Book 'em!

Please Join Us for
The First Annual Book 'Em North Carolina Event!

Please make plans now to join me, more than 75 authors and more than half a dozen publishers at the First Annual Book 'Em North Carolina event! We are asking all authors and publishers to help spread the word your friends, family, fans, and customers!

Where &When

Robeson Community College

A.D. Lewis Auditorium (Building 15)

5160 Fayetteville Road
Lumberton, North Carolina 28358

February 25, 2012

9:30 AM - 4:00 PM

It's FREE and open to the public!

OUR STATE Magazine lists it as one of the top five things every North Carolinian needs to do in February!

Meet New York Times best-selling authors Carla Neggers and Michael Palmer, more than 30 award-winning authors, more than 75 authors of various genres, and more than 6 publishers for an innovative Writers Conference & Book Fair to raise money for literacy campaigns!

I'll be there with my four mysteries and I hope to see you there. Here's a message from co-founder, Trish Terrell:

Buy a Book – and Stop a Crook!

Many of us enjoy what reading a book can do for us. It can take us around the world, through the ages, enlighten, educate, pull at our emotions, change our perceptions of the world, and so much more.

But have you ever stopped to think about the connection between being literate and living in a low crime area? Or how literacy impacts social services?

It’s a fact that 83% of all those in juvenile court are functionally illiterate. Have you ever wondered how their lives might have been changed if they’d learned to love books and reading?

More than 60% of our prison population is functionally illiterate, and most male inmates read at a third grade level or below. At a time when the prison population is exploding, could literacy be one key to reducing that number?

A full 90% of all welfare recipients are high school dropouts. At a time when jobs are hard to come by, those without reading skills are destined for lives at minimum wage—if they can find a job. And as comedian Chris Rock so eloquently put it (and I paraphrase) employers paying minimum wage are saying if they could pay you less, they would. Reading is one ticket out of that cycle.

The national unemployment rate for persons without a high school education is double the rate for persons with some college.

Three out of every four food stamp recipients perform at the lowest literacy levels—usually below third grade.

With these facts in mind, Book ‘Em North Carolina comes to Lumberton on Saturday, February 25, 2012 with an innovative book fair and writers conference. It takes place from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm at Robeson Community College, conveniently located along Interstate 95 at Exit 22 and just 8 miles from Interstate 74.

More than 75 authors will be on hand to sell and sign their books, with a substantial portion of the proceeds going to increase literacy in our community.  More than 6 publishers will join these authors for panel discussions and solo talks on everything from writing to publishing to improving the quality of your life.

New York Times best-selling authors Carla Neggers and Michael Palmer are traveling from Vermont and Massachusetts to help bring attention to the connection between illiteracy and crime and raise money to increase literacy and reduce crime. Both have new books being released and Lumberton is one of their first stops to launch these new titles.

A Children’s Corner will conduct readings to the smallest children all day long, as well as special activities and events. And the first 100 children age 9 and younger will receive a free book when they come to the Children’s Corner Saturday morning.

With authors coming from as far away as Scotland and attendees coming from New Jersey, Florida and points in between, it’s sure to be an exciting, fun-filled day. We hope you’ll join us! For more information, visit www.bookemnc.org.

This guest blog was written by suspense author and Book ‘Em Foundation co-founder p.m.terrell.

Joyce and Jim Lavene: Prolific Writing Team

Just in time for Christmas:  A Spirited Gift by Joyce and Jim Lavene. I'm happy to say that my guests today, the husband and wife team of Joyce and Jim Lavene, are friends of mine who also live in North Carolina. The Lavenes created Carolina Conspiracy, a group of mystery writers from the Carolinas, and we can't thank them enough for getting so many of us together. But more about that later in the interview.

Welcome to the blog, Joyce and Jim. Please have some of my Brittle Bones (peanut brittle from Killer Recipes cookbook) and a beverage.

Thanks, Susan.

I love the cover of your new release! It's quite eye-catching.

We like it too.

How on earth do two married folks write together without a homicide in the house?

You know, people ask us this question more than any other. We’re not really sure why this works for us. Maybe it’s because we worked together for 15 years with our own office supply business. Or maybe it’s because we’ve been married for 40 years. Or maybe it’s because we kill people in our books so we don’t have to kill each other. Of course, we have disagreements sometimes but it works for us.

