Monday, September 16, 2013

SAY HELLO TO DIANE BATOR AND THE BOOKSTORE LADY



Hello, Diane

Welcome to Flowers and Thorns.



I'm so happy to have you here, Diane. Your mysteries look absolutely fantastic.

 

Why don't you tell us a little about your writing.

 
My two bits:
When I was a kid, I love to read. In fact, there were few days my mom didn't find me draped over the couch in some awkward fashion reading the book of the day. And yes, I went through a lot of books. The ladies at the public library in town knew me. Picture books gave way to first readers until in 4th grade I discovered The Hardy Boys. Thus began my love of both writing and mysteries. Nancy Drew was an okay alternative in a pinch, but I loved The Hardy Boys. Then I discovered Sidney Sheldon, Stephen King and Janet Evanovich.
Ironically enough, while I was always a writer, I never started to write mystery novels until 2010 when I discovered a contest called Murder in Ink put on by a Canadian publisher, Wynterblue Publishing. The contest was based around writing a novella as a group effort using an old murder mystery party game. I was intrigued and dove into the concept. In the end, they changed the contest so one author wrote the entire novella and I won! Murder on Manitou was published in January 2012 and I haven't looked back since.
I'm 3/4 pack rat and still have short stories, poems and manuscripts I wrote way back in high school. My dad, a musician, even wrote songs using some of my poems and lyrics.
My Wild Blue Mystery series started out as general fiction that takes place in the fictional town of Packham and became a line of mystery novels, the first of which is The Bookstore Lady, represented by Dawn Dowdle of Blue Ridge Literary Agency. I began writing The Bookstore Lady in 2007 and it has been through several edits -- ten or so -- before published by Books We Love.
As I've matured and learned more and more about writing and publishing and after all those years, I have several more books to follow. The point is, I NEVER GAVE UP! Writing has been my passion for so long, I wanted to make it happen. Having a book published was the number one thing on my Bucket List. Not one to sit back and do nothing, I am currently finishing a collection of short stories and am editing the second book in the Wild Blue Mystery series.
Wow, I'm impressed. You are a busy lady. Let's see the cover and tell us a little about your latest.
 
The Bookstore Lady
Wild Blue Mysteries
 Danny Walker is tracking Paulina Chourney who fell deep into the dark side of life and is lucky to get out before her boyfriend Maddox kills her. She escapes Maddox and arrives in a small town, which she sees as a blessing in disguise since the men she worked for would never think to look for her in a lazy, backwater place like Packham. She changes her name to Katie Mullins, makes a deal on a little bookstore and joins a local writing group then successfully fades into anonymity. Until Danny Walker shows up to visit family and figures out who she is. 
 When Paulina catches her 80-year-old landlady Hilda Clayton sneaking out in the middle of the night, the bad guys catch up to her and Danny disappears. Katie has to choose between spending her life on the run or standing up to face her past. Hopefully before the quirky townsfolk turn her death into a spectacle.
The Bookstore Lady Available at:
Amazon:   http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DWKNGPQ
All Romance E-Books:  https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thebookstorelady-1239942-177.html
Barnes & Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-bookstore-lady-diane-bator/1116037812?ean=2940148380122
Smashwords:  http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/335861
Kobo:  http://store.kobobooks.com/en-ca/books/The-Bookstore-Lady/aqRmTRQKY0uLOsol9Ci5zw
Diane has been a writer since she was able to hold a pencil and tell a story. An avid hiker, Reiki Master and martial artist, she loves to make a mess in the kitchen and putters in the garden at will. Joining the Headwaters Writers' Group in 2007 was the catalyst for unearthing several old writing projects. Her first murder mystery, Murder on Manitou, was published after winning a writing contest in 2010. She lives in Southern Ontario with her husband, three kids and a cat who thinks he's a dog. The Bookstore Lady is her latest novel.
To learn more about Diane, visit her sites.
My website: http://penspaintsandpaper.com
I love the cover. And we love comments, too.
Won't you please leave one for us?
 
 

 

3 comments:

  1. I do enjoy a mystery and having been both writer and bookstore owner I'm certainly familiar with the perfect path to anonymity.

    This title should grab every hopeful writer's attention.

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  2. This is on my to read list. Thanks for sharing some of your life with us, Diane.

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  3. Enjoyed learning more about you, Diane. I'm impressed you've saved all your writings from when you were a kid!

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