Wanting To Be A Writer

Diane Bator Bio:

Diane has been a writer since she was able to hold a pencil and tell a story. An avid hiker, Reiki Master and martial artist, she loves to make a mess in the kitchen and putters in the garden at will. Joining the Headwaters Writers' Group in 2007 was the catalyst for unearthing several old writing projects. Her first murder mystery, Murder on Manitou, was published after winning a writing contest in 2010. She lives in Southern Ontario with her husband, three kids and a cat who thinks he's a dog. The Bookstore Lady is her latest novel.

Wanting to Be a Writer

I have wanted to be a writer since I could tell stories and draw on walls with crayons. Throughout my life, I've been blessed to have people tell me to use my talent for good and continue to write stories to entertain.

The most memorable of these encouraging people was Mr. Neil Coleman, my English teacher in junior high who literally dragged me down the hall one day to the teacher who ran and edited the school newspaper, The Jabberwocky. I had written a poem for a class assignment and Mr. Coleman wasn't about to let it fade into the back of my locker. He wanted the whole school to get to read my words.

Not only did that occasion mark my first published piece, which I still have, but it marked my entry into the world of the school newspaper. While I wrote all sorts of articles and tidbits, the one that earned me the most attention was the Horoscopes column. I refused to own up to writing it at first. Slowly, word got around and I'd get a lot of kudos from people who remarked on how accurate they were. Funny since I'd simply make them up on the bus ride to or from school each week!

After I married and had kids, my writing went into hibernation mode. Sure, I was still creative - painting, embroidery, making quilts for my kids, but writing stories resurfaced as the kids grew older and wanted to hear something different at bedtime. I wrote, edited and kept myself amused while the kids were in bed and hubby was away on business trips. I began to submit my work, learning how to cope with disappointment and getting better and better with each piece I wrote.

Moving across Canada to a strange new town was the perfect opportunity to seek out new friends who enjoyed writing as much as I did. I stumbled into a writing group and have been a member for seven years. I have learned more about editing, grammar and punctuation in those seven years than I remembered from high school. Mentors who have come and gone, but will always be a part of me. And I've been published!

With two books to my credit and two more on the way this next year, I am more confident than ever!

My website: http://penspaintsandpaper.com
My blog: http://dbator.blogspot.ca
The Bookstore Lady
Wild Blue Mysteries

Danny Walker is tracking Paulina Chourney who fell deep into the dark side of life and is lucky to get out before her boyfriend Maddox kills her.

Paulina escapes Maddox and arrives in a small town, a blessing in disguise since the men she worked for would never think to look for her in a lazy, backwater place like Packham. She changes her name to Katie Mullins, makes a deal on a little bookstore and joins a local writing group then successfully fades into anonymity. Until Danny Walker shows up to visit family and figures out who she is.

When Paulina catches her 80-year-old landlady sneaking out in the middle of the night, the bad guys catch up to her, and Danny disappears. Katie has to choose between spending her life on the run or standing up to face her past. Hopefully before the quirky townsfolk turn her death into a spectacle.

Watch for The Mystery Lady, Spring 2014! The Bookstore Lady now available on kindle or in print:

http://www.amazon.com/Bookstore-Lady-Diane-Bator-ebook/dp/B00DWKNGPQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390926183&sr=8-1&keywords=diane+bator