You have two have written several series. Tell us how you came up with the ideas and a little about each series.

Sheriff Sharyn Howard Mysteries – This was our first. We got the idea from watching the news and seeing the first woman elected as a sheriff in NC. Sharyn was very serious, a little dark. Her father, who’d been the sheriff, was killed in a robbery  and she looked bad in her ugly brown uniforms. She didn’t get along with her mother and had a love/hate relationship with the county ME. We wrote 12 books in this series and hated when it was over. The books are being released now from Harlequin Worldwide in paperback.

Peggy Lee Garden Mysteries – Jim and I have been Master Gardeners for years and thought it would be fun to write about a botanist and botanical poisons. We are good friends with a botanist at the NC zoo who was a big help with these books. Peggy was also an older protagonist which was fun. And it was set in Charlotte so we got to eat out at all the restaurants we used in the book (for research) and had her travel across the state.

Renaissance Faire Mysteries – This is a strange, fun mystery series about a history professor who spends her off time at a Ren Faire in Myrtle Beach where she solves murder mysteries. This was so much fun to write because we love Ren Faires. We made this the best Ren Faire we could imagine with a castle, a lake, a pirate ship and a five acre Sherwood Forest. We’ve had so many people ask us if this is a real place because they want to go there. But it’s not, though we wish it was too! Jessie, our protagonist, apprentices herself and learns a different craft each time she goes to the Faire. So far she’s learned glass making, basket weaving, hat making, sword making and toy making.

The Missing Pieces Mysteries – This is set in Duck, NC and the mayor, Dae O’Donnell, is the mayor of the town. She is a finder of lost things, based a little on Jim’s uncanny ability to find lost things. She’s much more talented since she is also psychic. She has an antique/secondhand shop where she can put all the things she finds. The area is rich with folklore, pirates and ghosts so we wove these into the series as well. Dae finds out in the third book, A Spirited Gift,  that  she is related to the scourge of Duck, pirate Rafe Masterson. His ghost needs her help to clear his name and she needs his help to solve the murder of her friend.

We are currently writing two new series – The Sweet Pepper Fire Brigade Mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime and the Pie in the Sky Mysteries for Pocket Books.

Congratulations to both of you!

Tell us something about yourself that readers might be surprised to learn.

Joyce – I can’t sleep if the closet door is open.

Jim – I have a collection of more than 200 dragons.

How many books have you written?

A Spirited Gift, our December release, will be our 60th published book. We are very excited about it!

WOW! That's fantastic!

Tell us more about A Spirited Gift.

A Spirited Gift is the third book in the Missing Pieces Mysteries. The books are set at the Outer Banks, in Duck, NC. Our protagonist is the mayor of Duck, Dae O’Donnell. In A Spirited Gift, Dae is trying to solve the murder of a friend when she is confronted by the ghostly apparition of a long dead relative demanding justice for his death. The pirate Rafe Masterson wasn’t someone Dae expected to learn she was related to but she has little choice but to help him with him everywhere she turns.

Is it available in print, ebook, and Kindle formats?

It is available in every format in print and online everywhere.

What are some of the problems you faced while plotting a series with ongoing characters?

There is always the issue of keeping your characters fresh as well as keeping up with their lives and everything that happens to them. When you write two or three series a year, you have to keep a running tab on what all of them are doing! It helps to get them in, and out of, trouble.

How do you develop characters?

They really kind of develop themselves. Most of the time they form, sometimes with or without, a plot. Secondary characters are often people we know or that we’ve met.

I have trouble keeping up with character ins two books, so I'm awestruck.
How do you choose your setting?

Setting is so important. We choose it as carefully as we do characters. For Peggy Lee, our garden mystery protagonist, she wanted to be in Charlotte, NC in an urban area that loved to garden. Dae O’Donnell couldn’t have lived anywhere but Duck with its legends and history. Our Renaissance Faire could only have survived in someplace like Myrtle Beach where there are plenty of tourists.

Can you tell us about current or future projects?

Right now, we are working on a new series for Berkley Prime Crime. It’s called the Sweet Pepper Fire Brigade Mysteries and it is set in the Smokey Mountains. Our protagonist is a firefighter from Chicago who comes to the Tennessee Mountains to help out a new volunteer fire dept. We are also working on a new series for Pocket Books called Pie in the Sky which is set at Duke University.

