Wild
Women Authors
is pleased to feature Diana Stout, author of Shattered
Dreams
a contemporary novella-length romance, book one in the Laurel Ridge
series. First up is Mason Baylock.
Where
are you from?
Laurel Ridge, Georgia.
Tell
us a bit about Shattered Dreams. Here's
how it's described on the book jacket: Mason
Baylock returns to his hometown as a newly appointed judge. He wants
to reconnect with his high school sweetheart, Shelley Willis, but
she's not interested. To keep him foremost in her mind, he frequents
the diner, located across from the courthouse and where Shelley
works. Once a week for the past three months, he's been asking her
out, and she's been turning him down, every time.
Then
one evening by accident, they become locked up in the
kitchen's cooler. Because there's no escaping. the real
conversation begins and the heat gets turned on. She can't deny
she isn't
attracted to him, but she won't date someone who shattered her
dreams years ago, either.
And then,
she discovers there is more to the earth-shattering consequences than
even she imagined, which threatens to fracture and splinter life as
they know it. Will both of their dreams be shattered forever, or does
enough of a spark remain that they can rekindle the love they once
shared?
What
did you think the first time you saw Shelley Willis?
We grew up together in Laurel Ridge, so the first time I saw her was
in kindergarten. I played with the boys. She usually played with the
dolls and the kitchen area—you know with the dishes, the toy stove
and refrigerator, sometimes with other girls but often by herself.
She was just a girl, but I did notice the way she would sweep the
hair off her face with the back of her hand.
What was your second thought? It wasn't until I became interested in girls, 13 I think, that I really noticed her. I thought she was incredibly cute.
Was
love at first sight?
At 13, oh yeah. Anytime I see her, it's like love at first sight all
over again. Even now.
What
do you like most about Shelley?
Her compassion, her sweet gentle nature. Her smile—but she doesn't
smile much these days. Her eyes, her beautiful eyes.
How
would you describe her?
Cute when she was younger. Beautiful now. She's a natural blonde with
the biggest brown eyes, and she has a nice figure.
How
would she describe you?
Probably too serious. Determined. Thoughtful. Very tall. I have to
duck down coming through the diner door.
What
made you choose becoming a judge as a career?
I didn't intend on being a judge. I was a lawyer, going to school in
Atlanta and clerking with a lawyer one of my teachers had set up. I
joined that firm after passing the bar, and a couple years ago became
a circuit judge there. When I learned there was a circuit court judge
opening in my home town, I went for it.
What
is your biggest fear?
Not being able to get Shelley back. We were high school sweethearts
and had a horrible breakup immediately after graduation. She was the
main reason why I returned to Laurel Ridge. I was eager for a
simplier lifestyle, too. I eat several nights a week at the downtown
diner where she works. It's the only way I can get her to talk to me
right now.
How
do you relax?
I work with wood, making carvings and furniture.
Who
is your favorite fictional character?
Atticus Finch
What
is the best piece of advice you ever received?
If you really want something, go after it with all your heart and
don't give up easily. That advice came from Connie, a life-long
waitress at the diner. She's a mother to everyone in town even though
she never married or had kids. That woman knows
everything
as in everyone's business, but she never reveals a confidence.
Connie's definitely on my side in my trying to get Shelley back.
Thanks for
taking time away from your court schedule, Mason. We'd now like to
chat with Diana.
What
movies or books have had an impact on your career as a writer?
Reading Janet Daily's early romances where she did the states
series—a romance set in every state—was when I began to think
about writing books. While Syd Field's Screenplay
and then The
Writer's Journey
by Christopher Vogler impacted my career because I started writing
screenplays after a decade of writing romance novels, it was Michael
Hauge's screenwriting weekend workshop—the first one I attended and
I've attended several now—that really impacted my career as a
writer. I realized I need to apply screenwriting techniques to my
novel writing; thus, it changed my writing completely.
What
event in your private life were you able to bring to this story and
how do you feel it impacted the novel?
Probably the memory of what it was like to be in love in high school,
in having a high school sweetheart and the extreme hurt of the
breakup a year after graduation.
Tell
us a bit about your publisher: how did you hear about them and what
influenced your decision to submit to them?
I'm an indie publisher. My decision to published independently was
based on my not fitting neatly into any agent's niche because I
prefer to write in multiple genres. I had two agents early on in my
career, but the relationships didn't work out for any of us.
What
book[s] currently rest on your TBR pile?
With so many, here are three of them: The
Soul of Life, which
is Book Three of The
All Souls Trilogy
by Deborah Harkness. The
Discovery of Witches was
the first book. Stonehenge
by
Bernard Cornwell, and The
Recollection of Trees
by Sadie Francis Skyheart, which I helped mentor the author when it
was half finished. I couldn't wait to read the rest of it back then,
so I expect it to be a fun read.
Lastly,
what's up next and when can we expect to see it on the shelves?
Shattered
Dreams
is the first of seven novellas with seven couples, seven conflicts,
seven romances. Nine of the fourteen characters were raised in Laurel
Ridge and went to school together. Three of the outsiders are friends
and live in Atlanta. Another is a college roommate. It's been an
interesting collaboration as these couples come and go with each
other's stories. Because of that complexity, I decided to write the
first drafts of the remaining six all together so that I can't write
myself into a corner where I can't get out. I'm working on the first
drafts of the last two novellas right now. I'm hoping to publish
Burning
Desire #2
in the fall, and then publishing them in quick succession after that.
Each novella is a stand-alone eBook. Once the eBooks are all
published, I'll be creating a print volume that contains all seven
novellas.
Diana
brought an excerpt from Shattered
Dreams
for us:
(They're
locked in the diner's freezer, the diner where Shelley works.)
Shelley
heard him moving around. “Where are you?”
“Smile
so I can see you.”
Shelley
chuckled, unable to help herself. So like Mason to joke when there
was a problem.
She
heard him moving. “What are you doing?”
“Let’s
pretend we’re blind, and we’ll talk with our hands.”
“We
are blind. It’s dark, remember? Besides, I can’t see your hands.”
“That’s
the point. We can use the braille method.”
Silence
filled the room. No way was she responding to that
innuendo.
Shelley
frowned. He sounded closer. “Where are you?”
“Here.”
She
jumped hearing his voice next to her. She hadn't even heard him move.
Just like the old days.
She
took a step back. Shelves dug into her back. She felt him move too.
Toward her.
“Why
are you running from me, Shelley?”
“I'm
not.”
“If
the lights were on, we'd both see that your nose is getting longer.
You've been running from me ever since I came back to Laurel Ridge.
And, I want to know why.”
“You're
imagining things.”
“I'm
not. The only reason we're having a discussion here at all is because
the door shut.”
“We
have discussions all the time.”
“Yeah,
like what I want to eat.”
She
wished he'd stopped talking. The more he talked, the more she wanted
to melt into a puddle, despite the frigid air. That voice....
His
voice always had been her undoing. Especially in the dark. It was as
if the years had melted away and they were out in the middle of
nowhere again, far removed from anyone or anything. At their secret
place in the country with no lights around them except the stars.
Necking in the car. She could have sworn she was seeing stars now.
She shivered.
She
felt his breath on her neck. “Cold?” he asked. “I bet you
didn't know that the best way to create heat is to rub two people
together. Remember?”
She
was trying hard to forget. “You mean sticks.”
“You
do it your way, I'll do it mine. Let me show you.”
To
learn more about Diana Stout, go to:
