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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/delaneydiamond 

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.