Authorsday - Diane Craver

Today I welcome author Diane Craver.

Diane is going to talk about how she got her start in writing and the inspiriation for her latest. Whitney in Charge.

Please give a warm blog welcome to Diane Craver.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Ever since I was small, I’ve enjoyed writing. When I was in junior high, I wrote a few stories for fun and also wrote poetry. Then in college my roommate and I started writing about our adventures, but we never finished the book. I planned on becoming a high school business teacher, but that changed when I took economics and hated it. I switched to an English and Speech dual major. After I married and started a family, I no longer taught full-time. I began writing nonfiction when our oldest daughter was a toddler. I had several magazine articles published by the time I attended a romance writing conference in Cincinnati (I think it was in 1995) and it was sponsored by the Ohio Valley Romance Writers. I met many published authors and their enthusiasm was contagious. I decided to start writing fiction. I loved it but I got off to a slow start with six children at home.

What drew you to the subject of Whitney in Charge?

Before I started writing Whitney in Charge, I happened to read about a
journalist going skydiving for the first time. She mentioned how much she loved
it. I thought what fun it'd be to use that for a story with two older sisters trying
to get their younger sister to go skydiving to meet hot guys. I liked the idea of
incorporating a sisters' relationship into a romantic story.


Did you encounter any obstacles in researching it?

When Whitney suggests starting a business with her sisters, I researched a lot of possibilities. I didn't really encounter any obstacles while researching, but had a problem deciding which business would prove to be the best one for the story.


Why did you pick the publisher that ultimately published your new release?

I picked Desert Breeze Publishing after an author friend told me about
them. I researched them before submitting Whitney in Charge to DBP. I heard
great things about this new house plus liked they didn't publish erotic
romance. I write sweet romances so knew DBP would be a good fit for my
books.

What was the name of the first novel you wrote? Did you try to publish it?

My first novel I wrote was No Greater Loss. After many revisions (lost
count – there were so many), it was published in e-book and print by Samhain
Publishing.


What’s your writing schedule?

I don't have a regular writing schedule. I probably write more in the
morning. I get up early before everyone else and write before I start getting my
two daughters with special needs up to go to their programs. After I get them
off I write. I get up a few times while thinking what I'll write next
and do laundry or other household things. I've tried to write while preparing
supper and that isn't a good thing to do. I get too involved in what I am writing
and might forget about my food on the stove. I've burned a few pans
while I'm writing. But this doesn't happen as often now since I have a laptop
and can have it right on the kitchen table.

What authors do you admire?

I admire Mary Higgins Clark because she writes great mysteries. I like LaVyrle Spencer's contemporary romances with her memorable characters and story lines. For fun reads, I enjoy Sophie Kinsella's books.

What place that you haven’t visited would you like to go?

I'd love to go to Hawaii. I'm hoping my husband will agree to go sometime with me. He doesn't like to fly and especially doesn't like to go over the ocean. If I can't convince him that it will be worth it to go, then I'll go with one or more of our children. I'm definitely going to Hawaii someday!

What’s your favorite food?

I like ice cream a lot, especially Dutch Chocolate Almond and Cherry
Cordial. In fact, I've used these flavors as the favorites for characters in my
books.

10. Who is your greatest cheerleader?

Right now, I'd have to say my daughter April. She's always been excited
and interested in my writing career. She's very supportive in the editing
aspect, too. While I was choosing music, images and writing text for my book
trailers, she offered me advice. She also read my rough drafts and helped with
proofreading one of my longer books when I needed another pair of eyes to catch
typos and other errors.

Blurb:

Whitney Benson is tired of her older sisters’ attempts to fix her up with every single male they meet. Shannon and Regan cross the line when they arrange for her to go skydiving with the simple excuse that more guys like to float in the air than women. Whitney needs to find something else to keep them busy.

When she suggests that the three of them start a family business, the fun begins in their small town. And she thought being a TV producer in New York had been exciting.

Without going skydiving, Whitney meets two eligible bachelors, Jack and Ben, who constantly battle for her affection. Which one will she choose? Both men make Whitney realize, even a heart shattered by her husband’s death, can once again be made whole.

But did she have to fall off a cliff to learn that?