Interview of Author Dianne Venetta

Today it's my pleasure to present an interview of romance author, Dianne Venetta.

Latest Book Ladd Springs


BIO:
Dianne Venetta lives in Central Florida with her husband and two children--and her part-time Yellow Lab (Cody!). An avid gardener, she spends her spare time growing organic vegetables. Surprised by the amazing discoveries she finds there every day, she wondered, "Who knew there were so many similarities between men and plants?"

What began as a brief hiatus from writing has blossomed into an ever-expanding home garden and blog at BloominThyme.com -- stop by and share some tips!

When she's not knee-deep in dirt or romance, Dianne contributes garden advice (challenged!) for various websites (a crazy existence to be sure). But at the end of the day, if she can inspire someone to stop and smell the roses--or rosemary!--kiss their child and spouse good-night, be kind to a neighbor and Mother Earth, then she's done all right.

Her debut novel, JENNIFER'S GARDEN received 4 1/2 stars from RT Book Reviews, May 2012!

Q: Do all your heroes and all heroines look the same in your mind as you “head write”?
A: Each is very individualistic and I find it to be one of the more challenging aspects of writing. I know my characters, their features, their best points, their peculiarities, but getting the reader to see them as clearly as I do is tough. But I try! I always try.

Q: What hobby do you enjoy when not writing?
A: Gardening. I garden, I blog (you can find me at BloominThyme!), I teach the kids at school… I love it. Not only do I find it relaxing, but extremely rewarding. When you spend so much time indoors at a solitary task like writing, it’s nice to go out in the fresh air and dig into the dirt, talk to the neighbors, chase the kids around—and you’re rewarded with gorgeous, luscious produce. Awesome!

Q: What’s your strongest point as a writer?
A: Self-discipline and the ability to write an outline. I know there are some authors who write by the seat of their pants, but I’m not one of them. I need to where I’m going before I begin. I need to know who the characters are, they’re intentions… Now I’m not saying things can’t change along the way—they do—but I have to have a starting point, especially important when writing a series of connected romances like Ladd Springs.

Q: You’re on a remote island with a handsome man, a computer, and a “mysterious” source of electricity to power your computer. What do you do?
A: Is this a trick question? What any red-blooded romance author would do – research and write my next novel!

Q: What genre would you like to try writing in but haven’t yet done so? Why?
A: I’d love to write children’s books about gardening (my hobby and volunteer outlet). I actually have a rough draft written for one, but simply haven’t had the time to do it justice, or an artist willing and able to bring it to life. But 2014—that’s when I plan to tackle that project! After five books in 2013, I’ll come up for air again and test new waters.

Q: Facebook, MySpace, Blogs, Chats, or Twitter. Which do you like best and why?
A: I love facebook. Despite the fact that it can suck up time faster than a black hole in outer space, it keeps me connected—to the present, the past, friends and fans. I love it! And the capacity to post pictures is wonderful. From fun cartoons to a night out with the girls, book covers and new pet tricks, I enjoy roaming through the news feeds and timelines.

Tell us where to find you: website(s), publisher’s page(s), blog(s), Facebook page(s), etc. List them all!
You can find me on my fave facebook at www.facebook.com/DianneVenetta as well as twitter @DianneVenetta
And BTW – I’m having a facebook party as we speak for my latest release, Ladd Springs! Be sure to stop by and enjoy the fun!
My romance author website is www.diannevenetta.com while my garden blog is www.bloominthyme.com

BLURB:
A deathbed promise and a mysterious find in the Tennessee forest bring Delaney Wilkins and Nick Harris together in a dramatic fight for the rights to Ladd Springs.

Delaney Wilkins finds herself at odds with hotel developer Nick Harris over a deathbed promise and a mysterious find in the forest. Both are after title to Ladd Springs, a mecca of natural springs, streams and trails in the eastern Tennessee mountains, a tract of land worth millions. But Ernie Ladd, current owner of the property and uncle to Delaney, is adamantly opposed to them both.

Felicity Wilkins, Delaney’s daughter, deserves to inherit her family’s legacy, but neighbor Clem Sweeney is working against her, ingratiating himself with Ernie Ladd. Clem is also harboring a secret that will make him a very wealthy man—unless the others stop him before he can bring it to fruition.

