Author Spotlight
Author, Diane Major in the spotlight!!

Hello. Thank you for visiting my blog today. I’m Rebecca Scarberry (@Scarberryfields on Twitter), and author of Messages from Henry, Rag Doll, Jumper, Jumper Bounces Back, and Where Love Takes You. I’m thrilled to spotlight Diane Major (@DianeMajor1 on Twitter). I love her books and could hardly wait to get her answers to my questions. She has just released a sequel to Like Hell Itself,  and it's fabulous!

 

Rebecca: Would you please tell us where you live and a little about it?

Diane: Hi Becky, and thank you for this spotlight. I live in the North East of England and am fortunately surrounded by my family. The North East was a coal mining area which has declined since the pit closures and now the recession, but life goes on!

Rebecca: Who or what inspires you to write fiction?

Diane: I’ve always wanted to write, but life got in the way. What with, marriage, then children, and a busy career, it was impossible to fit it in. As a child I wrote a fantasy adventure book which has long since gone. However, my mum can still remember it.

Rebecca: Would you please tell us what books you’ve published, what genres they are, and what your favorite genre to write is?

Diane: I have published books for adults, young adults, and children. The genres include fantasy adventure, a dystopian novel, science fiction, as well as ghost stories. The books are:

Children of Fury - adult – paranormal romance/fantasy

I Am Nine – adult/young adult –dystopian/fantasy

Enmitus and Enmitus The Children – adult – science fiction/fantasy

Flint and Amorphous – adult/young adult – science fiction/fantasy

A Very Complicated Molecule – adult/young adult – science fiction/paranormal/fantasy

The Mason and Bess Series (3 books) – children – fantasy adventure

Like Hell Itself (2 books)

 

 

 

 

 

 

As for my favourite genre, all of my books have an element of fantasy adventure. Therefore, I enjoyed writing all of them. I did, however, find the children’s books a welcome change to the much longer more mature novels.

Rebecca: Can you please tell us who some of your favorite self-published authors are?

Diane: Ha! Well, I love your books, especially Rag Doll. John Dolan is very talented, and if you’re looking for fantasy, then there is Ruth Watson-Morris. There are so many really good indie authors about that I couldn’t possibly name them all!

Rebecca: Do you have a favorite time or place you write most of your books?

Diane: Now that’s an easy one. I write whenever I get the chance. I sit at the kitchen table as it gives me the best access to lots of coffee. I sit there with my daughter’s cocker spaniel at my feet when I’m dog sitting.

Rebecca: If and when you get writer’s block, what do you do to get past it?

Diane: Well, a couple of glasses of wine or some vodka or diet coke usually work. ◕‿◕

Rebecca: If you could ask one question of any author that’s dead or alive, what author would you ask, and what would you ask?

Diane: Which author? My answer is . . . I have no idea. Lol. Hmm. The question I’d like to ask all current authors would be about motivation. Yes, I have written and published several books, but sometimes I wonder if all the time involved in publication is worth the effort. And is all the time marketing worth the effort? Then I tend to think, but this is what I want to do. So, how do all of you other indie authors remain motivated in this world of publishing?

Rebecca: Do you aspire to become traditionally published?

Diane: Yes, deep down I suppose I do. However, it isn’t of any great importance. It’s just a bit of a dream.

Rebecca: You have a wild imagination and this is one reason I love reading your books. Have you had this great imagination of yours since you were a child?

Diane: Absolutely! As I said previously I actually wrote a book. It was also usually me who organised the other kids when it came to games and the like. ◕‿◕

Rebecca: Do you have any advice you’d like to give aspiring fiction writers?

Diane: I think you have to be brave. If it’s what you want to do, go for it. It’s unlikely you’ll sell many books, make any money, become famous, or see your book turned into a TV/film, but if you enjoy writing do it for yourself. You might face criticism. Take it. Not everyone likes all genres or even individual stories. Some readers pick up on what might be perceived as small errors and make a lot of them. That’s their prerogative. Learn from it or if you feel it’s unfair, ignore it. You might not have much cash for editors, proof readers, and covers. If this is the case, use your contacts. I have to say there are people out there who will help. You just have to find them. If you feel, as an individual, that you have no more stories to tell; then you can always put down your pen. There are many authors out there and you’re up against traditionally published authors, people in the know, famous people, etc, etc. You have to be realistic about your expectations. 

Rebecca: Thank you so much for answering my questions, Diane. Such a pleasure to know you and have you on my blog. Marketing is very stressful, but we can't stop now. Our fans are waiting for us to publish another book. Ha! Ha!

Diane’s Links:

Amazon author page: http://smarturl.it/tpvonm

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/232241813520751/

goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard