Pump Up Chats with Dianne Hartsock

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Dianne Hartsock photo

Dianne lives in the beautiful Willamette Valley of Oregon with her incredibly patient husband, who puts up with the endless hours she spends hunched over the keyboard letting her characters play. Currently, Dianne works as a floral designer in a locally-owned gift shop. Which she says is the perfect job for her. When not writing, she can express herself through the rich colors and textures of flowers and foliage.

Blog: http://diannehartsock.wordpress.com/

FB: http://www.facebook.com/diannehartsock

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/diannehartsock

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4850270.Dianne_Hartsock

Thank you for this interview, Dianne. Do you remember writing stories as a child or did the writing bug come later? Do you remember your first published piece?

A: I’ve always been a story teller, and was very proud when my very first story was pinned up on the wall in first grade for everyone to read, the teacher liked it that much. I didn’t think much about writing again until seventh grade when a fantastic and talented creative writing teacher told me I had some talent. She urged me to develop it and maybe one day become published. She had me hooked. I entered a local writing contest and won first place! I’ve been writing ever since, though it wasn’t until about five years ago that I became serious about it. I went through a writing workshop given by Wolf-Pirate Publishing that really opened my eyes. With the success of ALEX and some e-stories, I now write every spare minute I can.

What do you consider as the most frustrating side of becoming a published author and what has been the most rewarding?

A: Promoting is probably the most frustrating part of writing for most authors. Don’t get me wrong, I love the interviews and guest spots. But it takes time away from creative writing, which is what I want to be doing every second of the day. The most rewarding part is the fans. I was recently at a book fair signing copies of ALEX when a fan I’d made online came up to me and introduced herself. She told me how much she loved my short stories and bought a copy of ALEX and a stack of bookmarks to give as gifts to her friends. That moment made all the hard work worthwhile.

Are you married or single and how do you combine the writing life with home life? Do you have support?

A: I suppose I’m a bit of a workaholic, which really helps. I’m up at 7 a.m. to get ready for work, then sit down to the computer for an hour, catching up on all the social media. If I’m very lucky, I might even have a little time for creative writing. I’m off to work at 9:15. Work all day, then home again at 6 p.m. to make dinner and spend time with the family. Hubby’s in bed by 8:30, and I jump right back on the computer until midnight, writing, editing, blogging, whatever’s on my ‘to do’ list that day. I am blessed to have Thursdays and Sundays off for family outings and hopefully lots of writing! Also, my family is very supportive of my writing, but will also tell me when enough is enough and to go out and spend time with them or friends. They help keep me balanced.

Can you tell us about your latest book and why you wrote it?

A: ALEX

Solstice Publishing: http://bitly.com/liLUSG

Amazon: http://amzn.to/r4qStN

ALEX is a paranormal/suspense novel of a young psychic’s journey to find a normal life. Raised in isolation by a physically and emotionally abusive parent, on her death, Alex is thrust into a world of violence and intolerance that bewilders and hurts him. He hears the cries of children, the screaming women. Alex has been left with horrible scars on his body and even worse scars within his mind. Even though it puts him in danger, he’s compelled to help those who call to him. He’s driven, motivated by his visions to rescue them and uncover the killer. When he can, he helps the police; yet some detectives suspect he’s the cause of the problem, not the solution. Often, Alex finds himself alone and afraid in a world he doesn’t always comprehend.

I’ve always been fascinated with the paranormal. I find the thought of being psychic intriguing to say the least. ALEX started out as a vague idea I had one day. I wondered what is would take to make a person psychic. I know a lot of psychics claim to be born with their abilities, but I didn’t want that with Alex. I wondered what would have to happen to change a person’s thought processes and expand their minds to the possibility.

Can you share an excerpt?

A: Her skin was soft under his fingertips. Her bare shoulders, the curve of muscle in her arms, her slim fingers; all so soft. Her breath caressed his cheek as he stared at her lips. He wanted to kiss her. It was a risk, he knew, but he ached for someone to break the loneliness. He bent his head and ran his tongue tentatively over the sweet fullness of her mouth. Her tongue met his but he was unprepared for the fire that tore through him. She pressed against him to deepen the kiss and a wild madness surged through his blood.

Something was wrong. She cried out as she struggled in his arms. Her nails raked across his neck. He let her go and watched in bewilderment as she scrambled away, her breath coming in sharp gasps. He reached out a tentative hand, wanting to explain—apologize, but she stepped hastily away from him.

“Freak!” she spat and quickly fled.

He jerked as the word struck him, his arm dropping to his side. The pain of her rejection flooded him. He touched his mouth and wondered desperately what she’d seen as he’d kissed her.

She stopped at the end of the bridge and looked over her shoulder. He couldn’t make out her expression, but he hoped to God it wasn’t pity. He took a hesitant step toward her but she tore her eyes away and rushed off.

He watched her follow the road back to town, hurrying as the sun sank. The far side of the road was already lost in darkness. His shoulders slumped in defeat when she disappeared into the gloom.

Dejected, he sat on the edge of the bridge and dangled his feet over the swift current. The sound of the rushing water echoed under him, filling his ears. It dulled the edge of his pain, making him forget his humiliation as he listened. He could almost make out a voice in the resonance.

