Just a quick note to say Happy Holidays...may this wonderful season be filled with the light of celebration and peace. The best to all of you in the New Year!

Play safe,
Diana

I'd like to welcome Angelica Church to the fold! She's going to be taking over the promotions end of my writing career. One of the pieces I found most difficult to handle has been the amount of time needed to properly promote my books. If I want fans, I need to promote. And once I have fans, they want me to write. But if I spend the time writing, I'm not promoting new books and if I'm promoting new books, I'm not writing them!

Quite the conundrum. And one easily solved by giving the promotions piece to someone else.

Angelica has worked promotions in the past when she managed a franchise of a national chain of restaurants. She left that field to work in education, but with her daughter off to college in another year, she was looking for a new avenue to learn. I'm thrilled she's agreed to help out!

So, that means more time for me to spend writing stories for fans (and for myself, but that's another entry for another day).

Take care and play safe,
Diana

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving! I am thankful for many wonderful parts of my life. Among them, I am thankful for the time my family gives me to write. Currently, I am working on a rather long novel. I'm almost 39K into it so far and have just finished the first quarter of the book.

To be honest, these characters had me a bit worried. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love them. I'm finding their story fascinating and I love how it's developing. But they certainly aren't in any hurry to get into bed together! LOL

I know, what an odd thing to be worried about. But all my past stories have been very hot, very erotic and very kinky. These two characters seemed, at first, to be taking a more mainstream romance route. Would my readers be disappointed if I wrote something less hot, but still romantic? THAT's what worried me.

But here I am, 39K along (I'm not going by page numbers because those vary by format and font and spacing; the 39K refers to the number of words. So far, I have 39,000 words. Typed at 1 1/2 spaces in Book Antiqua, that's 114 pages), and the two are finally moving in the direction we all want them to go. This will be a Plus novel for sure!

Another challenge in this particular novel has been the fact that there are only two major characters. Those readers familiar with my work know I almost always focus only on the major hero and heroine...with very few supporting characters. There tends to be one plot because I enjoy really getting to know that one couple. By the time the story ends, I feel as if the two of them have become close friends.

The only exception to that has been Table for Four. But even there, the two love stories are told almost separately. In fact, when I did the final read through of that novel, before I sent it off to my editor, I had to print out the pages where the two stories separate and read through each plot line apart from the other. First I went through and read all of Richard's and Lissa's story, then I went back through and read all of David and Adora's plot line.

But this one is more of a challenge simply because there are no supporting characters except at the very beginning and at the very end. The bulk of the novel revolves around just the two of them. It is my hope that my readers will come to know and love Isabel and Daniel as much as I do. And as much as they end up loving each other!

Sorry I keep referring to the current novel as "this story" but it does not at yet have even a working title! Soon. I'll put on my thinking cap and come up with a title soon. That's always the last part of my creative process, I'm afraid.

Time to get back to work...take care!

Diana

Oh, my...a month and a half is too long between posts on this blog. I need to do better.

One of the questions I've been asked several times is, "Where do you find the time to write?" Since I still hold a full-time job and am raising a family, people who know me wonder how on earth I manage to squeeze in time to write five published works in a year (two novels, one novella, and two short stories). And I have another novella already in to my publisher.

Well, I need to tell you, it takes a very understanding family, that's for sure! My husband loves what I am doing and gives me the time I need. He doesn't complain when I hog the computer or when I'm mentally deep inside a story and not really attentive to life around me (he's getting used to having to tell me things more than once if he tries to talk to me when I'm writing!). And my kids are also helpful. They've become accustomed to standing at the door to the study and asking, "Is it okay if I come in?" before waltzing in to plop in the easy chair and talk. Since I love talking with them, I usually tell them, "give me a minute to finish this sentence..." Then I take a few seconds to finish the thought before turning back into "Mom."