Further congrats!

You guys created Carolina Conspiracy, a unique group of Carolina mystery writers who often travel do the same locations for workshops and other book events. Why did you establish this group? And I must add, I thoroughly enjoy being one of the conspirators.

People often comment on how nice it must be to do things together, and it is. We thought it might be nice for other authors to get together and enjoy themselves while they sell their books. It’s been fun for us too and we’ve made many good friends.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

The best place for excerpts and news is www.joyceandjimlavene.com but we are also on Facebook and I tweet @author54. Hope to see you there!

So, folks, these two have plenty of great books for your entertainment. What are you waiting for?

TRICK or TREAT!

Would I trick you? Nah! I'm actually going to treat you to a recipe from my cookbook, Killer Recipes. If Halloween is a clear and cold night, you can make this delicious treat for all the big and little goblins in your neighborhood. In fact, keep plenty for yourself. This brittle stores well if you can keep hands out of it!  We eat it throughout the winter too. Enjoy, my loyal blog visitors, and have a Happy Halloween!

BRITTLE BONES

1/4 cup water
1/2 cup light Karo syrup
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups raw peanuts
1 tsp. baking soda

Note: Make on a cold, clear night. If there's dampness in the air, it will be sticky! Fill your sink with hot soapy water, grease large cookie sheet, and measure the baking soda out on a paper towel near the stove. This recipe moves fast, so don't wander off!

In a cast-iron skillet, boil water, syrup, and sugar.
Add nuts (you may sub peanuts for whatever nuts you prefer) and cook until 6-8 nut make a little "pop", stirring often. I use a heavy slotted spoon.
Immediately remove from heat and stir in soda. Stir mixture (now foaming) onto greased pan. Toss hot skillet into sink for easy cleanup.
Take cookie sheet outside and leave about 15 minutes before checking for brittleness.
Pieces should snap apart.

Enjoy many delicious and fun recipes in this unique cookbook, available in print and ebook formats, with recipes from mystery writers all over the country, who were generous enough to share. It makes a great gift any time of year. This book can be purchased through my website at www.susanwhitfieldonline.com  or through brick and online stores everywhere!

Divisons in the cookbook include:
Breads and Breakfasts To Die For
Criminal Bites, Dips, and Beverages
Devilish Desserts
Insane Soups, Salads, and Sauces
Shameless Sides
Slayer Casseroles
Suck-ulent Main Dishes
Unlawful Vegetables

All proceeds for this book are donated to American Cancer Society in honor of my grandson, Caleb, now a cancer-free 12-year-old.

Author Doug Roberts Stops By For Hot Chocolate

Good morning, everyone! Don't you just love this cool air? I'm so excited that I made a pot of hot chocoate for myself and guest, Doug Roberts, author of  The Man Who Fooled SAVAK. Welcome to the blog, Doug. Have a cup of steaming hot chocolate.

Thanks, Susan. I believe I will.

The release of your book coincides rather well with Arab Spring.   When did you start writing it?

In the summer of  2008, a woman I’d met on line named Erica Murray was interested in Iran so I started writing to her about it.   I started doing some very preliminary research into the history and politics of Iran in 1971  in order  to refresh my memory of things I had experienced when I was in Iran during that time.   The book was completely finished several months before the uprising in Tunisia.

Even though that was 40 years ago, there are many common elements with what is happening across the Arab world. 

Yes, especially the fear people experience when living under an autocratic regime is something I hope I have captured, and as the book proceeds, the breaking out of that fear.  Perhaps it will give people hope.  Just like in my book, the methods used by various dictatorial regimes to maintain control seem to be taken from a common playbook:   trample a free and independent press, keep the people fooled, use an iron fist to silence dissent, eliminate fair trials, use torture to extract confessions, -- the list goes on and on.    

But when you wrote the book, you weren’t thinking about that. 

(laughs) True! I don’t have a crystal ball and the Arab Spring was as big a surprise to me as the rest of the world.  

Can I ask you about one of the characters in your book?  Was there really a Junior?

