Welcome to the first-ever Meet and Greet Monday, where we pull an author or reader of romance out from out of that book they're buried in, drag them in front of everyone and introduce them. Please wave hello to today's featured guest, author Diane Burton!
First, I'll ask Diane a series of random questions, just because I'm nosy.
What is your middle name? Marie
Goes good with my middle name - Ann!
Where were you born? On an Air Force Base in Illinois. My dad
was in the Army Air Corp (predecessor of the U.S. Air Force. He met my mom at a
roller skating rink. The rest is history. LOL
That's just gotta be one of the best parent meeting stories - can't you just picture them holding hands, skating around the rink?
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| These are not Diane's parents. But aren't they cute? Photo Credit |
What would you do if you won the lottery? Pay off our
mortgage and our children’s mortgages; set up college accounts for the
grandchildren; take my family on a cruise; donate to my favorite charities;
invest the rest.
Hmm, I don't see anything in there about buying a hovercraft. Just sayin'.
What's your favorite holiday? Thanksgiving. No gifts, just
family getting together for a traditional meal. I love cooking for Thanksgiving
because I don’t have to think about what to prepare—same thing every year.
I love Thanksgiving, too. Sometimes my birthday even falls on it, which is doubly awesome, but the turkey is the definitely best part. Mmm, tryptophan...
What color socks do you have on? I’m not wearing socks. I
usually go barefooted in the house unless my feet are cold, then I wear plain
old white socks.
Diane, you a closet hippie. Rock those bare feet! Take a look at Diane's pic again and tell me she doesn't look like has hippie tendencies...
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Right where I am. We moved to be close to our grandchildren. Besides, I love
West Michigan.
I'm kind of fond of West Michigan, myself. Which is good, because I live here, too.
Do you still have a camera that uses real film? Yes, but I never use it. Hubs has cameras from the early 1900s.
I love old things, and my grandpa used to collect antique cameras. What a fantastic hobby!
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| But does Diane's husband have one of these? Photo Credit |
Pick up the book
closest to you. Turn to page 12. What's the first full sentence on the page? This is hard because I usually don’t read print books. I’ll
answer with what’s on my Kindle. From In The Black by Sheryl Nantus: The two
hundred-plus miners jumped to their feet as one, stomping their booted feet in
a deafening chorus.
Who is your favorite author of all time? Jayne Ann Krentz.
She is so versatile, writing contemporary romantic suspense, historical
romantic suspense (as Amanda Quick), and futuristics (as Jayne Castle). I
discovered her back in the 1980s when she wrote for Dell Candlelight. And I’ve
read all of her books. I even found a futuristic she wrote before that.
What are you currently working on? A contemporary mystery
featuring a female P.I. It’s set in a small, fictional resort town on Lake
Michigan. The Case of the Bygone Brother will be available in July.
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| The Chameleon: Latest Release from Diane Burton |
What book have you released most recently? The
Chameleon (An Outer Rim Novel): Think Legally Blond meet Mata Hari. Socialite
Jileena Winslott appears to be the spoiled, bubble-headed daughter of an
industrial magnate. In reality, she’s her father's smart, savvy aide, who
yearns to run the family business. When her father sends her on a covert
mission to the Outer Rim, she has the chance to prove herself. But he insists
she take along a fake fiancé—the man she’s secretly loved for years.
Can we read a little of it?
“The company belongs in the family,” Jileena said.
“You have to accept that your brother is dead.”
Despite her heartache, she stood in front of her
father, hands on her hips, determined to bring this to a head. She’d danced
around the subject long enough, dropping hints that he ignored. He may have
groomed her older brother to take over, but she wasn’t going down without a
fight. “I am family.”
With his trademark stare—one that made competitors
back off and employees quake—he pinned her in place. “You don’t have what it
takes to replace me.”
His remark sent such an arrow of hurt through her
she snapped, “Neither did Konner.” The moment the words left her mouth, she
wanted to retract them.
Father slumped back in his chair. The desolation in
his expression broke her heart.
Immediately, she dropped to her knees in front of
him. “I’m so sorry, Daddy. I shouldn’t have—”
In a gesture she remembered from childhood, he
smoothed her hair away from her forehead then tipped up her chin. “What you say
is true. He had no stomach for this cutthroat business. And neither do you,
thank the Divine One.” He patted her head twice. “You don’t have to worry about
that. Now get up. We have work to do. Plans to make.”
“Plans?”
“Baby, I’m sending you to Galeria 7 to check out
this discovery.”
“To the Outer Rim?” Jileena’s jaw dropped. While her
father had sent her on discreet missions before, he’d never sent her that far
from the Central Planets—especially since Konner had died out on the Frontier.
“You will check the site and do your own analysis.
Put that geology degree of yours into practice. If, indeed, it is high-grade
lambidium, you will negotiate mining rights with the local tribe.”
“M-Me?”
He’d done it again and seemed to enjoy surprising
her. He couldn’t mean it. He wasn’t sending her.
He had to be teasing. Yet he’d never been intentionally cruel. At least, not to
her.
“I certainly can’t send Sindaro. As soon as
reporters learn he left for the Rim, rumors would fly and negotiations would
fail.”
He was right about that. If secrecy was paramount,
Father had to send someone whose presence was innocuous. Someone like his
fluff-brained daughter.
“Discretion is imperative. No one will suspect you
are going out to the Rim for anything other than a vacation.”
Hope began to trickle through her. He’d never had
her negotiate anything as important as mining rights. He was giving her a
chance. A chance to prove herself.
I love your writing, Diane. I'm a big fan of yours after One Red Shoe, and I can't wait to try your Sci-Fi on for size. Where can we buy The Chameleon?
And where can we stalk you at, social media-wise?
Thanks for playing, Diane. And everyone else, be sure to come back next week and meet another talented writer, Melissa Keir! [
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