By Dianne Harman
According to whatever
written word one is reading, I’m elderly, or so they refer to people my age in
the newspapers and in books. I’ve always liked the saying that goes something
like, “How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you were?” I think I’d
be in my 40’s or 50’s. You probably wonder why I even both to bring this up.
Well, I wrote my first
book and published it when I was 68. Now, its three years later, and I have
fourteen books out and all of them have been best sellers and several are #1
now in various categories on Amazon. Too late to start something new? Don’t
think so. At least that memo never made it to me.
It all started when my
husband and I were at a wedding in Palm Springs. It was 107 degrees in October.
I made an offhand statement that changed my life. I looked at him and said,
“Wouldn’t it be wild if someone put a drug in the air conditioning and everyone
felt good all the time. And so Blue Coyote Motel was born, the first of three
in the suspense series. I started writing it that afternoon on my iPad at the
hotel. It received great reviews and even won a couple of awards. I was
pleasantly shocked.
I changed genres a year
ago. I remember the moment well. We were at a resort in Arizona, and I was
having coffee in bed, playing with my iPad. I started making some notes about a
coffee shop on the Oregon Coast. At that moment I decided to write a cozy
mystery because I love dogs, food, and cooking. A month later I published
Kelly’s Koffee Shop, the first of the Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery Series. For
whatever reason, it was an instant hit with people and climbed to the top of
the charts, even making Amazon’s Best Seller List of Top 100 Paid Kindle Books.
Without setting out to do it, I’d started a series. People wanted more of Kelly
and Mike and their adventures. Several books into the series I wondered what
would happen if I started another series.
I wrote about a woman
who is widowed and owns a spa/lodge north of San Francisco on the coast. The
first book in that series, Murder at Cottage #6, sold amazingly well. I was
thrilled that I wasn’t a one series author.
Now I’m getting ready to
publish the first book in yet another series, Murder and the Monkey Band, a
High Desert Cozy Mystery Series set in a small town near Palm Springs,
California. The protagonist in this series is an antique and art appraiser with
a psychic sister. I’m looking forward to seeing how it will do.
I’ve been told by
readers that one of the reasons they love my books is because the main
characters are middle-aged. They’ve seen a lot of life and even have a little
baggage at this time of their lives, but don’t we all? Children, grandchildren,
ex-husbands, deceased husbands, all of these are part of my books.
When I speak to groups
I’m often asked if I have any advice for someone who would like to write a
book. Sure do – just do it. You don’t need a million workshops, review groups,
or a degree in writing. Just do it! Follow your passion. Who knows? You may have
a best seller on your hand.
____________________________________________________________________
Dianne Harman lives in Huntington Beach, California
with her husband Tom, a former California State Senator, and her boxer puppy,
Kelly, named after the first book in the Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery Series, Kelly’s
Koffee Shop. Her passions are cooking and dogs, so when she’s not cooking,
she’s probably playing with Kelly, who has gone from being an inquisitive puppy
to a young dog that has learned what “leave it” and “no” mean, much to the
relief of Dianne and Tom! To view Dianne’s other books, go to http://ow.ly/QPNh1 Please
feel free to follow her on these social media sites: Web Site http://www.DianneHarman.com
Blog: http://dianneharman.com/blog/ Twitter:
@DianneDHarman https://plus.google.com/u/0/110409099727295696245/posts
https://www.pinterest.com/dianneharman96/ To find out about new releases and others
things related to my books, please go to my web site and sign up for my
newsletter. Plus, you can get a book of mine for free. Enjoy!
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