Christmas Awards 2011

Sunday 3 June 2007

An Interview with Jacqueline Diamond


A new author for me, her book Touch Me in the Dark was well reviewed on here by a reader - reader's reviews are worth their weight in gold! Anne

From: Jacqueline Diamond
http://www.jacquelinediamond.com/
jdiamondfriends@yahoo.com
Current books:
Daddy Protector, May release, Harlequin American Romance, ISBN 978-0-373-75167-9.
Touch Me in the Dark, Triskelion Publishing (e-book), ISBN 1-60186-168-0.
Next book:
Twin Surprise, September, Harlequin American Romance, ISN 978-0-373-75181-5.
Note:
Twin Surprise is a particular favorite of mine. The hero is a police officer with Parkinson Disease who discovers his life isn’t over – it’s just beginning.

Tell us a little about yourself
The boring but important part: I’m married (happily, for nearly 30 years), with two nearly grown sons and an ailing cat. The more interesting part: My mother, Sylvia Hyman, is an internationally renowned ceramic sculptor who will celebrate her 90th birthday this year and who just became the subject of a half-hour documentary by Curt Hahn. It’s screening at film festivals around the world and will soon be available on DVD.


What do you write?
During the past twenty-five years, I’ve published eighty novels. Most are romances – romantic comedy, romantic suspense, and contemporary romance – but I’ve also sold several hardcover mysteries, five Regencies, a fantasy novel and a horror novel. My first e-book, Touch Me in the Dark, is a paranormal romantic suspense.


Why do you write?
I always knew I was meant to be a writer. Fortunately, nobody in my family ever told me you can’t make a living at it, so I didn’t have to postpone pursuing my dream. That doesn’t mean it came easily. I could paper my two-story house with rejection slips if I’d saved them all, and that’s not counting the rejections that came by phone and e-mail. But there are stories I need to tell, and writing them is both a challenge and a joy.


What are you writing now?
I just finished a new romance for Harlequin American, the first of a trilogy that’s coming out next year, set in the Southern California community where I live. The working title is An Unexpected Family, and it’s about the interconnected lives of a group of neighbors.
Also, I’m writing my first novel of women’s fiction, a humorous take on two women rediscovering their friendship after a twenty-year estrangement.


What kind of clothes do you like to wear?
That’s a scary question! Truth is, since I work down the hall from my bedroom, I prefer jeans and casual tops. Sometimes I get really dressed up – in slacks and nicer tops.
Are you in love? Have you ever been?


After what felt like a long search, I found Mr. Right and married him at the age of twenty-nine. That may not seem old today, but twenty-nine years ago – that’s right; I’ve been married for exactly half my life – I was practically an old maid. It was worth it, though! To me, love is about friendship and mutual support.


Do you have a dream lover – and what does he look like?
A lot like the way my husband looked when we got married. Tall and dark with a twinkle in his eyes.


What kind of comfort food do you like best?
I love Chinese food. That’s first, followed by Italian (I used to live in Italy. After college, I won a writing fellowship from the Thomas Watson Foundation and spent a year in Europe, mostly Florence, working on a play). Oh, and my between-meals passion is Caramel Praline Crunch frozen yogurt.


What makes you laugh? Cry?
My kids and my cat make me laugh. Also, some of the wonderful writers in my longtime critique group. As for what makes me cry … losing someone I care about.


What do you do to amuse yourself when not working?
I read! Also, vegetable gardening is a lot more satisfying than it probably ought to be, considering the work involved and the constant battle with evil insects. Still, I find something deeply satisfying about harvesting food and sharing it with my family. Or just eating it myself!

What is it in a man or woman that turns you on? The clean version please!
Integrity. Curiosity. Enthusiasm.


What do you hate about life?
How many obstacles we have to overcome to get to the good parts. On the other hand, those obstacles are how we refine ourselves, so they’re necessary.


What do you hope to achieve in life and when will you know that you have been a success?
Mostly, success is a daily process of trying to make the best choices and be the most productive, constructive person I’m capable of. On the other hand, being human, I do set goals, and I’m fortunate enough to have been able to reach some of them. One was having children, after years of fertility and pregnancy-related problems. Another was, with my husband, raising our two boys to become fine young men. In my writing, I’m still working to expand my readership and develop new depth and greater range. When will I know I’ve succeeded? Maybe when I make the top ten of the New York Times bestseller list, if ever.


What are you going to write next? I’ve contracted to write two more Harlequin Americans, continuing the stories I started in An Unexpected Family. These should be published in 2008
Jacqueline's books can be bought from

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