Diane Burton mans The
Pilot where no woman has gone before.
Diane Burton combines her
love of mystery, adventure, science fiction and romance into writing romantic
fiction. She’s a member of Romance Writers of
America® as well as the Mid-Michigan,
Young Adult and Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal RWA chapters as well as
the SFR Brigade. She is the author of
the Switched series,
about twins exchanging places—from Earth to a starship and the reverse. With The
Pilot, she begins a new series about strong women on the frontier of
space. She is also a contributor to the anthology How I Met My Husband.
Diane and her husband live in Michigan. They have two children and two
grandchildren.
Could
you please start by telling us a little about yourself?
I’m a wife, mother, grandmother, writer—in that order,
though some days the order changes, like when the grandkiddies come to play.
I’ve lived in Michigan most of my life with a couple of detours to Missouri and
Chicago as we followed Hubs’ job. I write science fiction romance—heavy on the
romance, light on the science—and romantic suspense.
Please tell us a little about your new
release without giving too much of a spoiler away.
The Pilot
kicks off my Outer Rim series about strong women on the frontier of space. There's
no place like home and he just stole hers. For space pilot and cargo hauler Celera d'Enfaden, her ship is her
home. Because of a misunderstanding, rule-bound Administrator Trevarr Jovano confiscates
her vessel. Then he has the audacity to ask her to help him find his wife’s
murderer. Celara agrees if he will help her save her brother from a galactic
gangster.
What was the hardest part of writing
your book?
Figuring out what would make
Celara agree to help Trevarr.
What comes first: the plot or the
characters?
Neither. The first scene
always comes first. I “see” it like a movie in my mind then start writing.
Do you plan all your characters out
before you start a story or do they develop as you write?
They definitely develop as I
write. It always amazes me what they tell me—especially about their past.
Do you have a ritual when it comes to
writing? Example….get coffee, blanket, paper, pen, laptop and a comfy place.
I write first thing in the
morning so I need coffee (love my Keurig), my laptop, and my comfortable chair
with a footrest. I have a lovely desk that Hubs made for me that I use more as
a depository for papers.
Do your books have a common theme or are they all
different?
They
are all different. Yet almost all of the heroines are influenced by their
fathers and not in a good way. Fathers who are disappointments or have high
expectations that the heroine can never achieve. I’m sure a psychologist would
have a field day with that.
How long does it take you to write and then edit a
story?
That’s
really hard to say. I’ve been writing for nearly twenty years. Some of the
first manuscripts should stay buried. LOL They were practice. My most recent
books were already written—just needed polishing—before being released. The
book I’m writing now (rather, finishing) has taken me nine months from
beginning to last edits before going to an editor.
How do you go about naming characters?
In
my sci-fi rom books, I take a combination of sounds to see what feels right. In
my contemporaries, I’ll go through a baby name book until a name hits me.
What so you see for the
future of publishing and e-books?
There are readers who will
always love the feel of a print book. I used to feel that way and resisted
e-readers. Until Hubs “made” me get a Kindle. I am madly in love with it.
Because of the convenience—not just reading but also purchasing—e-book sales
have already surpassed print on Amazon. I just wish the NY publishers would
lower the unrealistically high prices of their e-books.
What are your current books out right
now, and what are the books coming up for release?
The first two books in the Switched
series—about twins switching places from Earth to a starship and the reverse—are
available. Switched was originally
published in print. After I got the rights back, I released it in digital form.
Switched, Too and The Pilot are available in print and
digital. The third book in the Switched series, Switched, the Aftermath, will be released in the spring. And, I
just sold a romantic suspense, One Red
Shoe, to The Wild Rose Press.
What do you like to do when you’re not
writing?
Play with my grandkiddies.
Seriously. LOL I also like to read or watch movies. Both Hubs and I enjoy
action adventure so we go to the movies a lot. And because he’s such a great
guy, he’ll go with me to see fantasy (Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter) even
though he doesn’t care for them that much. I love gardening but unfortunately
bad knees have made that difficult.
