Saturday, May 5, 2012

Interview with Diane Moore/Review of Love Thy Neighbor


photo of author and journalist Diane Moore


WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO START WRITING?

My parents' love for travel and adventure inspired my love for writing. Beautiful landscapes combined with  meeting all sorts of people motivated me to want to share those experiences. Also growing up in a diverse multicultural home -- my paternal grandparents were from Germany and my maternal grandparents were from Italy -- made me hyper aware of different cultures, allowing me to understand and to enjoy variety and want to share the good and different of each culture. In college, I studied abroad in Mexico City which again gave me an appreciation for a different culture.

WHAT AUTHORS HAVE INFLUENCED YOUR WRITING STYLE?

John for his simple writing style that covers a broad range of topics, and I get a kick out of how he refers to himself as "the one Jesus loved most"; Patricia Cornwall for her attention to detail and great storytelling; Franz Kafka for his ability to create bizarre scenarios from what otherwise appear to be normal daily tasks; and Woody Allen because when I read his book, I felt like he was in the same room with me narrating the whole time.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO ASPIRING AUTHORS?

Make your top priority telling a good story, attend the ACFW conferences and join writers' groups that offer positive networking experiences.

HOW HAS YOUR JOURNALISM EXPERIENCE INFLUENCED YOUR FICTION WRITING?

My journalism experience provides an abundance of material for my fiction writing. As assistant editor for the San Antonio Medical Gazette, I was the lead investigative reporter. Working with forensic psychiatrists, medical examiners and following nurse and doctor impostors taught me a lot about the criminal mind. As the saying goes, "truth is stranger than fiction," so some of my characters' personality traits are gleaned from those experiences.

HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU SPEND IN RESEARCH BEFORE YOU WRITE A STORY?

I spend at least one third of my time in research before writing a story and an additional one third during writing.

HOW MANY BOOKS HAVE YOU WRITTEN? 

Three and a half, but only two that are currently published. "Love Thy Neighbor" and I co-wrote a non-fiction book entitled "Ridding Yourself of Bad Breath."  I'm halfway done with my next book in this series, which is set in Florence, Italy. Deirdre and Stuart work together to solve a murder mystery entangled with a conspiracy that pours into Europe's centuries-old wineries.

HOW DO YOU LIKE TO SPEND YOUR TIME WHEN YOU'RE NOT WRITING?

I like to spend time with family and friends and to meet people and help them feel good about themselves. As a practicing cosmetologist and skincare specialist, I do that everyday. My husband and Family Love to read, worship and travel together, recently we returned from Spain and Morocco and are heading to Hawaii.  I have two active and athletic teenage daughters and two active and athletic adult sons, so when I'm not watching them play sports, we are usually doing something athletic or nature-bound together.

HOW CAN READERS CONTACT YOU AND/OR LEARN MORE ABOUT YOU AND YOUR WRITING?

Or my salon at www.beautiwithdiane.com

image of bloody knife and house at night with lights on inside


REVIEW OF LOVE THY NEIGHBOR

Love thy Neighbor is the story about a newspaper reported named Deirdre Morgan who is the prime suspect in the murder of her neighbor, who was found stabbed to death. Along the way, Deidre encounters Detective Stuart Beaumont, who is on a quest to unravel the details of the murder. As the case progresses, so do romantic feelings between Deirdre and Stuart. 

I enjoyed the characters and appreciated how the author wove her personal knowledge of martial arts into the story. Also, I liked how the author wove her subplots together.

Love thy Neighbor is written by Diane Moore and published by Parson Place Press.
For more information on the author, please visit her Website, http://www.dianemoorewriter.com/. Specifically, to read an excerpt from the book, please visit http://www.dianemoorewriter.com/3.html.

Please note that I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my review. However, I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is my own. 

 The authors of this blog are Amazon.com affiliates. Sometimes, we will include links in our blog posts. When visitors to this site purchase items from Amazon.com using links in our posts, the authors of this blog earn a percentage of the sales. 

2 comments:

  1. Sounds like an exciting mystery. Although I'm an Amish fiction fan, I love a good mystery too. Thank you offering this giveaway!
    Nancee, Western Michigan
    quiltcat26@sbcglobal.net

    ReplyDelete