something I wrote and loved it. That is the most wonderful gift.
9. How do you inspire yourself? What are your sources of creativity? The world in general inspires me. When I started writing, I wondered how authors came up with so many ideas. Now, I wonder if I'll live long enough to write all the ideas I have. I love meeting new people and experiencing new things - two things that are guaranteed to ignite creativity.
10. What is your proudest writer moment? The day I held a book with my name on the cover.
11. What's the best advice you were given about writing? That you can fix anything and sometimes it only takes a sentence. Don't ever be overwhelmed by revising or hearing that something is wrong with a story. I look at it this way - it's much easier to fix what's wrong with a story than what's wrong with a spaceship. "g"
12. What is your most embarrassing writer moment? I don't know that I've had something that stuck out. But that's probably because I tend to keep my mouth shut and my ears open when I'm learning anything new, and I feel like I learn something new in this business every week. "g"
13. What business challenges have you faced as a writer? The biggest has been running my company while growing as a writer. This past year, my writing had to start taking first place due to the contracts agreed upon. The next thing is trying to keep up with the load of marketing that comes along with growing a writing career. I try to answer all emails myself, but it's getting harder. I've recently taken on an assistant to help with a lot of online material that needs to be processed (website, etc).
14. What is your writer life philosophy? I have one basic philosophy that I've always followed in business and now as a writer. Goethe said, "Nothing is worth more than today." I believe that.
15. When you're not writing what do you do for fun? I ride a BMW 1150RT motorcycle around the country, love to fish (especially saltwater) and try to play a game of golf when I have time.
16. Who do you like to read? Everything, pretty much. My first love is any suspense/thriller, whether it's mainstream or romantic. I like historicals, then I like certain fantasy, Science Fiction and paranormal, and engaging memoirs. On occasion I read women's fiction.
17. What’s your advice for new writers? Try very hard to write all the way through and finish the book before you stop to edit every line. I know how much you want your words and sentences to be perfect, but those who don't finish a book do so because of a couple reasons: 1) It's easier to edit, therefore they spend more time tinkering rather than writing new pages. If that's the case - challenge yourself to write X pages each time you sit down before editing anyting. Or - 2) They don't know where their story is going. If that's the case - go to www.BreakIntoFiction.com for tips on writing.
18. What are you currently working on? I've just finished a mainstream thriller that is on the way to my agent and am now working on the next Bureau of American Defense (BAD) Agency story with Sherrilyn Kenyon that will be out in 2010. For excerpts on the current stories, visit www.AuthorDiannaLove.com |
