Why do you write the genre that you write?
I write what I like to read: mysteries with quirky characters and a touch of romance. That puts me in cozy/humorous mystery territory. My first published book features a former fashion buyer who gave up her career to move back to the town where she grew up. Coincidentally (or perhaps not), I’m a former fashion buyer who has given up her career to move back to the town where I grew up . . .
Tell us how you got into writing?
I wrote (or attempted to write) my first book in high school. It was a teen romance in the style of Sweet Dreams Romances – the books that filled my TBR pile after Trixie Belden, The Three Investigators, Nancy Drew, and Connie Blair. It ended up being 26 pages long. Several years later, I thought the greatest career in the world would be to write a children’s mystery series, but I didn’t have any ideas. And a few years after that, I discovered Janet Evanovich, Laura Levine, Sarah Strohmeyer, and Lawrence Block, which opened my eyes to the world of humorous mysteries.
What’s next for you?
Tough Luxe, Samantha Kidd #11 (and my 30th book!) came out in February. In it, Samantha finds herself meeting with a former high school classmate – a pretzel heiress — in the local women’s prison, serving time for killing her husband. The question: did she or didn’t she? And my next book is Teacher’s Threat, Madison Night Mystery #8. After some particularly devastating circumstances in the previous book, Madison finds herself enrolled in business school, where her professor turns up dead. I’m about a quarter of the way through the story and already love the direction it’s headed. It is scheduled for June 2021.
What are you reading now?
I just started Laura Dave’s Hello Sunshine (women’s fiction) and Adam Grant’s Think Again (non-fiction). And as soon as I send this interview, I’m headed out to the bookstore to see what strikes me next.
Where can we find you?
These Covid-days, you can find me in my office in Pennsylvania! I’ve backed away from social media a lot over the past two years, but I send a weekly newsletter, The Weekly DiVa, on Sunday mornings. (New subscribers get that high school romance manuscript as one of the bonuses for signing up.) I’m also getting back into Goodreads, because who doesn’t love chatting about books?
The Weekly DiVa
Goodreads
YouTube
Now to have some fun . . .
Vanilla or chocolate
Vanilla
Pizza or burgers
Pizza
Broccoli or squash
Broccoli
Breakfast, lunch, or dinner
Lunch
Mountain or beach
Beach
Introvert or Extrovert
Extrovert
And even more fun . . .
You are stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?
A wi-fi signal, an e-reader, and reading glasses. Time enough at last!
My bio:
After two decades working for a top luxury retailer, Diane Vallere traded fashion accessories for accessories to murder. She is a national bestselling author and a past president of Sisters in Crime. She started her own detective agency at age ten and has maintained a passion for shoes, clues, and clothes ever since.
Great interview!
Thanks, Judy!
Tough Luxe sounds like fun, Diane, with a pretzel heiress to boot. I’m in!
Have a stash of pretzels handy, Nancy!
Hi Diane! I was just thinking about you. So nice to hear about all you’re doing. 30 books! Fantastic!
Thanks, Molly! I was just thinking about you too. Found our playlist from our joint book release way back in 2014!
Congratulations on yet another release. Your productivity astounds me. Well done.
Thank you, Grace! xoxo
Congratulations, Diane. I’m so impressed with your productivity and ability to juggle multiple series.
Thanks, Sharon! It keeps me organized 🙂
Hi Diane, congrats on the new release! You are a dynamo! I found it interesting that you’ve backed away from social media over the past couple of years. Sounds like a great way to improve your productivity!
Hey, Terry! Yes, once I stepped back from social media, it became a lot easier to stay focused. Eyes on your own paper and all that!
Hi Diane, Love your newsletter — it’s the highlight of my Sunday!
Thank you, Cheryl! xo
30!! Diane, you’re a tornado! Good for you!!
Thanks, Kaye! I sometimes have to recount just to make sure I’m not lying!
Congrats on the new book. Pretzel heiress sounds interesting. Wish I had your energy!
Sybil, backing away from social media definitely helped conserve my energy. It was a this or that choice!
There are only so many hours in the day! It seems like it’s worked for you. Hope to see you sometime.
A dear friend introduced me to your books. I’m forever grateful to her! Congratulations, and know that I’ll be binging all of your backlog. Nice to virtually “meet” you. I’m in PA also. It’s freezing today, so I’ll head to your author page and sign up for a little Sunday cheer for tomorrow.
Nice to virtually meet you too, Tracy! Enjoy the books!
Loved reading this. And loved Tough Luxe! Glad Laura Levine inspired you. She’s a pal. She took class of mine through UCLA almost 20 years ago and when I began writing mysteries, I reconnected with her. She’s GREAT!
Thanks, Ellen! Yep, Laura is wonderful!
Thanks Diane for participating in word with the author. You are my hero.
Thank you, Dru Ann! Love you! xoxo
It’s great that a Madison is back in school! I’m excited about this new adventure.
I also meant to ask – when does Apprehend Me come out in audio format?
Thank you, Maureen! It was definitely fun to send Madison to college. As for audio, I am hoping to have news of audio for books 7, 8, and 9 soon, but nothing just yet.