Interview with… L. Diane Wolfe

Welcome to April’s interview. What a wonderful spell of sunshine and blue skies we’re having here in sunny Cornwall. (Okay. confession time: I’m scheduling this way in advance – it’s 4th April and there is torrential rain hitting my window. I’m hoping for sunshine because I can’t believe there can be any rain left!)

Today, I’d like to welcome L. Diane Wolfe to my blog. I got to know Diane years ago when I took part in the Insecure Writers’ Support Group, which started as a monthly blog hop and has grown into much, much more. If you’re a writer and a blogger, check it out, if you haven’t already.

A professional speaker and author, Diane conducts seminars, offers book formatting, and author consultation. She’s the senior editor at Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C. and contributes to the Insecure Writer’s Support Group.

Hello, Diane, and welcome to the Fountain Pen. What else would you like to tell us about yourself?

I’m the author of eleven titles and two boxed sets. I’m also a professional speaker, and I’ve owned and operated Dancing Lemur Press, LLC since 2008. Once my publishing company grew busy, writing went on the back burner, but I was pleased to find time again to produce the In Darkness series.

Outside of writing, I love cats, Minions, and roller coasters, and I’m big on gardening and home cooking.

Why paranormal romance? Did you choose it, or did it choose you?

I think I fell into it. I’ve always liked fantasy stories with romance in them. (Although I don’t read a lot or paranormal romance as much of it tends to be either R-rated or erotica.) I’d written and polished The Vampire and The Werewolf several years ago. Pulling them out, I realized the connection and set about writing The Shark and re-writing The Alien, the final one released. I felt all four were very unique for the genre.

What do you hope your readers take away from your work? What are you trying to achieve?

With my recent series, I want to take readers away from the world and be wrapped up in adventure and love. I want them to feel good and come away with a sense of hope.

How do you approach a new project? Are you a plotter or a pantser, or somewhere in between? Where do you do get your ideas?

I like to have a solid outline. Even more important, I always create character sheets for my main characters that detail who they are, their strengths, their weaknesses, and their goals. I can be flexible with the plot, but I need to keep on top of my characters so they behave believably.

Tell us about your most recent publication.

After releasing for novelettes in eBook, I combined them into one volume available in print and eBook:

In Darkness

Souls shrouded in darkness…

A wary vampire relying on the assistance of a young woman to guide his clan to an ancient fortress. A talking shark with no knowledge of his earlier life who befriends a girl with issues of her own. A werewolf trapped by his secret smitten with a young woman battling trust issues of her own. And an alien devoid of all emotions pledged to a Terran woman determined to keep her own feelings intact.

These souls must discover the power of love if they hope to escape the darkness surrounding them…

Does social media help or hinder?

Both! Social media is great for getting the word out without racking up miles on your vehicle. (Which I have done – my old Mazda Tribute had 181,000 miles on it when I got rid of it after seven years.) Social media works even better when fans and friends can help spread the word.

It hinders in that it’s not as effective as it was say ten years ago. There is SO much competing for attention. Blogging isn’t what it was ten years ago, either. So, getting a message out over the noise is difficult. Some authors rely too much on it to market their books. Now that we are free to move about the planet again, I am really enjoying the live events once more.

What’s next for you?

At the moment, I’m focusing on the next two releases for Dancing Lemur Press (the final two book in the Bubba & Squirt series). I have an idea for more In Darkness stories, including one involving a ghost, but we’ll have to wait and see if they happen.

It sounds like you’ve got a lot to keep you busy over the next few months! Thanks for talking to us today, Diane.

You can find L. Diane Wolfe on her blog, Facebook, and Goodreads.