Interview with L. Diane Wolfe

http://www.thecircleoffriends.net/

Let’s get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

When I was 13, I picked up Anne McCaffrey’s latest, “The White Dragon” – and fell in love with a story that focused on relationships. Holding her novel, I could picture my name on a book one day!

Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?

Publishing is always an interesting journey! I originally self-published but now my series is with Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C. I don’t regret my original decision, as it taught me so much about the industry – sort of trial by fire!

Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?

The Circle of Friends, Book I…Lori comes out March 31, followed in May by Book II. If you’ve ever felt alone and wished others could view the real you, then you will love Lori’s story! A gifted swimmer with Olympic dreams, her focus on swimming has left little time for anything else – until an altercation with the school bullies brings her to the attention of the star quarterback.

What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?

I was part of a motivational training system for ten years and learned so much about people skills, personality traits, a positive mental attitude, etc. – it really assisted with the writing of my series. The original inspiration came from a dream, though – and five books are the result!

Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!

My husband is my biggest cheerleader! I couldn’t do it without him. We don’t have any children of our own, but we were foster parents for several years. I don’t think my cats, Rocko & Spunky, really care about my author status. They would rather I spent the whole day tossing them mice and super balls!

Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?

Coffee!!! I know most people say chocolate, but I don’t eat it!

What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?

Pet my cats, have a cup of coffee, and sit in front of my computer – all before six in the morning!

If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?

The staggering amount of concert T-shirts I own!

Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?

Green – because it’s not easy being green, but it’s very natural.

Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?

Favorite cartoon character is Bugs Bunny. But I am a combination of Dory from “Finding Nemo” and Hammy from “Over The Hedge”. (Thus my nickname, “Spunk on a Stick”.)

If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?

Five thousand years ago – I want to see all the dinosaurs missing the Ark!

So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?

My first love is rock music. I really like European prog-rock bands such as Ayreon and Arena, but I also like Def Leppard Chevelle, and Pink Floyd. One of my favorite artists is French composer & new age artist, Jean Michel Jarre. I always listen to music when I am writing, because it sets & inspires the mood. And each of my main characters has his or her own ‘theme’ song, too.

Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?

Favorite TV are Battlestar Galactica, House, and CSI. I love Legend, The Terminator, and Lord of the Rings, but for watching over & over, I like animated films such as Ratatouille, Ice Age and Madagascar. The last movie I saw in the theatre was Underworld III.

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?

Never let any obstacle stand in the way of your dream!!!! When the dream’s big enough, the facts don’t count!

One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?

Keep watching for more installments this year in The Circle of Friends, which concludes next spring with Book V – I promise!! I know my fans have been waiting so long for Heather’s story. For updates visit http://www.thecircleoffriends.net/.

Thanks again for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!