I also find time in odd places. I have a laptop that goes everywhere with me. My daughter is a wonderful dancer; her studio is 20 minutes from the house. Rather than take her, drop her off and come home only to turn around fifteen minutes later and go back and get her, I stay out in the parking lot, writing. She dances for an hour and I get an hour of quiet time with no interruptions.

The same thing for my son's basketball practices. He shoots...I write. So three nights a week I have an hour or more of writing time.

And that's another reason it's been six weeks since my last entry. I've spent every moment on my next two stories...and little else. My apologies for leaving this weblog for so long. From now on I promise to be better!

I'm back from Ohio, where the booksigning at the official kickoff celebration was for Ellora's Cave and Borders books. What a great time! Having lunch with Sarah McCarty, Ruby Storm and Titania Ladley... what wonderful ladies! Then off to tour the EC offices where I discovered print copies of TABLE FOR FOUR. It's in print, just not up on the website. And I can't believe they stuck with Syneca's original cover! I thought for sure it would be deemed too hot, just like SS's was. But they simply blurred the nipples and kept it as it was!

I didn't do much writing over the weekend, but it got me revved up and I wrote several pages on my new book this morning already. I like this story, but I'm not sure it's going to end up bondage oriented. It might, but at the moment, the characters seem a bit more on the traditional romance side.Hope that's not going to be a problem for my readers.

Then again, who knows what characters decide? I certainly don't until the muse strikes and the page is written. Any fans who would like to chime in, drop me an email and let me know if a genre shift would be a problem for you.

diana@dianahunter.net

Off to write some more...play safe!

Diana

Great news! Just got word from my editor, Pam, that Diamond in the Snow is done! No more edits. So that one is now off to the proofers...and a load off my mind.

Why? Because I've already started on the next one. Actually, I had two stories started from last spring, both of which I set aside when the deadline for the Valentine's Anthology loomed before me. Then, while on vacation with my family, I started another. So many ideas, so little time!

I sent all three to my editor and told her I couldn't decide which one I wanted to take further. She read through them, told me the 'snowstorm' one and I was off. Wrote six pages today. I love it when the characters want to talk to each other. Conversation is the most fun thing to write above all else. In fact, I know I sometimes sacrifice description in favor of conversation...that's why I have an editor who constantly reminds me to "paint the scene."

Hmmm...need to find a title for the new story. It will be a full-length novel with tons of romance and sexual tension. As it gets going, I'll tell you more about it.

Till then,
play safe!

Diana

Just got back from Borders in Victor, NY...have checked it before and they only had a few EC books. About 8 books total. TODAY, they had an entire shelf FILLED with EC books...including mine!!!! I yelped when I saw it and my son (who is 12 and is just beginning to think girls aren't quite as yucky as he thought they were) just grinned at me and shook his head. I'm sure he thinks mom is just being weird again.

Anyway, I went to find the manager and told him if he'd like, I'd sign it for him...that it was the first time I'd ever seen my book in a store. He was also amused by me, I suspect. But he said sure...so I signed it and he put the sticker on it! This is so totally cool!

Hmmm...is it possible to write when your mind is on Cloud 9?

Diana

I am back from the Land of the Mouse...and just in time! Hurricane Charley would have been right on our tails up the coast had we stayed...and the eye went right over the spot where we had been a week earlier. Our little tent trailer would have been ripped to shreds! I'm so glad we went when we did and did not delay our trip as my son wanted.

But I am back and have just completed the first round of edits on DIAMONDS IN THE SNOW. I like this story a lot. Probably because I've let my own mischivous side come out with Carolyn. And Paul is...well, every woman's dream, of course! Just what one would order if one had the opportunity. Caring, sensitive...and with a secret about himself he dares to tell no one.

While on vacation, I began a new story...will be writing some today to see if it goes anywhere. Part of the fun of writing is getting to know on an extremely intimate basis, so many different characters!

Till later, play safe!
Diana

It's done! DIAMONDS IN THE SNOW is finished and off to my editor...finally. I've come to the conclusion that life during May and June makes it difficult to write with the family needing my attention. But once July got here, the story just flew!