Where can the readers learn more about
you and find your books on the web?
For all my books,
check my website: http://www.dianeburton.com
Besides my website, readers
can find me around the Internet at:
- Twitter: @dmburton72
- Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/dmburton72/
CONTEST: It’s been a
pleasure being here today. I’m giving away a Smashwords coupon for a free copy
of my first book Switched. Just leave
a comment with your email address. The winner will be chosen Saturday night.
There's no place like home and he stole
hers.
Forced to use her starship as collateral to replace stolen cargo,
pilot Celara d’Enfaden risks losing everything if she fails to deliver the
goods. Her ship is the home she never had as a child.
Determined to bring order to the frontier
The only thing Celara cares about more than her ship is her
brother. To rescue him from the clutches of a galactic gangster, she’ll even
join forces with Trevarr who is bent on avenging his wife’s murder.
18 comments:
Thanks for having me here today.
BTW, even though there's a white space, the link to my FB page does work.
hey diane,
great interview. i'm always pleased to find other writers with a similar process--well almost a lack of process--in discovering their plots and characters. and your book sounds fascinating. good luck.
I like to write in my comfy chair with my feet up, too. I use my desk when hubby has the TV turned up so I can't concentrate - and to keep my books and paper and "stuff". I love the first two Switched books and can't wait for the third!
Hi, Diane, like Nora says, we have a similar writing process and I love the morning for writing. And like you, my writing gets pushed aside when the grandkids come or call. Hubby is the taxi driver while parents aren't available. I don't do the comfy chair, but when I need to be out in the daylight and away from my cluttered office, I go to my laptop in the livingroom--big picture window makes me feel like I'm outside in the winter time when it's too cold to go to the gazebo.
Diane,
Your work is incredibly diverse and fascinating. I'm so impressed. When do you have time to keep up your amazing blog? :)
-R.T. Wolfe
Love the interview. I'm a huge fan of my Keurig too! They're the best. :-) Thanks for sharing and best of luck with future books. SO glad we get to work together on a TWRP manuscript!
I was just thinking about my plotting (or lack of plotting) process. Great interview.
Great interview. I had one of my books come to me as a first scene. It turned out to be one the the most fun to write. I'm not sure what that says... Best of luck with sales!
Hi Diane, Great interview.
Love that the hubs takes good care of you. :D
Wish you could garden more. I love playing in dirt myself *g* What is your fave flower?
Hey Diane! It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who sees my stories as movies in my head. LOL And I have to admit I have some heroines with father issues as well.
All the best!
Jessica
Diane, I'm with you on the Kindle/e-Book conversion. I was a hold-out for a long time as well, but I love my Kindle with its built-in book light! No more fishing for batteries in the dark bedroom (while my husband is snoring away beside me). :-) And I agree, the "big" publishers are making them tough to buy. I just borrowed a Nora Roberts book for Kindle from my library. It linked me directly to the Amazon page where I "borrowed" instead of purchased. Very cool!
Thanks, everyone, for your lovely comments. It's amazing how alike so many of us are in our writing process.
Hi Diane,
I like the genre you've chosen to write in - romantic science fiction. It combines the elements I like best in a story: a new story world, people with problems, and the wonder of falling in love.
Your PILOT release sounds great. I enjoyed reading about your writing process, and I had to chuckle about your early works. I have some clunkers buried deep in my office as well.
Hi Diane. I grew into kindle, too. Your Switched books sound interesting!
-Kara
Maggie, I've heard of cars being clunkers but never manuscripts. LOL Great--and accurate--description.
Great interview, Diane. I write from my sofa, a comfortable place too. The TV is background noise although it's not necessary. Your book sounds interesting. Will add to my TBR pile.
Thanks, Debra. I can't concentrate with the TV on. Even if it's sports which I'm not really interested in--unless it's a Michigan team in the Final Four. Go Blue! :)
Enjoyed the interview. Best of luck with all of your endeavors. It's true. Many of our lives seem to follow the same path. I'm a great one for the glider rocker in my office. Footstool is a must.
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