My Books!

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Three Things You Might Not Know About Delaney Diamond

My guest today is the fabulous Delaney Diamond who's sharing some intersting things with us about her writing.  She's also offering a nice prize to one lucky commenter during her blog tour.  She'll draw a name out of the hat to receive a $10 gift certificate and an ecopy of Fight For Love.  Here's a little bit about Delaney.

Author Bio.


Bio: I was born and raised in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Since 1998, Atlanta, Georgia has been my home. I write sweet and sensual romance novels in the interracial and African-American subgenres and the Love & Romance in Color column for Night Owl Reviews Magazine. I read romance novels, mysteries, thrillers, and a fair amount of nonfiction. I wrote my first romance novel at the age of 14 and received rave reviews from my friends  . I tapped out 89 pages on a typewriter and called it Captured Heart.



I’m a diehard foodie, so when my head’s not buried in a book, I’m in the kitchen trying out new recipes or dining at my favorite restaurants with friends. My other interests include holistic health, traveling, and frugal living.



Facebook fan page: www.facebook.com/DelaneyDiamond

Facebook personal profile: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001990293210

Website and blog: http://www.delaneydiamond.com



And now, let's let our guest talk! 

3 Things About Me That Influence My Writing



When I was asked to share a bit about myself and my writing, I have to admit I was stumped. I wondered what I could possibly talk about that would be interesting that I haven’t already shared. In the past eleven months since I’ve been published, I’ve done posts on my blog and guest posts at other sites, and I’m always trying to find new ways to say the same thing, but it’s not easy. This time I’ve decided to share three things about myself that show up in my writing and are based on my own personality traits.



I don’t curse.

In real life, I don’t curse, and I never have. Even though I don’t do it, it doesn’t bother me when others do, unless it’s overdone, which can occur with cringe-worthy frequency in conversations with certain people and in certain books. In my books, I tend to say something mild, like “damn,” but I’ll never drop the f-bomb. I’ve played around with the idea of adding stronger language in my books, but I just never felt like it was warranted, so I haven’t. I don’t think anyone is missing it.



I love to laugh.

Most of my favorite shows on television are comedies (Modern Family, Happy Endings, and Rules of Engagement anyone?), and I enjoy watching stand up comics on video or attending their live shows. Lately I’ve been trying to incorporate more comedic scenes in my romance novels, usually using secondary characters to provide comic relief in contrast to my heroes and heroines. In The Temptation of a Good Man, there’s a funny scene in the kitchen of the family’s vacation home where Roarke’s younger sister starts talking about her sex life, but her brothers are strongly opposed to hearing about it. I’ve received positive feedback about the comedic scenes I incorporate into my stories, so who knows, maybe one day I’ll pen a romantic comedy.



I love alpha men.

I like men who are alpha, strong, and determined. The men in my novels reflect these traits. They take charge and tend to be aggressive, and only the women they love can get through their armor. In Temptation, Roarke is not as alpha as I’m used to writing my heroes, but those qualities come to the surface in his pursuit of Celeste.



Writers, which personality traits have you incorporated into your books? Readers, what common threads do you notice in books by your favorite authors?

Thank you, Delaney for your interesting post.  And now would you please share an excerpt with us?

Blurb
Can true love be found after one night of passion?
Celeste Burton goes out with her girlfriends to celebrate turning thirty and winds up spending an unforgettable night with the man of her dreams. One week later, as a favor, she attends a wedding with a friend as his date and is shocked when she sees Roarke again.
Roarke Hawthorne despises cheating. Cheating tore apart his family years ago. When the physics professor sees the woman he spent the night with show up at his sister’s wedding on the arm of his brother, he knows he should keep his distance. But because of the night they set fire to the sheets in his hotel room, he can’t resist the urge to be close to her–nor can he resist the temptation to have her back in his bed.