Of course, I'm bringing it in for the big finish this week, tying up all the loose ends and watching the characters fall deeper into love...and the two of them decide they want one more sex scene before the end! So here I am, thinking I'm done, and the characters have other ideas...again. Yes, if you're wondering, I gave them the scene they wanted.

But now it's done and I can turn my attention towards the next story... I'll spend a few days looking over the several stories I have started and see if inspiration strikes with any of those. If not, I'll generate a new start and see where it goes.

But the family and I are taking a well-deserved break and going to visit the Land of the Mouse in Florida for several days...and while Disney inspires me in many ways, I'm not sure an erotic romance fits with the Disney image. LOL So I don't really expect to start something new until we get back.

Remember to play safe, sane and consensual...and have fun!
Diana

One of the problems every writer faces is the rut of well-used phrases. The first book is the easiest...every turn of phrase is brand new...nothing hackneyed or old allowed. As a writer, you have something new to offer the world and life is good.

But by the fifth book, I'm finding I run the risk of falling into "habit words." Words or phrases I've used in past books that worked really, really well...and I want to use them again. Only now they're NOT new...and certainly not fresh.

For example...in my current work, DIAMONDS IN THE SNOW, the characters just had sex in the shower. Now let's face it...that setting has been used before...about a million times. And I had a shower scene in SECRET SUBMISSION. Believe me, I had no intention of writing a shower scene in this current book, but the two characters had other opinions/desires. In other words, they got randy and took matters into their own hands!

What they leave me with is hard work. Now that the scene is written, it is up to me, not the characters, to go back and find a way to make it fresh and new, hot and sexy. This first draft through, I will admit, I used my old "habit words" far too often. But I know they are there and in succeeding drafts will rework the phrasing so the reader is turned on by what the characters are doing. The LAST thing I want is for a reader to say, "She wrote this exact same scene in her other book...can't she think of anything new????"

YES! I can! It takes work and much thought, but yes...this scene will sparkle and titillate along with the best of them by the time I'm done. I will climb out of the rut (there's a pun here, someplace), and readers will end up loving this scene above all!

Now...where did I put the thesaurus....?

Diana

I've spent the last month struggling to find time to write. Thought once the summer was here I'd have plenty of time, but then there's the closet that needs cleaning out...and the garage that needs MAJOR hoeing...and the basement that needs cleaning...you get the picture!

Besides which, the characters surprised me. For those of you familiar with my books, well, I'm sure you won't be surprised. I thought this one (DIAMONDS IN THE SNOW) to be a nice little Valentine's story with some cute vanilla sex and a happy ending. Well, the happy ending is there...and almost written. But not so the vanilla sex.

Seems both Paul and Carolyn (the two protagonists) are into D/s...only she's all for it and he's ashamed of what he calls his 'cave man' mentality. Makes for some very interesting conversations...and sex, of course.

I hope to have it finished by the end of next week; it is my priority this week ... forget the garage; it'll still be there when the story's done. The end is in sight!

Oh! I have been working on webpage updates and gathering reviews for TABLE FOR FOUR. Some are already posted both on the website and in the "Files" section of the newsletter Yahoo!Group, but I have more to go. Also, check out the links... Adult Group Gold contacted me and requested a reciprocal link. Cool!

Play safe,
Diana

I know I'm showing my age here, but how many of you remember a TV show called, "The A Team"? Remember Hannibal's tag line? Well, let me adopt it here...."I love it when a plan comes together!"

DIAMONDS IN THE SNOW is coming along so well I'm nervous. Two acquaintences, a snowstorm, and a mutual attraction can lead to some very interesting...erm...conversations! Wait till you see what this high school English teacher hides under his professional demeanor...and what a first grade teacher knows about after school activities!

Anyone getting interested????

Diana

Amazing how quickly this time of year flies! Between my son's baseball games, my daughter's dance rehearsals (and performance) and writing, the time is flying by.

