Before the Storm, Down Under

The contest continues! Win a vacation on Topsail Island and help me celebrate my 20 years as an author by clicking here to learn more. You may enter once a day.   I received my copies of the Australian edition of Before the Storm today. I guess the book is being released there right now, or will be very…

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Welcome, Guest Blogger Therese Fowler

From Diane: When I posted (ad nauseum) about my outline process recently, friend and fellow author, Therese Fowler, piped in to say that she never outlines. I thought it would be fun to hear how Therese works so well without a net. I’ve read Souvenir–a poignant and beautifully crafted story–and look forward to reading Reunion.…

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They're the Same Book!

I’m very concerned! In the last few days, I’ve heard from several readers who are upset because they ordered two different books written by me. . . or so they thought. They’d each read Before the Storm and The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes and they loved them so much they wanted more. So they ordered…

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It's Up to the Writer

This week, I met with a local bookclub during their discussion of one of my books–something I try to do whenever I’m invited and my schedule permits. This particular group had read The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes, and during the discussion, we got around to the topic of believability. Do the events of the story ring true or…

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Structure

Tomorrow I begin the outline for my current, as yet untitled, WIP (Work in Progress). I’m excited and nervous. Excited because I’m embarking on a new story with new characters, and nervous for the same reason. When you have the unknown stretched out in front of you–along with a deadline that’s mere months away (August)–it…

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Creating a Story, Cont'd: Suspense

  After taking a break for the election and to talk about my cute new UK cover, I’m following up on my recent posts about creating a story. You may recall that I hadn’t quite finished the synopsis for my next book while in the Outer Banks. Once I got home, I whipped through to…

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Who Writes Like Me?

I’ve addressed this topic informally on my blog, but in the last few days, I’ve received four nearly identical emails from new readers, so I think it’s time to address the topic formally. Each reader spoke of discovering me with The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes, and each went on to read Before the Storm. A…

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The Burial

Well, there’s killing your babies, as I discussed a couple of posts ago. Then there’s burying them, and that’s what I’m doing with my Work-in-Progress. Some of you voted on titles for it (I was, for the time being, calling it The Glimmer Child), and you know how excited I was about it as I…

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Killing Your Babies

Oh, it hurts. I believe it was Ernest Hemingway who coined the title to this post. He was referring to those wonderful turns of phrase a writer comes up with that, in the final analysis, simply don’t belong in the story and must go. It’s painful to chop a few beautiful lines from what you’ve written,…

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