USA Today bestselling author Dianne Castell is here with us today to talk about her new book, Hot and Irresistible (Kensington BRAVA) and share with us her thoughts on writing romance, character development, and her plans for future romance novels.
Q. Thank you for this interview, Dianne. Can we begin by having you tell us why you chose to write romance?
I love the h-e-a ending. That’s endings where the hero and heroine live happily ever after. I hate book that kill off the hero at the end. To me that’s a cheap shot. It’s as if author cannot think of what to do with the hero or heroine so they get whacked. Or if the hero and heroine don’t wind up together, I don’t get that either. What is the point of putting two people through all the problems in the book and then not earn the right to be together.
Shawshank Redemption is the most deserved ending ever. Now that’s happily ever after!
Q. Did you outline before you wrote your book or did you just go with the flow?
I outline but my characters keep changing things on me. J I try to get the plot points down and the middle action and the black moment and ending so I know where the book is headed but the book I turn in is never the book I exactly plot out. And that’s good. Then I know the characters are behaving as they should and not some mold I’ve plugged them into.
Q. Who was your favorite character in Hot and Irresistible and why?
In Hot and Irresistible I copied one of the characters after my brother. His name is Ray and lives in Cleveland so I called him Ray Cleveland. I love this character. He runs an illegal gambling casino and is a secondary hero in the book. He’s a neat guy, wonderful to write, a lot like my brother.
Q. Who was your least favorite character?
I don’t really have a least fav. I have a bad person running around who messed up the heroine’s life. It’s her adopted mother and a real witch. So why would she adopt the heroin and make her life a living hell? She’s a rotten person but not a least fav because she was fun to write too. Evil characters are really easy to write…and fun because they mess up the characters.
Q. Can you tell us about the setting and why you chose it?
I love Savannah. The real old South more than any other city in the US and it’s restored perfectly. To write a book set in Savannah you have to go there and not just once. You need to experience the city in tourist season and when the locals get to reclaim it for their own. Those who live in Savannah love it. They fought long and hard to keep the big mansions, twenty-three squares and unique little shops from the wrecking ball and big box stores. It is the South. It is unique.
I have a bit of voodoo in my books and that too is a special aspect of Savannah. It’s not simply a tourist enticement but a part of the culture, not that all want to admit it but it’s a fact. Savannah is a character in Hot and Irresistible. It couldn’t be set in NY or LA.
Q. What was the hardest part to write?
The middles seem a little long so I plan a lot of action in the middle, something major to happen so I don’t get bored or the readers get bored. Always lots going on to keep the action and anticipation high for me and the readers.
Q. What was the inspiration behind the story? Where were you when you came up with the idea?
I was in Savannah. Just being surrounded by all those parks and lovely homes makes you want to write about them. And I love best friend stories. Hot and Bothered (the first book in the series) and Hot and Irresistible are about four best friends orphaned as babies. They became best friends and grew up together and then someone dies, there’s a will and their lives are changed forever.