I have put DIAMOND HEAT on ice, if you'll pardon the pun. The characters weren't cooperating, so I have set it aside and begun a new one...one that's almost writing itself. I love it when that happens! It's called DIAMONDS IN THE SNOW and involves two people who are only acquaintences until her car gets stuck in a snowbank and he takes her home in the storm. It will be part of the St. Valentine's Day anthology from Ellora's Cave.

I'm afraid that's part of a writer's frustration: stories that you want to tell that just won't come out. Either you get bogged down in telling details that don't matter, or the characters won't come into focus, or you lose interest in telling the story. Actually, the last is a good indicator that the story belongs in the recycle bin.

With DIAMOND HEAT, I'm afraid it's the first reason. Too many little details keep getting in my way. It's a good story, and one I'll come back to when I have more time. But I'm working under a deadline and don't have time to fuss with it right now. Times like that, it's best to just set it aside and try again. Chances are you'll hit gold the next time 'round.

I don't know if DIAMONDS IN THE SNOW is gold, but I do know I'm enjoying it very much. I like the two characters and that goes a long way towards keeping not only MY interest, but the interest of readers as well.

So, I'm off to write more of Carolyn and Paul's story...will keep you all aprised!

Diana

Blogger has added some features! Way cool!

Okay, enough 'sharpening the saw.' I've been downright lazy the past few days, and made up for it tonight. Last week I set aside a story I'd been working on since I couldn't get it to go where I wanted and started a new one. Tonight this one took off! Wrote five pages in an hour's time. Tomorrow I'll review it and see if any of them are good. :)

Take care,
Diana

Okay, two weeks is way too long to go without a post. My apologies. Real life has a way of rearing its head...and with a vengeance. As a result, there hasn't been much time to write.

I'm discovering my writing has a cycle of its own. My first manuscript was accepted for publication about a year ago (that was Secret Submission). But I found it difficult to find time for the rewrites needed until the end of June when school lets out and the Mommy-Taxi gets a long break! But over the summer, I had plenty of time to dedicate to writing, and not only finished those rewrites, but wrote "Stitches in Time" for the Irish Enchantment anthology as well!

So I'm not panicking. The thoughts still are tooling around in my head; I'm doing some reading of other authors (sharpening that saw!), getting the garden in order and planting flowers and vegetables. In between, I taxi my two perfect children to dance class and baseball, to friends' houses and sleepovers. And on occasion, I actually get a chance to write a few pages.

The life of a writer is the life of reality reflected through the lens of the written word. And right now, I'm building up my pictures so I may write of them later.

Take care,
Diana

Monday was a good day. I wrote four pages in two hours. And four pages of pretty good stuff, too! Unfortunately, the rest of the week has not been as productive. Real life sometimes gets in the way and writing time becomes sacrificed.

Tonight, however, I returned to DIAMOND HEAT, my baseball story for next Valentine's Day. Don't ask how I'm tying baseball and Valentine's Day...I haven't figured that part out yet. Don't bother me with details!

Seriously though, I spent time tonight cleaning up various plot points. When I write, I tend to "throw up" on the paper... or computer screen to be more exact. What is in my head comes out my fingers and forms a story. Since I tend to discover the characters as I go along, sometimes I write things in the beginning that just don't fit with events later on. That's what happened with DIAMOND HEAT.

In fact, I'd written myself quite a nice little puzzle. Baseball is at the heart of the story, and the book opens with an important away game. Except that I wrote the party that night as if the game had been at home. Blast! Now I either had to move the party or the game. And I didn't want to move either. I liked both in the places where they were.

For two weeks now, I've been ignoring that little problem. Don't stop the story for little fixes...keep writing and fix later. That's always my philosophy. Well, later came tonight. I couldn't get the problem out of my head and realized I was never going to move this story along until I fixed it.

