The Schizophrenic Life of a Techno-Reader

My reading life is out of control. With the advent of ebooks, I worried that authors would lose income because they make less on an ebook than they do on a “paper” book, but if most readers are anything like me, authors have nothing to worry about. Take for example, the book I’m reading right…

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The Backtrack List

Since my novels usually involve twists and turns, readers often ask me if I think all those plot points in advance. The answer is: I wish. What usually happens is that, despite my carefully plotted outlines, new ideas come to me once I really get into the writing. Sometimes it feels as though the characters are…

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One of My Favorite Authors, Emilie Richards

I miss Emilie! When I lived in Virginia, we got together regularly to talk and laugh, eat wonderful food (which Emilie usually made; she’s an amazing cook), and most importantly, brainstorm our works-in-progress. We knew each other’s books almost as well as we did our own. I left Virginia for North Carolina four years ago,…

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My Curious Readers

Today I received an email jam-packed with questions from a reader, so I thought I’d take this opportunity to answer her questions along with some of the others I’ve recently received. Here we go!   Q. I love your books and when I tell my friends about them, they ask what category they are in and I never…

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Marcus's Operation Bumblebee Tower

If you’ve read Before the Storm or Secrets She Left Behind, you know that my character, Marcus, lives in an unusual house. After World War II, the US Navy ran a secret program called Operation Bumblebee  on Topsail Island (where I just happen to be for the weekend). The program was designed to develop and test supersonic…

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A Few More Topsail Island Party Pix

With my honey, John. So rare for him to be in front of the camera rather than behind it!                   With some of the guests–Mike and Linda Hendricks and Sandy Sly. Everyone on Topsail Island looks so tanned and healthy. It’s clear that beach living agrees with…

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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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