Yes there was.  I think Junior made the story possible to write.  We really did sell our liquor and cigarette rations to him.   I recently learned from a fellow who served in ARMISH/MAAG just before I arrived that Junior mostly dealt with the domestic workers, the Iranian nationals who worked at the bachelor quarters where we lived. 

I’d like to ask you about another character, Mihan Jazani.  She is a historical figure, the wife of the Bijan Jazani who founded one of Iran’s guerilla movements.   It appears that she’s a friend of yours on Facebook.   

(Blushes)  Um, well yes…so it would appear.   (laughs)  Actually, Mihan Jazani doesn’t like Facebook and never uses it.  The Facebook account was set up for Mihan by her granddaughter, Aida.  Aida and I exchange messages occasionally.    

 How were you able to remember so much about what happened then?  It was 40 years ago after all.

I was assisted in several ways.   I had some writings I had done about Iran when I was in journalism school at Kent State in 1972.  I had a large number of slides that I’d taken when I was there.  Those were crucial in reviving old memories.  A huge help was finding on line a 1977 map of Tehran on the (now defunct) Tehran American School website.  I was able to use the exact names of places, even street names.  The fellow I’d mentioned earlier who told me about Junior had sent me a copy of the ARMISH/MAAG directory, which was very useful.  Finally,  talking to people I worked with at that time was extremely important, namely Heidi Eftekhar and Barry Silver, who are characters in the story.  I obviously couldn’t remember all events specifically, but I found I could generate them as needed by being very specific in my language.  I would take seeds of ideas and extrapolate and grow them into full blown events.   For example, a certain lecherous officer really did say to Heidi, “I think you’re a woman who needs a lot of loving.”   I took that and ran with it.  Last but also important, the internet was a valuable tool in researching the historical incidents in the book. 

So, where does the novel part come in?

Some of the human rights related events are novelized, but they’re very accurate in their portrayal of the times.  I’ll leave historians to figure all that out.   They will have their work cut out for them  because I’ve spent a lot of effort weaving the story line into the history of those days.

How close is your character Doug Roberts to the way you actually are?

That’s a really good queston.  (laughs)  I had originally intended that Doug the character would be an extreme version of myself.   But after having read my book now over and over, I’ve come to see that what’s extreme are the circumstances he’s in.   Doug the character is a lot like I was back then: ok in the smarts department,  a little too cocky sometimes.  He’s not very romantic or knowledgeable about women, but does all right in spite of himself.  (laughs)   There’s an element of male fantasy in the book I suppose. In the story  I have two charming female lunch companions in addition to Fari my Iranian girlfriend/fiancée.

But you really were friends with Heidi Eftekhar your co-worker in the story. 

I still am.  Heidi and I communicate regularly by email and her input on the book was immensely helpful.   Miss Farou is the fantasy.   She actually didn’t like me all that much.  (laughs).

I get the impression you had a lot of fun writing your book.

It was pretty trippy for me at times.  I would totally submerse myself in it.  For example, I had written the scene describing how I spent New Year’s Eve in Iran just a couple of weeks after New Year’s Eve in real life.   When someone asked me about how I’d spent my New Years, it shocked me as to how much effort I had to put into pulling up what I’d actually done versus what I’d just written.   That was a little scary.

What do you think people will get out of your book?

I’m sure everyone will get a little something different, but what I’d like for people to take from it is that, like in the story, life may present you with some extreme circumstances.  When that happens, keep a level head and your wits about you.  Try to see beyond what appears to be happening on the surface.  There will always be some good things happening at any given moment. Try to focus on that.  To get through your ordeal it’s a good idea to engage all your friends to help you and your faith if you have that.  Most important of all:  never give up. 

Doug, it's been a pleasure to have you here. I wish you the best of luck with The Man Who Fooled SAVAK.

Thank you, Susan.Doug's book is available online in ebook format. You may contact him through OuterBanksPublishing.com

Cape Fear Crimefest

I attended the Cape Fear Crime Festival in Wilmington, North Carolina February 4th and 5th. The orginial Crimefest came to a halt about four years ago and Joyce and Jim Lavene along with Judy Nichols resurrected the event. The Lavenes, Judy, and I are all members of The Carolina Conspiracy, the brainchild of Joyce and Jim. We travel all over the two Carolinas having fun, talking about writing, and signing copies of our books.