* * * *

Jane felt the loneliness of the country lane as the shadows crept up from the ditch. The only other soul on the road was a girl hiking in the opposite direction. She recognized Sarah Gladstone, one of the girls Alex worked with, and waved as they passed each other. The uneasiness at the approaching dark kept her from stopping to talk.

She frowned as she hurried on, wondering if the girl had been up at the house. She’d noticed Alex talking to her after work recently. Her lips thinned, not liking the idea of him bringing girlfriends home when she wasn’t there. Not that it was her business.

Disgusted with where her thoughts were headed, she pushed them away and broke into a trot. The two miles had been a pleasant walk in the morning but, as the light faded, she regretted not taking the car into town. She’d forgotten it would start to grow dark before she reached the house and she didn’t like to walk alone at night.

Relief flooded her when she reached the bridge. It was only another quarter of a mile until she was home. Her brisk steps slowed as she spotted someone else on the bridge. She suddenly remembered the news report she’d heard that morning and stopped, a spurt of fear running down her spine. The person was sitting with his back to her, watching the water. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous. Women had gone missing from the Fort Collins area. What if this …?

She jumped when the person raised his head and then she laughed in sudden relief. She’d recognize that profile anywhere. She’d studied it for years, hoping to understand the complexities of the mind behind it.

Slowly, she approached Alex, trying to read his mood. Concern quickly replaced her apprehension. Something had upset him. He always ran his hands through his hair when he was disturbed and she could see it was a tangled mess on his forehead.

She sat beside him and swung her legs over the stream. “Are you coming home?”

As fond as she was of her adopted brother, it would be the last straw in a trying day if she had to argue with him. Especially over some flighty girl.

But he didn’t answer, and she leaned forward to look at his face. His blue eyes focused vacantly on the water as it slid under his feet. From his distant stare, she knew he was going to have a troubled night.

She laid a hand on his arm. “Alex?”

“There’s a boy in the water,” he murmured. His words were slurred, dreamlike.

She sat quietly and watched the moving stream. “There’s no one there,” she said after a moment.

Doubt crept over his face and he shrugged his slim shoulders. “I hear him.”

He leaned farther out and tried to look under the bridge. She grabbed the back of his shirt to prevent him falling in.

“He wants me with him. He’s scared.”

She shuddered at the all too familiar slur in his voice that warned her his thoughts were miles away. She’d learned long ago not to ignore it. The times in the past that she had, he’d grown frantic and uncontrollable. He’d hurt himself, acting on some image in his mind.

Abruptly, she pulled him to his feet, knowing she’d have to be harsh to catch his attention. She changed her tone, as if speaking to an errant child. “It’s time to go home. Come on.”

He didn’t seem to hear her as he swayed on the edge of the bridge. For one terrifying second, she thought he was going to tumble in. He could swim but she wasn’t sure if he would.

“Alex!” She jerked him roughly to face her. They stood eye to eye, both of them the same medium height. Many people mistook them for fraternal twins. They both had black hair, blue eyes, and slender bodies. Yet, she was always disconcerted by the intense blue of his eyes whenever they stood so close. They were the color of the evening sky; hers had a more greenish cast to them.

“Janie?” he said in bewilderment.

His baffled tone reassured her. It meant he was coming back from whatever strange place his mind had wandered off to. His eyes blinked and refocused. Her heart skipped a beat as the Alex she knew smiled meekly at her. She was suddenly aware of how close they were standing, and pressed a hand to her fluttering stomach when she felt his breath on her cheek.

“I’m sorry; I must have been dozing.”

She grimaced as he quickly averted his face. It was a blatant lie and she knew it. Hiding it from showing in his eyes was his way of trying to protect her. He did it all the time. But she’d much rather he let her into his world, however divergent it was.

She slipped her arm through his and turned in the direction of home. “Never mind. Are you ready for dinner?”

He hesitated, looking at the black water. She tugged a little harder and he didn’t resist. Glancing back herself, she drew him gently away.

Where’s your favorite place to write at home?

A: Right here at the kitchen table. I’m surrounded by windows overlooking the garden. And the coffee pot is in easy reach.

What is one thing about your book that makes it different from other books on the market?

A: With ALEX, I wanted to take a different approach than the usual serial killer/psychic story. This is a story of a young man able to experience other people’s emotions and sometimes see their thoughts. The story is told from Alex’s unique perspective, his thoughts and emotions and how he deals with his ‘gift’ in a doubting world.

Tables are turned…what is one thing you’d like to say to your audience who might buy your book one day?

A: One reviewer summed ALEX up for me very nicely. ‘Overall, I am left with a new definition of what love is: an emotion that can endure through life and death. Love isn’t over-romanticized as something that will conquer all, but love makes life worth living.’

Thank you for this interview, Dianne. Good luck on your virtual book tour!

A: Thank you so much for having me. I’m really looking forward to meeting everyone and sharing my wonderful book ALEX. Here are a few links to other stories I’ve written:

Shelton in Love-m/m erotica, Breathless Press, http://www.breathlesspress.com/shelton-love

Shelton’s Promise-m/m erotica, Breathless Press, http://www.breathlesspress.com/node/108

Trials of a Lonely Specter, paranormal, MuseItUp Publishing, http://bit.ly/rhfkBG

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