Today we are celebrating the worldwide release of Diane Burton's The Wild Rose Press release, One Red Shoe! To celebrate, she's giving away a tour-wide $20 e-gift card to Amazon or Barnes and Noble. You'll need to stay tuned to see how to enter! Good luck and enjoy!
~Mia
A Writer’s Life
by
Diane Burton
I used to think authors had easy jobs. They just told a
story, somebody published it, and it ended up in a bookstore where people
bought it. I thought “piece of cake; I could do that.”
How naïve. I can say that now, but when I started writing
(with the purpose of being published) twenty years ago, I had no idea what I
was getting into even though I researched publishers and agents, discovered
Romance Writers of America (and a local chapter), all while writing my very
first romance novel. I sent that manuscript off with high hopes, only to have
those hopes dashed. I was crushed, but I didn’t give up. I submitted more
manuscripts and received more rejections. Some were form letters and others had
nice things to say about my writing—just not that story. And then the best of
all: a request to send something else.
It’s a good thing stories abound in my head. I’ll read an
article in the newspaper or online and my imagination takes off. Same with
documentaries on the Science or History channels. Ideas have never been a
problem. In fact, it’s the reverse. Too many ideas, not enough time. Choosing
which idea to write first is a bigger problem.
I’ve never faced a blank screen, not knowing how to start. A
first sentence always jumps into my head. It may not end up as the first
sentence in the finished product, but it sparks the story. I’m what’s called in
the business a “pantzer”—writing by the seat of the pants—as opposed to a
plotter who plans out every step of the story. Along about chapter eight, I get
bogged down. Where is this story going? Most importantly, how am I going to get
there? Plotters don’t have that problem. So I have to stop writing (which I
wasn’t doing anyway) and plot. Otherwise that story will go off on tangents.
And then there’s research. Some writers do it ahead of time. I do it on the
fly. Hey, it’s what works for me.
Finally, the story is done. Unfortunately, that’s only the
first draft. Along the way, my critique partner has pointed out the good parts
and the flaws. I almost wish she’d stick to the former. Note, I said “almost.”
If someone didn’t point out uncharacteristic behavior or plot holes, I would
blithely assume the story was perfect.
Now comes the hard part—revisions. As I read through the
first draft, along with my critique partner’s notes, I revise. Since I have a
hard time looking at the big picture only, I fix the typos or tweak sentences
here and there. With old (I mean, former) English teachers, old habits die
hard. Then I read the story again. And again. Until I’m satisfied then it’s off
to the editor. If I’m self-publishing this novel (as I do with my science
fiction romances), I send the manuscript to a free-lance editor. With my
romantic suspense, One Red Shoe, an editor from The Wild Rose Press edited it.
I was very fortunate with One Red Shoe that my editor
thought it didn’t need much work—a little cleanup, a few tweaks and
corrections. While waiting for the original acceptance from the publisher and
until the edits came back, I was writing my next story. A writer never rests.
After completion of edits and cover art approval, the book
is ready to be published. I can sit back and relax, right? No way. Promotion
comes next. If nobody’s ever heard of my book, nobody will buy it. And,
seriously, the point is to make money. Not that most writers will ever make a
living wage from their writing. <big sigh>
Meanwhile, it’s on to the next story and the one after that.
So here I am, hanging out at Mia’s blog, hoping I’ve
intrigued you a little about my new romantic suspense, One Red Shoe. If you’re
curious, here’s
more.
Blurb for One Red Shoe...
Wannabe writer rescues wounded spy while risking her heart.
Daria Mason’s life is too predictable. Nothing ever happens
in her small Iowa town where everybody knows everybody else. But when she
travels to New York City looking for a little excitement, she never expects to
bring home a wounded spy.
From the moment agent Sam Jozwiak steals intel vital to US
security from a Russian Mafia kingpin, Murphy’s Law takes over. No matter how
he covers his tracks, the kingpin’s assassins find him. What’s worse than
getting shot in the butt? Accepting help from an Iowa tourist.
Sam and Daria flee cross country with the assassins right
behind them. Sharing danger and excitement—and a few kisses—with Sam soon has
Daria convinced he’s the man for her. He thinks she’ll be better off once he’s out
of her life for good. With their lives on the line, can she convince him they
belong together?
Excerpt for One Red Shoe:
The guy with the itchy trigger finger had to be Korioff’s
son. If so, the syndicate was in big trouble. Oh, darn. Sam smiled for the
first time since the wee hours of Saturday morning when he found Yuri in his
hotel room and rolled down the stairs with the bumbling partner. Only sheer
dumb luck enabled Sam to escape then. Luck wasn’t with him now.
The two made no effort to conceal their locations. Yuri was
searching one side of the room and Junior the other. Since they were separated,
Sam could take them out one at a time. Christ, he hated hand-to-hand combat.
Too close, too personal. Unlike a bullet. Though trained in self-defense, Sam
was no assassin.
Unlike Yuri.
Zzt-ping-ping-thud. Christ, the kid was shooting again.
Bullets ricocheted off the industrial shelving and penetrated boxes. Yuri
yelled at him again. From the vantage point of height in the center of the huge
room, Sam watched the shadows of the men searching for him. One, big and
clumsy. The other shorter with the stealth of experience. And no Teller. Could
the day get more screwed up than this?
Zzzt-ping-ping—
Fire streaked across Sam’s butt. He clenched his teeth to
keep from sucking air or, worse, crying out in pain. Carefully, he looked over
his shoulder.
Damn. Those were his favorite jeans.
One Red Shoe is available at:
And wherever ebooks are sold.
~*~
About the author:
Diane Burton combines her love of mystery, adventure,
science fiction and romance into writing romantic
fiction. Besides the science
fiction romance Switched series, she is the author of The Pilot, the first book
in a series about strong women on the frontier of space. One Red Shoe is her
first romantic suspense. She is also a contributor to the anthology How I Met
My Husband. Diane and her husband live in Michigan. They have two children and
two grandchildren.
Connect with Diane Burton online
Contest Details!
Diane Burton is giving away a tour-wide $20 gift card for Amazon or B&N to a lucky commenter. For extra chances, please use Rafflecopter below:
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