It was a pleasure to see so many of the CC members and to meet new folks, both readers and writers. I was especially delighted to meet fellow Dreamspell author, Linda Lovely. She's quite a trip! I appreciate all the work that went into planning and implementing the event, and special thanks to Two Sisters Bookery and New Hanover County Library for their parts. I hoped to see more readers there. That was my only disappointment. I hope we continue to have the Crimefest and spread the word so that more writers and yes, many more mystery readers, will attend next year.

Jim Lavene with me during the social:

Karen McCullough and me:

Linda Lovely, another Dreamspell author, with me at Cape Fear Crime Fest:

 Pal, Lynette Hampton, a fellow Carolina Conspirator with me at CFCF:

M.K. Graff with me at social:

A grand time was had by all!

Sin Creek

I am so excited to introduce you to Sin Creek, my latest Logan Hunter Mystery. Linda Houle, co-owner of L&L Dreamspell, did a fantastic job of bringing the book's content to life on the cover. Hats off to you, Linda, and also to Lisa Smith, who edited the book.


Digital formats are now available at http://www.fictionwise.com/ and on http://www.amazon.com/. The print version can now be purchased through my site, http://www.susanwhitfieldonline.com/ if you have PayPal, or at http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ and other sites. It's exciting to know that fans are already ordering the ebook and others are waiting with baited breath for a hard copy. I got Sin Creek just in time for my birthday. What a great gift!

Here's a teaser:
The Cape Fear River snakes through eastern North Carolina past the stunning port city of Wilmington, and sidling up next to it is Gator Creek. Some call it “Sin Creek”, a sliver of water where wickedness and decadence take precedence over decency.

When SBI Agent Logan Hunter discovers a dead UNC-Wilmington co-ed used porn to pay tuition, she tracks down and questions other co-eds, learning that far too many of them have been coerced into the raunchy business and have the scars to prove it. Hunter battles dens of iniquity, zeroing in on a brazen but somehow illusive ferry to find a deranged killer and bring down the porn operations while trying to keep her marriage to Agent Chase Railey from falling apart. Even though she succeeds in finding the killer, the investigation changes her life in ways she could never have imagined.

“This action-packed mystery will keep you turning pages until its shocking end.”
                                                L.J. Sellers, The Sex Club and Secrets to Die For

“…Susan Whitfield offers a strong commentary on some of the dangers of college life. Her protagonist, Logan Hunter, gives a strong telling of the story from the initial meeting with a dead girl’s parent to ending up on The Fearsome Ferry, a happening spot that would bring shivers to any parent with a kid in college. Lickety-split pace and effective description give the reader the feeling they are conducting the investigation right along side Logan. If you’re a fan of mysteries, this one is guaranteed not to disappoint. If mystery’s not your genre, make an exception with Sin Creek. Like the Cyclone at Coney Island, Sin Creek is gripping and intense, yet an enjoyable ride.”
                                               Mark Rosendorf, The Rasner Effect

Caitlyn Hunter's Storm Shadows

It's always a treat to interview a North Carolina writer, this week, Caitlyn Hunter.

Welcome. Tell us a little about yourself, Caitlyn.


I live in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina with my husband and our two dogs, Des and Fletch. I write mostly romance, paranormal to contemporary, sensual to sweet, novels to short stories. I’m part Cherokee and all of my paranormal romances are based on one or more of the legends of my ancestors. When I’m not writing, I like to garden, can, quilt and like all writers, I’m an avid reader.

Tell us about Storm Shadows.

Storm Shadows is the second book in my Eternal Shadows series. The hero, Marcus, like his three brothers, was cursed hundreds of years ago by the Shamans for shirking their responsibilities to their tribe. As a result of the curse, they’re shape-shifters, have various psychic abilities, and they’re immortal—or so they think until Marc starts doing some research into Cherokee legends and beliefs.
Marc’s been having visions for a number of years that involve a woman. Because of the outcome of those visions, when the woman shows up on his mountain, he’s caught up in a fight or flight scenario. Should he let her into his life and risk the possibility of his visions coming true or stay as far away from her as he possibly can?
Betty Sue considers herself the ultimate plain Jane. She’s klutzy, shy, and woefully lacking in self-confidence. When her friend Nathan, Marc’s brother, offers her the opportunity to stay in his cabin on Eternity Mountain she jumps at the chance. After a few days exploring the mountain, she meets Marc and is instantly attracted to him. It’s obvious he’s interested in her too, but why is he doing everything possible to drive her away and what secrets hide behind the sadness she sees in his eyes?