Excerpt #2

Lust flickered in his eyes, and for tense moments they stared at each other, lost in the memories of heated whispers and tangled sheets. Then, as suddenly as he’d grabbed her, he dropped her arm like a hot coal.
“Derrick doesn’t deserve to be lied to and made a fool of.” He stepped around her toward the door.
Celeste grabbed his forearm to stall his exit. “Wait, please.”
“Celeste, I can’t do this.”
She slipped between him and the door. She couldn’t be the reason for a confrontation between the two brothers, and she couldn’t bear the humiliation of Derrick finding out she’d slept with his brother the first night they met. “Please don’t say anything to Derrick. I’ll stay out of your way. I promise. You won’t even know I’m here.”
He looked down at her hand, and she followed his gaze to where her fingers wrapped around his arm. She withdrew them with haste. When her eyes found his again, desire shimmied down her spine at the hunger she saw in his.
“That’s not what I meant,” he said, his voice thick and low. “I can’t be near you. You’re too much of a temptation. Maybe you can stay away from me, but I don’t know if I can keep my hands off of you.” He slammed his palms against the door above her shoulders.
Celeste jumped, her eyes widening in shock. Shaken, she pressed back against the hard door to distance herself from him. They were too close, and the instinctive movement did little to protect her from the heat of sexual frustration emanating from his pores.
His chest rose and fell with each deep breath, and a storm brewed in his dark brown eyes. “What are you doing to me?
The tortured question needed no answer. Even if she’d been obliged to respond, he seized her mouth before she could, and his tongue thrust between her lips. The muscular, dark cords of his arms encircled her waist and held her against his body, crushing her soft curves into each hard contour of his.


Wow!  Bring me a fan!  Things are about to heat up.  Again.  Delaney, I loved finding out more about you, and I think I'll have to get a copy of The Temptation of a Good Man.  Readers, you can buy it at Amazon for only $2.99 which in my opinion is a steal.

Delaney, come back and visit us anytime. 




18 comments:

  1. Thank you for having me, Elaine! it was my pleasure.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Delaney,

    You are a new-to-me author and I like the sound of your books. I especially love your comedy scene with the sister & her brothers!

    I'll be following you this week to learn more about you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Karen! (waves)

    Thanks for stopping in. It's nice to meet you.

    Stop by my website and check out exerpts from my books and my free reads. http://delaneydiamond.com/free-reads/

    I'll see you later this week on the rest of the tour!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow, we have something in common! I don't curse either! :)

    One of my characteristic that shows up in my writing is humor. I too love to laugh and try to find every opportunity to make others laugh.

    Looking forward to hanging out on your tour with you this week!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi, Delaney. I want to know where did u get the characters for this book from and the clubs they visit, do u go there?

    ReplyDelete
  6. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Sharon! Thanks for visiting. Nice to see we have a couple of things in common. I always knew you were good people (LOL).

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Shenika,

    The characters from the book are completely made up, but the places are similar to places I've visited in Atlanta. I like listening to live music, and Atlanta has some great spots for that.

    Avery's Juke Joint is actually based on a new restaurant in Atlanta called Sweet Georgia's Juke Joint. They have live music and the food is great.

    Tito's Lounge is based off of a spot in Atlanta, too, called Kat's Cafe. Each night of the week locals get up on the small stage with the band and sing or do spoken word. It's a cozy little spot. Earlier this year I celebrated my birthday there.

    The real establishments are not close to each other, but I made them that way in the book so Celeste and Roarke could easily get from one place to the next.

    Thanks for asking. Feel free to ask me any other questions.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Delaney. Great interview. I can't wait to read this.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Is there goin to be more of Matthew, in the up comin series? He's really funny. And will u ever have a female character that's a total alpha?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Lynn,

    Thank you for stopping in. I think you'll enjoy it.

    ReplyDelete
  12. wow i love the way you do this blog
    and then would love to read the books you have

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi, Delaney: I'm looking forward to following you this week and delving into The Temptation of a Good Man. And like you, I love an alpha! See you this week :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Shenika, yes, there will be more of Matthew. I dropped a hint about his love interest in the book--Cassidy's maid of honor. I've already started sketching out some scenes with the two of them.

    I've even been playing around with the idea of writing a book about Roarke's friend, Lucas, too. Nothing concrete yet, but I think someone needs to whip him into shape.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi Desi,

    Looking forward to seeing you on the rest of the tour.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Oops, Shenika, I forgot to answer your other question. I probably won't have an alpha female. I tend to like the men to be the alphas :). Although, Samirah in Private Acts, which I'm currently working on, is not my typical heroine. She's a bit on the wild side, and nothing like her sister, Rebekah in Fight for Love. I would call Samirah a free spirit.

    Niambi, thanks for following the tour. I'll see you at the next stop!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I love that you don't curse. I don't either. My Mother always said there are so many other words I could choose from. So I do.

    I can see you can use words well.


    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hello Marybelle,

    From a young age, my parents drilled it in our heads that we shouldn't curse, and it stuck with me.

    BTW, thanks for the compliment! I'll see you at the next stop.

    ReplyDelete