Complicating matters is Annie Owens. Ex-girlfriend to Jeremiah Ladd, Ernie’s estranged son living in Atlanta, she declares her daughter Casey is Jeremiah’s, making Casey every bit as entitled to the property as Felicity—only Annie hasn’t proven this claim. Yet.

All are fighting to get the property, but only one will walk away with the gold. Which will it be? Find out in the first installment of Ladd Springs...

EXCERPT:
Crouched in the Tennessee mountain brush, Delaney Wilkins pushed up from her knees and moved farther into the thicket for a better view. Beneath the canopy of laurel and oaks, the scent of wet earth and decomposing leaves rose thick in the air around her. She craned her head to look between the trees. Some blackened, others gray, trunks stood in varying stages of decay, victims to the slew of storms that ripped through the area several years back. And among them, two strangers. By the outline of their build, the rough jerk to their movements, they appeared to be men. But gender didn’t matter. Trespassers were trespassers and they were on her land.

Delaney held her breath, suppressing all thought but one. No one was supposed to be in her part of the woods. Did they venture too far off the USFS trail and get lost?

Her instincts hummed. The USFS was public land. It was possible. But these two seemed too intent on whatever it was they were doing to be lost hikers. She could hear their voices but was unable to make out the details of their conversation, or what—exactly—they were doing.Damn it, she had to get closer.

A quick survey of her surroundings told her the answer wasn’t here. Not unless she wanted to take up cliff diving down the slope before her, causing a ruckus that would obviously reveal her presence. Delaney scanned the upper ridge beyond the men. The trail behind her would take her to the top, but it was a twenty minute hike at a good clip. But they could be gone by then. She dropped her focus back to the strangers. There was one other way. She spied the narrow trail leading off to her left. It was a footpath she had forged years ago, one created as her secret weapon in games of “hide and seek” played with her cousin, Jeremiah Ladd. At one time, she had used the trail to kick his butt. At the moment, it would serve to get her thirty feet closer. Unfortunately, the pace she’d have to travel to remain undetected would have to be excruciatingly slow.

Delaney considered her options. Her Palomino, Sadie, was tied to a post at the base, the landmark her family had built to mark the opening for this trail. If she had to get anywhere fast, she knew Sadie would take her. Physical confrontation didn’t concern her—not with a pistol holstered snug in her boot.

Gravel and sticks crunched behind her. A thunderbolt of fear slammed into her. Shooting hand to boot, she whirled, ready to pounce.

“Hi,” came the hushed greeting.

With a sharp intake of breath, Delaney recovered from the initial shock and took in the unexpected sight of Nick Harris, the real estate developer determined to buy her family’s property—but what the hell was he doing here?

There, in the middle of the path, the six-foot-four man stood like a fool.

“Get down,” she hissed, her pulse continuing to hammer as she waved him toward the ground. Surprise swirled around a sudden suspicion teeming in his swarthy black eyes as he spied the hand sliding free from her boot. With a quick check on her quarry, she growled under her breath, “And be quiet!”

Squatting, he glanced in the direction she’d been looking and asked, “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” she said, her focus darting between him and the men. “Why are you following me?”

“I saw your horse tied to the post and became concerned.”

“Don’t be.”

Across the woods, the men rose to their full height and it was then Delaney got her first decent look at them. One was tall and bulky, the other was short and wiry. Wearing tattered cowboy hats and dirty T-shirts, they weren’t tourists.

Laughter punctuated the quiet, drawing Nick’s quick attention. “Who are they?” he demanded.

“Don’t know,” she replied, wondering what the men would do next.

“Let’s get out of here.” He pulled at her arm. “Those men could be trouble.”

Delaney shot him a hard glance and jerked away from his grasp. “Those men are trespassing on my land. If anyone needs to get out of here, it’s them.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he said. “If they’re trespassers, you need to call the police.”

She scoffed at the notion. Calling the police would not help her discover why they were here. It would only alert the men to the fact that she was onto them. The larger man suddenly slapped the shorter on the back and said something, but not loud enough for her to discern even a word. Within minutes, the strangers collected their belongings and took off in the opposite direction.

Delaney shot to her feet. Where were they going? That trail didn’t lead back to the government forest land. It led straight back to her cabin.


Anything else you’d like to add?
Ladd Springs was just released, the first of five planned for this year. Set in the eastern Tennessee Mountains, it’s a dramatic romantic fiction series that I’ve really enjoyed writing. You’ll find an excerpt on my website. I do hope you enjoy it and thanks for having me today!