Caitlyn, do you think your writing has improved since your first attempt? If so, in what way?

Oh definitely. My first book, which is no longer available (thank goodness!) was full of head-hopping. Of course, all the POV jumps were fixed in the editing process but I still have a tendency to head-hop. I'm getting better at staying with one character during a scene, but I still have to remind myself constantly which character’s POV I’m in while I’m writing the scene. I've even been known to stick a post-it note on my computer with the character's name on it.
I also have a tendency to tell instead of show which as you know, is a cardinal sin for writers. I blame it on the fact that I grew up listening to my dad tell stories about his childhood in the mountains of North Carolina. I still love to "hear" a good story and it doesn't bother me when an author "tells" more than "shows" but I know that's bad so I try to avoid it. It’s a tough battle—and a constant one for me!

Were any of your books more challenging to write than the others? If so, why?

Oh yeah, Storm Shadows. I don’t usually use an outline for my books; instead I start writing and let the characters drive me where they want to go. But with Storm, I actually had an outline. It was rough but I knew exactly where I wanted the book to go and how it was going to get there. The heroine, unfortunately, had other ideas. The whole time I was writing the book, I tried to stick with the outline but Betty Sue did some shape-shifting of her own, turning into a scene-stealing monster and refusing to follow my directions. She took me on a wild ride, down roads I’d never considered going, leading to places I’d never imagined. We argued constantly—and yes, I carry on conversations with my characters—and she came very close to driving me crazy before I finished the book. I happy to say I got through it but I really hope the heroine in the next book doesn’t present the same challenge.

How does your environment/upbringing color your writing?

Most of my stories take place in the mountains of western North Carolina. When my husband and I decided to move back to the South after living in Maine for eight years, we settled on western NC because it’s close to our families in east Tennessee and I had spent quite a bit of time here as a child visiting my dad’s family. Eternity Mountain, where the Eternal Shadows series takes place is based on childhood memories of the mountain where my grandmother and great aunt lived.
My first book and two of my short stories, however, were written when my husband and I lived in Maine and they both take place there. I also have a couple of YA fantasies I wrote while I lived there that are set in Maine.
As you can see, environment plays an important part in my writing and recently my upbringing has come to the forefront because my sister, Christy Tillery French, and I are co-writing a book about our great aunt’s life growing up in the historical town of Hot Springs, North Carolina. We’re doing our best to incorporate all those wonderful stories we heard from our dad when we were kids.

Yes, I've visited Hot Springs many times and wrote about it in one of my novels, Just North of Luck except that I have a serial killer on the loose in that little town.
Any current projects?

I have another paranormal romance, Winds of Fate, coming out soon. This one’s based on the Native American legend of the Blowing Rock in North Carolina and also includes elements of the Cherokee beliefs on reincarnation.

As I mentioned above, my sister and I are writing a book, Whistling Woman, about our great aunt’s life. We're very close to finishing the manuscript and hope to meet in Hot Springs for several days to edit and revise before we start the submission process.

What a great place to do that. I'm envious.

I’m also working on the next book in the Eternal Shadows series, Sun Shadows, which tells the story of the third Tassel brother, Luke. And I’m about ninety-five percent finished with a novella about an older, very professional woman who gets involved with a younger man, tentatively titled Strict Policies. Also, I recently pulled out one of those YA books and am playing around with it, hoping I’ll have the nerve to submit it…someday!

Wow! You're certainly a busy lady. Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

On my website, Romancing the Legends… at http://caitlynhunter.com, or on my blog, Cait-Tales at http://caitlynhunter.wordpress.com/. I also have a page on Author’s Den, Facebook, MySpace, and various other networking sites, all of which can be found through my website. I’m one of the Dames of Dialogue, a group of women writers who can be found at http://damesofdialogue.wordpress.com/.

Caitlyn, I hope we meet in person soon. Continued success with all that you have going on.
Thanks, Susan

Young Adult author, L. Diane Wolfe discusses her work

Diane, it’s wonderful to have you as a guest. Please give us a brief bio.

