Good morning. Today Author Diane Kelly is visiting with us as part of her Feature for On The Road ...
Let's meet Diane
Hello Diane. Thanks for visiting with us today!
Thank you for having me. I always enjoy chatting!
Well let's get into some fun questions.
What is your favorite snack while writing?
Wasabi peas. The kick definitely keeps me feeling awake!
Do you have a pet office assistant?
Several. I move around the house while I work, spending 2-3 hours in one spot before going on to another. When I'm writing from bed or the chaise lounge in my home office, my calico Shakira is always by my side and my orange-and-ginger cat Fritz does his best to get in my way by lying on me or my computer. When I'm working in the living room or on the back deck, my dogs hang out at my feet.
You've just written The End. How do you celebrate?
Pre-virus, I'd go out for a nice meal. Now, I usually treat myself to a day or two off from working and binge-watch movies or TV shows (and catch up on neglected housework).
What do you do when you're not writing? Hobbies?
I enjoy walking my dogs and get lots of story ideas while puttering along with them. Our area has great places to hike, so we often go out on the trails. I also love to ski and ice skate, though I'm not that great at either one. I'm definitely not a daredevil! I'm lucky that there's a skating rink in our town so I don't have to drive far to get to a rink. I enjoy gardening, too, but I don't have much luck at it. We live in North Carolina where the tall trees block the sun for most of the day, so we don't have a nice sunny spot for a successful vegetable garden. My hydrangeas and lantana have done very well, though!
About The Busting Out series . . . How many books in the series? Locale?
This is a loosely connected series based on the fact that each book has a similar concept - a buxom motorcycle cop. Each book features a different female officer, in a different location. The first book, Busted, is set in a fictional small town in north Texas. The second, Another Big Bust, is set in the Raleigh-Durham area, where I live now. The third, Busting Out, is set in Mobile, Alabama.
How did you choose the Locales?
I chose north Texas for the first book because the area was my home at the time I wrote it and felt familiar to me. I found the small towns along the country roads to be charming. I set the second book in the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina, where I live now. The tall trees are absolutely gorgeous, and the roads outside the city are scenic places to take a drive. I don't ride a motorcycle, but I can imagine how fun it would be to take one along the county roads. I set the third book in Mobile, Alabama because I thought it would be fun to set a story in a seaside city. I lived in Montgomery for a year when I was young, and my family was very happy there. Alabama has a slower pace than many other places, and feels very homey. It truly is a "sweet home."
Aren't the books about different characters? Will they ever meet?
Yes, each book features a different female motorcycle cop. Busted stars Marnie Muckleroy, who is recently divorced and moved back to her small hometown in Texas after going through a traumatic on-duty event in Dallas. Another Big Bust features Shae Sharpe, who has some unresolved family issues to deal with.
The heroine in Busting Out is Chastity "Cha-Cha" Rinaldi, who comes from a law enforcement family. I'd never thought of having them meet, but it's a fun idea! I know they'd like each other and have a lot to share. They could even go for a ride on their motorcycles together.
Do you have a favorite character from the series?
Oooh, that's a hard one. I guess if I had to pick one, it would be Marnie Muckleroy. Her book is the longest, so I got to know her better. She was the first character I wrote who had a dark past to deal with, and it made the writing interesting to dig a little deeper emotionally.
I chose to feature this series after I read Bending The Paws. I loved the Ft. Worth
location. How many books in the series? Will there be more?
There are 9 books in the Paw Enforcement series, as well as two digital-only novellas. I'm hoping to write one more to tie up some loose ends, but I'll have to figure out when I'd have time to write it, which will be tricky. I'm doing three books a year for my traditional publishers, and that keeps me on a tight schedule.
About Fort Worth. Favorite place to shop?
Favorite place to eat. I'll share mine. Mexican Inn and I love El Rancho Grande.
My favorite places to shop were the garden stores. We had a good one in our suburb that had a resident cat who would hang around. You never knew where he might show up while you were checking out the plants. My favorite place for Mexican food would be Chuy's or Joe T. Garcia's, which is mentioned in my Paw Enforcement series when my cop and her boyfriend-to-be go on their first date there after meeting at the site of an explosion. I also liked several of the Japanese restaurants where they cook right at your table and put on a show.
Last one. Can you give us a sneak peek of what you're working on?
I'm wrapping up the first draft of book #1 in my new Mountain Lodge Mysteries series. It's called Getaway with Murder, and has an absolutely adorable cover. There's a cat, of course, a fluffy white diva named Baroness Blizzard or Yeti for short. It's been so much fun developing these new characters! Misty Murphy has just turned 50 and gotten divorced, and is starting on Act Two of her life by buying a lodge in the Blue Ridge Mountains. There's lots of fun new beginnings for her as she sets out on her own.
Thanks Diane for visiting. I know we will get together again!
Thanks, Sherry! Greatest questions!
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