Welcome, Kay. Tell us
how much of yourself you write into your characters.
The main character in my novel shares a few of my attributes.
For example, she’s a software developer and a runner. But most of my characters
are drawn from friends, acquaintances, or my imagination.
What is the quirkiest
thing you have ever done?
I’m a decidedly “unquirky” person, so this was the hardest
question for me to answer. However, I was once asked to dress as an angel and ride
on a float advertising an appliance store in a small-town Fourth of July parade.
Dressed in a white shirt and shorts, I sported a little pair of wings and sat
on top of a washing machine while the float made its way down the main street.
Fortunately, some of my friends made up the rest of the heavenly contingent
atop dryers, dishwashers, and stoves.
When did you first
discover that you were a writer?
I’ve always enjoyed writing, but I’ve had little time to
pursue the dream since my professional career in software development kept me
focused on computer programming rather than creative writing. After I retired,
I found the urge to write became undeniable, so here I am.
Tell us the range of
the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
I have a pretty wide-ranging taste in books, both fiction
and nonfiction. First, I love mysteries. Solving the puzzle and finding the
murderer is very appealing to my analytical way of thinking. I especially like
Dorothy Sayers. But I also love nineteenth-century literature including Jane
Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Wilke Collins, and others in that era. I enjoy books
about faith journeys, and I recently read Christy,
a very popular book written in 1967 that is still relevant today. When it comes
to nonfiction, I just finished Into Thin
Air, a riveting account of a disastrous expedition on Mt. Everest
How do you keep your
sanity in our run, run, run world?
Well, I run! I’m an avid runner and spend time on the track,
on my treadmill, or in a park near our home. I find running provides a
thoughtful relief from stress and helps my creativity at the same time.
How do you choose
your characters’ names?
In my novel The Watch on the Fencepost, I chose
some names that were meaningful to me. For example, one of the characters bears
my paternal grandmother’s maiden name. Another is named for an author I admire.
If I’m not sure of a name to give a character, I’ll search the internet until I
find one that seems to fit.
What is the
accomplishment that you are most proud of?
A successful marriage to a wonderful man and raising a remarkable
son.
If you were an
animal, which one would you be, and why?
A gazelle. If only I could be that graceful when I’m running.
What is your favorite
food?
Chocolate milk shakes. The perfect food.
Chocolate shakes are
my favorite, too, but I don’t get one very often. What is the problem with
writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?
My biggest problem was my inability to step away from the
story and see it from the reader’s perspective. One editor pointed out that I
had to be willing to “kill my darlin’s”, those things that I love but don’t really
serve the story. It was hard, but revising the novel with that in mind made a
much better book.
I’ve been teaching
writing workshops and seminars for decades. Recently, I met one of my first
students again. She told me the thing she remembered most from my teaching was
to “murder your darlings.” Tell us about the featured book.
The Watch on the Fencepost is a romantic mystery. It tells the
story of a young woman who has lost her parents in a terrible automobile
accident. But when she finds a mysterious watch left on a fencepost, she uncovers
a dark family secret and a suspicion that her parents’ deaths may not have been
accidental.
Following a trail of cryptic clues, she encounters a
fascinating cast of characters, including an actress with a talent for
disguises, a politician with a secret of his own, and a handsome businessman
who shows a sudden romantic interest in her. With her own life in danger, she discovers
new truths about faith, family, and forgiveness.
Please give us the
first page of the book for my blog readers.
Prologue
It was almost graceful, the way it dropped over the side of
the mountain and glided down toward the valley below. To an outside observer,
it would have seemed to fall effortlessly on a carpet of air, like a bride’s
veil carried away on a gentle summer breeze.
Down and down it continued, buoyed by the cool night air, a
silent conveyance, seeking its destination below. No sound disturbed its swift
descent until it struck an outcropping on the side of the mountain and exploded
in a huge fireball.
The sound of the blast could be heard ten miles away, and
the impact was so severe that parts of the car flew off in all directions. By
the time the emergency crew maneuvered its way through the barren desert valley
without the benefit of roads, the fire that had emboldened the night sky was
just a smoldering mass of aluminum and steel, hardly recognizable as an automobile
at all. This would not be a rescue operation.
“Must have been a full tank of gas, the way that thing
exploded,” said Arnold Brewster, the crew chief, as he peered into what was
left of the cab of the car. “Looks like a couple of bodies in there.”
The rest of the eight-person crew gathered around the
burned-out hulk.
“Lord knows, nobody will be able to identify them.”
One team member kicked at the dust. “Why don’t they put a
guard rail along every foot of that mountain road, Arnie? These crazy tourists
don’t know how to drive up here.”
How can readers find
you on the Internet?
Website: www.kaydibianca.com
Blog: www.kaydibianca.com/blog
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kay.dibianca
Facebook Author Page: www.facebook.com/authorkaydibianca
Twitter: www.twitter.com/kdibianca
Instagram: www.instagram.com/kdibianca
Amazon Author Page: https://amzn.to/2PddkQI
Goodreads Author Page: https://bit.ly/2Gu95Ob
Bookbub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kay-dibianca
Thank you, Kay, for
sharing this new book with us. I know my readers will love it as much as I did.
Readers, here are links to the book.
The Watch on the Fencepost
- PaperbackThe Watch on the Fencepost - Kindle
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3 comments:
I liked the description of the car falling. If you didn't read the whole thing, you wouldn't know it was a car. Beautiful wording. Sounds like an interesting story. Linda in CA
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
Even the prologue makes you start guessing! An intriguing page turner for sure. Thanks for sharing with us.
Robin in NC
Linda and Robin,
Thank you for visiting and commenting on the book.
Regards, Kay DiBianca
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