Known as “Spunk On A Stick,” I am a member of the National Speakers Association. “Overcoming Obstacles With SPUNK! The Keys to Leadership & Goal-Setting”, ties all of my goal-setting and leadership seminars information together into one complete, enthusiastic package. My YA series, The Circle of Friends, features morally grounded, positive stories that appeal to both teens and concerned parents. Ten years associating with a motivation training system and experience as a foster parent gave me the in-depth knowledge of relationships, personality traits and success principles. I travel extensively for media interviews and speaking engagements, maintain a dozen websites & blogs, manage an online writer’s group, and contribute to several other sites and newsletters.

When did the writing bug bite, and in what genre(s)?
It bit me when I was thirteen! I wrote like a maniac after that. I loved reading fantasy and science fiction, so those were my predominant genres.

Is there a message in your writing you want readers to grasp?
Yes! Catch the spirit of hope and believe in yourself. Any challenge can be overcome, regardless of the circumstances.

Briefly tell us about your latest book.
My latest book is The Circle of Friends, Book V…Heather

“When confidence turns to frustration…

A new beginning awaits Heather Jennings at Clemson. Sadly, her father lies dying of cancer, her sister appears incapable of achievement, and a cocky player challenges her patience. Life changes when she encounters a man capable of handling her feisty attitude. However, the last thing Heather needs is a serious relationship with a man equally fixated on work and opposed to marriage…”

Described as “encouragement personified”, this five-book, Southern-based YA series portrays love and friendship overcoming all obstacles.

How do you develop characters?
Characters always come first for me. I use a character sheet and outline the basics - background, personality, strengths, weaknesses, activities, appearance, and goals. I’ve studied human behavior and it’s amazing how much events of the past affect a person’s personality and behavior. Once I’ve factored in all of these attributes, I can drop a character into any situation and know how he or she will respond.

How do you promote yourself online and off?
You mean, what DON’T I do? LOL

Online I maintain two websites, a blog, and a writer’s club. I’m involved in several social networks and have a group fan page on Facebook. I post articles online, contribute to several newsletters, participate in online conferences, do online radio, and go on virtual tours.

In the real world, I do many speaking engagements, teach seminars, book signings, media interviews, attend book festivals, and promote myself with cards, brochures, postcards, and bookmarks. My website is even on the back of my vehicle! (So if you see a red Tribute, look for The Circle of Friends on the back.)

What are your current projects?
I’m still promoting the last in my YA series, but this summer I will conduct research for a teen version of Overcoming Obstacles with SPUNK! (Young people are in desperate need of hope in this country.) I also have plans for an urban fantasy novel.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?
www.thecircleoffriends.net - YA series website

www.spunkonastick.net - speaker site

www.circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com - blog

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn7tSWQqdYc - book trailer


Circle of Friends Book V: Heather
$19.95 USA, 6x9 Trade paperback, 282 pages, Fiction/YA

ISBN 978-0-9816210-5-0 / 0-9816210-5-8
Winner of the TOP CHOICE Award - a perfect 10

“I couldn't sleep not knowing what was going to happen next… definitely one of the best books I have read in a long time. It was brilliant. Props to L. Diane Wolfe!”- FlamingNet Reviews

“Heather deals with real life and real situations - 5 Stars”- Teens Read Too
“Wolfe has created amazing characters with believable attributes and flaws; making Book V…a true gem.”

                                                                  - Donna M. McDine, Write What Inspires You Book Reviews


“Even after reading the novel, I am haunted by these characters… This is the power of Wolfe’s writing.”

                                                                                                                            - The Book Peddler
“She puts so much emotion into her stories…”- There’s Always Something to Read Reviews

“Five Flames - Outstanding Book That Will Stay On My Bookshelf For Rereading!”

                                                                                                                   - My Overstuffed Bookshelf
“… quite a refreshing read.”- Peace, Love & Pat Reviews
“I did not want to put down… You will truly be drawn into the story and will find yourself eager to see what happens next.”- Dad of Divas Reviews
“Thought-provoking, heart-warming, humorous and spirited.”- Red Headed Book Child Reviews

“A nice completion to the series - 4 Stars.”- Debbie’s World of Books

Diane, thanks for the interview from one North Carolina gal to another.