EJ: When did you begin writing?
Dianne: I've been writing almost as long as I've been able to write. The first story I remember clearly was in second grade; it was about birds. Most of my childhood writing involved talking animals. Pretty soon while other kids were playing sports, if I wasn't reading I was making up stories.
EJ: What brought you to the paranormal genre?
Dianne: I've always been kind of a stereotypical Scorpio - occult and paranormal subjects have fascinated me since before puberty. Throughout junior high most of what I wrote was high fantasy - quests, unicorns, enchanted whatever - but when I got to college I stumbled into the world of fan fiction and next thing you know I was writing about vampires.
EJ: If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?
Dianne: One of my characters is telekinetic; I'd love to be able to move stuff with my brain. Then I could stop wishing my cat would grow thumbs so he could bring me beverages.
EJ: Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.
Dianne: Of Shadow Born is book 4 in the Shadow World series, which begins with Queen of Shadows. It's about a society of vampires, more specifically their ruling class. A lot of the story takes place in Austin, Texas, where I live. I think people enjoy the series because the vampires I write aren't the typical "I can't love you, you're human, please allow me to mope alone for all eternity" kind of vampires. They love what they are, and they fight to protect their own kind. The main character, Miranda, is a famous musician, and is a strong, smart woman - not perfect, but growing. Her husband is the most powerful vampire in the South but he's also a computer geek who loves ice cream. I think the characters are the main draw for readers - it's definitely all about how love and death and war change who they are and bring out the best and worst of them.
EJ: If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?
Dianne: I've been thinking about this one forever! I actually have a Pinterest board where I collect pictures of people I think fit either the looks or the personality of my characters. Miranda, my heroine, bears a striking resemblance to Scarlett Johansson in Iron Man 2 - if you watch her fight scenes, she's physically perfect for the role. I still haven't found the right face for her mate David. I have a much easier time casting the smaller roles. The bad guy in the first four books, for example, is a dead ringer for Anderson Cooper.
Of Shadow Born (Shadow World #4) by Dianne Sylvan.
Spread throughout the dark corners of our world lies the Shadow World, a society of vampires who feed off the living. In Austin, Texas, one woman must rise from the ashes of tragedy and confront an ancient evil before it destroys everything she holds dear…
After a heartrending night of loss and blood, Miranda Grey-Solomon, vampire Queen of the South, now stands in the ruins of her life determined to pick up the pieces and move on. David, her husband and Prime, is missing and presumed dead, and Miranda is lost without her soul mate by her side…But she has little time to grieve as enemies both old and new emerge to test her yet again.
Between vampires trying to take advantage of a Queen without a Prime, incursions by a mysterious organization of humans calling themselves the Order of the Morningstar, and the continuing threat from those within the Shadow World who have already tried to destroy her, Miranda and her allies are running out of places to turn. In order to save her territory and the ones she loves, Miranda must look to the ancient past, to the first days of the vampire race, and uncover secrets about the Signets that could change the course of history…
Thank you Dianne for joining us here today at From the Shadows!
To learn more about Dianne Sylvan and her books, please visit her website.
Wait, Hart is Anderson Cooper?! This has just ruined my entire mental picture of Hart; now he's a sexy silver fox. *sob*
ReplyDeleteIs there going to be a 5th?
ReplyDelete