And just in case you're wondering...the game is now at home. And so is the party at night. Whew! Believe it or not, it has just taken me the better part of an hour to rewrite the two paragraphs that dealt with that fact. But it is done now and maybe I can continue....

Take care,
Diana

Steven Covey wrote a book called "Seven Habits of Highly Successful People." Among the Habits, there is one he calls "Sharpening the Saw." People who consider themselves successful make a habit of taking time off. They indulge in a hobby, a vacation, a good book....anything that takes their mind off work and lets them rest and re-energize. Doesn't matter what your profession or what job you do, it is his opinion we all need to take time out on occasion to 'sharpen the saw."

Why do I start this entry with that seeming sidestep? Because I have not written one word for an entire week. Not. One. Word. I've written two full-length novels, two short stories and one novella-length work in a year's time. Although I am faced with a deadline for two more contracted works, this week I just couldn't think. And then I remembered Steven Covey.

So I stopped beating myself up about the fact that I couldn't seem to concentrate and took it as a sign that I needed a bit of a break. I've crocheted several hotpads, cleaned SEVERAL rooms of this house, and read FOUR books! I haven't read four books in a week in AGES!!!!

The result is, today I feel more relaxed and calm than I have in quite some time. Tomorrow I have a two-hour time set aside to write...and I shall be ready. Fresh from a week of doing 'nothing,' I will dig in and get DIAMOND HEAT rolling. Nothing like coming off a break and into a hot love scene!

BTW, I'd recommend Steven Covey's book to anyone who hasn't yet read it. Some great things to remember in there...lessons to live by!

Take care,
Diana

WOW! Not only was the weather absolutely wonderful today, but I received great news from Ellora's Cave! They've had an opening in their release schedule and asked if they could move up the publication date for TABLE FOR FOUR! Of course, I said yes!

I did put up an extra-hot excerpt on my newsletter site...if you're not a member, be sure to sign up so you can get all the news first. And of course, so you can read the excerpts! This particular one is in the last message.

Warning: the book deals with spouse-swapping and, of course, themes of BDSM. This is not tame!

If you'd like to read the excerpt, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dianahunter/ . Enjoy!

Diana

All right. I give. Apparently I can only write one story at a time. I've a great idea I want to work on, but am partway through DIAMOND HEAT and those characters keep butting into my thoughts when I'm trying to get down ideas for the so-far-nameless story. ERRRGGG!!!

Still, any experience where one learns something is a good one. So now I know. One story at a time.

I wrote only two pages tonight, but have more fully fleshed out the characters of Casey and Colleen. Hmmmm.... a baseball pitcher named Casey? Better go find my copy of "Casey at the Bat!"

Take care,
Diana

The weather here turned springlike today...the temperature reached 70 for the first time since September. Needless to say, I've written little. Been too busy enjoying the sunshine and warm breeze. But night falls and the temperature plummets...and so I find myself turning to the keyboard refreshed and ready to write.

Two stories now vie for attention...DIAMOND HEAT, a part of Ellora's Cave Valentine's anthology for 2005, and HER MASTER'S VOICE, a full-length work tentatively scheduled for release this fall. After dinner, I shall choose one and begin work.

Mmmmm....the air holds the promise of lazy summer days....is there anything more sublime than springtime?

YaY!! It's in! TABLE FOR FOUR is now complete and off to the proofreaders! Target publication date is June, 2004 ...just a scant two months from now. Talk about getting it in under the wire!

I took today off and went to the mall to celebrate. Didn't buy anything for myself, although the family did some long-needed shopping. That's all right. It just felt good to see the outside world again. Tomorrow is early enough to start thinking about the next book.

And yes, I have ideas. Shall begin chronicles of The Next Book shortly!

Take care,
Diana

As my son would say, "Holy Moly Mackeral Cow!" What a day! I spent the entire day on the Ellora's Cave reader's list..and what fun it was! I chose "Redemption" as a theme and the excerpts I posted all came from authors who had written some very hot scenes! Many thanks to Kate Hill, Cheyenne McCray, Sarah McCarty,
Shelby Reed, Cricket Starr, and of course, yours truly!

