A Wicked Welcome Back to Diane Vallere! **giveaway**

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by Julie, doing February in Somerville

Diane Vallere amazes me. She’s publishing her 40th novel, sends wonderful newsletters, and packs for a conference like no one else. Welcome back, Diane!

ALONG FOR THE RIDE

Sometimes, the most difficult thing for a control-centric person to do is take their hands off the wheel. To just let go and put their trust in someone/something else. I feel well-qualified to make this statement because I am, or have been, that person, the one with a death grip on the steering wheel of her life, laser-focused on where she wants to get, unaware that there are multiple ways to arrive at her destination.

But at times in my life, I’ve also been the other kind of person. The one who shows up with minimal baggage and rides shotgun, prepared for an adventure. Some of my favorite memories start out this way: no clue of what’s about to happen, just a series of yesses or why nots. The opportunity for discovery is high, and curious minds appreciate discovery. In fact, discovery is often at the intersection of curiosity and creativity, two well-traveled roads for any mystery writer!

I’ve been doing a daily count-up from my first book to my fortieth, which comes out on February 27, and it’s given me the opportunity to revisit beloved characters in early books and really see what makes me want to return to them over and over again. Writing about a series character is like putting on a favorite pair of broken-in shoes and going for a walk on an unfamiliar path.

And the control! Writing is control on steroids. We get to decide what our characters say and do, where they go, who they suspect. We get to drop them into any situation we want and write them out of corners.

But sometimes, our characters take control. Sometimes a story will feel like it’s writing itself. We might think we know who the killer is, or what scenes we’re going to include, we might plan to send our main characters out of town, thus cutting them off from the other series regulars. We might have the best outlines, but sometimes, we have to take our hands off the wheel and let the story go where it wants to go. We have to follow our instincts, not our outlines, and when an unexpected fact shows up during research, we have to let it blossom into an aspect of the story we never saw coming. I feel well-qualified to make this statement because it happens to me all the time.

In RANCH DRESSING, Samantha Kidd’s fifteenth mystery, she is off to a dude ranch that her father-in-law is thinking of buying. Samantha is not one to take her hands off the wheel, but she goes into this adventure as a guest. She knows nothing about western life—it’s her least favorite trend in fashion and she’s borrowed everything she packed—but when the owner turns up dead in the stables, Samantha can’t go along for the ride anymore, not when she knows someone at the ranch is a murderer.

Unknown – wooden signpost with one arrow, sky with clouds

When I start writing a book, I have an idea of the setting, the hook, and the life lesson my character has to learn. I know who the victim will be, and I have a general idea of the suspects (but not always the killer). I think I’m in charge. But somewhere along the way, an arrow that says This Way and points into the mist appears and I have a choice: follow the arrow into the unknown or stay on my charted path.

I always follow the arrow.

You never know what treasures you’ll find when you allow for the possibility that what you don’t know might be better than what you do.

What about you, reader? Do you like to be in control or are you up for unknown adventures?

DIANE VALLERE BIO:

National bestselling author Diane Vallere writes funny and fashionable character-based mysteries. After two decades in luxury retailing, she traded fashion accessories for accessories to murder. As past president of the national Sisters in Crime organization, she edited the Agatha-Award-winning essay collection PROMOPHOBIA: Taking the Mystery out of Promoting Crime Fiction. Diane started her own detective agency at age ten and has maintained a passion for shoes, clues, and clothes ever since.

SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES:

RANCH DRESSING BLURB:

When fashionista Samantha Kidd’s father-in-law arranges a week on the dude ranch he’s aiming to buy, Samantha preps for blue skies and clean living. But all too soon she learns life on the ranch is anything but calm. When the owner is found dead inside one of the stables, all signs point to murder.

As Samantha wrangles clue after clue, she smells something rotten—and it’s not manure. In her quest for the truth, she encounters quirky cowhands, brazen barrel racers, and suspicious horseplay—not to mention a social paradigm straight from the eighteen hundreds.