Yes, I did! I posted an excerpt and the blurb for TABLE FOR FOUR. If you haven't been to the newsletter site, check it out (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dianahunter ). I think you'll see this book is worth waiting for.

And yes, I think it's finished! In between posts today, I finished it off. Tomorrow morning I'll give the last two chapters a final read to make sure I haven't left any loose ends and then send it off to my editor with crossed fingers.

Thanks to all who stopped by the list today...I had a great time!

Take care,
Diana

Almost done!!!! A few more pages, a little tweaking here and there and TABLE FOR FOUR is finished!

Hurray!!!

Sorry I haven't written much the past few days...have been spending my time with the final edits for TABLE FOR FOUR. The final scenes are clicking into place and I think you will be very satisfied with the results. Weaving in the loose ends is always a fun job...making connections people don't expect to see. And because TFF has not just ONE hero and heroine, but TWO of each, weaving in those threads becomes a doubly difficult job.

I've decided writing vanilla sex is much more difficult than writing D/s sex. Not only are the positions more fun in D/s-BDSM, but the conflicting emotions of both the sub/slave and the Dom/Master are much more interesting to explore. The vanilla world is a mystery to me, in spite of the fact that most of my adult life has been living the more 'normal' lifestyle. I think I'll stick with the 'kink' side of life!

Remember to play safe, sane and consensual!
Diana

TABLE FOR FOUR is now in final edits...or what I hope will be final edits!

What does that mean? It means I read the entire novel again, from the very beginning: fixing, tweaking, adding a bit here, refining a bit there; always checking to be sure I haven't left any plot holes or major mistakes (already once in this novel I gave the one couple two different last names ... oops!).

But I'd like this novel to be longer. In order to be a print book as well as an ebook, I have to hit 54,000 words. I'm at 44+K. My editor has given me a week to see if the characters cooperate and want more time together. Remember the mantra: moresexmoresexmoresex!

But of course, plot and character development MUST go along with that. Sex for sex's sake is only porn. Any sex I add at this point will be germane to the plot of the book. So I've read it through (I'm taking a break; I actually have one more chapter to read) and tweaking, then deciding if another chapter is needed or not.

Don't worry; I'm not going to make it longer just because I want to hit a particular word count. I do have to remain true to the characters and what they want/need. It's a balancing act between what the story needs...and what I want it to be.

Back to work....take care!
Diana

Edits are going well for TABLE for FOUR. When I first sit down to write, the words come tumbling out and I just type. My own sense of good grammar doesn't let me ignore blatant mistakes, but often I will stop the flow of writing to struggle with a sentence that won't let go of my mind. It's as if I CAN'T move on until that sentence is at least closer to what I want to say.

That first time through, getting to know the characters is crucial. I don't work with outlines; mostly because I have too much fun finding out where the characters are going to go. If I already know the end of the book, why would I want to write it? And no, I don't peek at the last page when I'm reading someone else's book, either! All the surprise is gone!

The character's name is the key to knowing the character. I've often struggled with writing a person and simply referring to her as "her/she" or him as "him/he" until the character is gracious enough to tell me his/her name. That's what happened with Adora in TABLE FOR FOUR. David and Lissa's story was humming along quite nicely until Richard and ...the blonde...walked in. I knew what she looked like, I knew what she did...but I spent two days hung up in the middle of that scene because I didn't know her name.

Where do I get my names? All over. I try to pick real names for the most part; the online sites for baby names are great. I also have two books of names at home. Leafing through them gives me ideas. For Adora, I actually had the meaning of the name first and wanted a name to match. When you read the book (it comes out this June), you'll see how her name fits her so well.

Till later,
Diana

This is a test! I am hoping this blogger program will work for the website...:)

Well, I've played with this a bit and it looks promising! Now all I need to do is link it to the site....and see if I can't find a way to put icons in?