Can Samantha bring justice to the wild west of eastern New Jersey, or will a renegade ranch dweller get away with murder?

BUY LINKS:

PREORDER GIVEAWAY:

https://www.dianevallere.com/ranch-dressing-preorder-contest

  1. Preorder RANCH DRESSSING
  2. Fill out form on my website

GIVEAWAY ON THE STORYGRAPH (ENDS FEB 18):

4 print copies, 100 digital copies! https://bit.ly/3UxFppF

Published by Julie Hennrikus aka Julia Henry

One woman, three names, many books. As Julia Henry she writes the Garden Squad series for Kensington. As J.A. Hennrikus she writes the Theater Cop series, and as Julianne Holmes she wrote the Clock Shop series. Click on my profile picture to connect with me on Facebook and Instagram! @JHAuthors

34 Thoughts

  1. Welcome Diane! I like to have some form of control, but sometimes the unknown can be exciting. Congrats on your upcoming release and 40th book published.

  2. YAY!!! Congrats on the upcoming book, Ranch Dressing, and a big thank you for Promophobia. I am sure your local SinC members will love this visit with the Wickeds. See you soon!

  3. Great to see you here, Diane! For me, part of the magic of writing is when the characters have a mind of their own. It’s like I’m channeling something – I have to keep typing to find out what happens. It doesn’t happen all the time, but I love when it does. Best of luck with the new book. #40 – wow!

  4. Hi, Diane!

    One time, while I was bemoaning the fact that a story was going in a different direction than I’d planned, toward a resolution I didn’t want (despite the fact that it was so much better than what I’d intended), my husband said, “You’re the writer. You can make your characters do whatever you want.” I looked at him like he’d sprouted a second head. No, you cannot make your characters do whatever you want. Silly boy.

    Congrats on the new book!

  5. Congratulations, Diane, on your fortieth book. I remember Samantha in book one so well. You literally got her up a tree. I am so impressed with all you’ve accomplished. Well done.

  6. Hi Diane,
    Congratulations on book #40! That’s a huge accomplishment.
    Readers love well written, long running series.
    And Thank You for Promophobia, it’s such a great resource!

  7. Welcome Diane. Forty books – wow! I know well the sense of characters doing whatever they please. The ending of SAVING THE GUILTY took me by surprise – and not just because of who the killer is. Characters. You put them on the page and suddenly they’re doing whatever they want, right?

    But I confess: I do like a little control in both writing and real life.

  8. Congratulations I’m advance on your new book, Diane! Exciting times. I’m about 50/50 when it comes to control versus adventure. I’m a bit of a scaredy cat, but am trying to be more open to the adventurous part of me. Cheers!

  9. The majority of the time, I’m a stay on the path person. However, as a senior citizen I have finally found the fun and adventures of getting off the path sometimes.

    Can’t wait for the opportunity to read and review RANCH DRESSING!
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

  10. Welcome back, Diane! I love this post and I really love that you said you know the life lesson your character is going to learn. I confess, it’s not something I’ve ever thought through when I start writing a book. Congratulations on the big four o — you are amazing!

  11. You are amazing – Happy 40! I remember beta reading the first Samantha Kidd. So proud of you.

    As for me. Certified (or is that certifiable) risk-taker. I love adventure and change and love it when my characters decide to drive the bus.

  12. It’s always fun to catch up with you, Diane! One of my favorite ways to go adventuring is to travel long distances navigating by compass and avoiding interstate highways. We’ve seen interesting and unexpected sights.

      1. Good point. Otherwise it might appear to be a kidnapping situation or turn into justifiable homicide.

  15. I like to be on control most of the time. I get irritated at work when I get interrupted with what I have planned to do. There are times, however, that I like to just go with the flow.

  16. I like to be in control. I am in a wheelchair. It can be challenging to let go and trust someone else. Thank you for sharing. God bless you.

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