Diana Lloyd writes historical romances where characters work together to battle injustice and earn their happily ever after. I was that weird kid who read dictionaries and encyclopedias for fun. Reading is a love affair with adventure and escape, writing is one of the circles of hell.
What genres do you like to read? – My favorite will always be historical romance, but I have an eclectic bookshelf full of true crime, biography, and Stephen King.
Do you have a favorite book or movie? – So many! I watch The Fifth Element every time it’s on TV; I sing along with Encanto; and in my opinion, French Kiss is an underrated romance classic. My favorite books are romance novels with the Spinster Cove series by Tessa Dare, especially, A Week to be Wicked. Betina Krahn’s Brides of Virtue series is currently at the top of my favorites.
Which is your favorite mode of writing? Why? – My research is often handwritten into notebooks because writing it out cements the info more solidly into my memory for future use. When writing books/novellas, I use a laptop. I’ve dabbled with dictation, but currently, I’m still hunting and pecking on a keyboard.
What is your primary or favorite genre to write? – Currently, I write historical romance exclusively. I’ve flirted with the notion of writing a contemporary romance but I’m not in that headspace yet.
Do you have other genres you write for? – No, historical romance is my jam.
Which project is your favorite so far? Why? – Books are like children; you hate to pick a favorite. My first book, How to Train Your Baron, was the most fun to write. With that book, I had no expectations, no deadline, and no practical knowledge of how difficult it was to promote, sell, and market a novel.
Which project is your favorite so far? Why? – Books are like children; you hate to pick a favorite. My first book, How to Train Your Baron, was the most fun to write. With that book, I had no expectations, no deadline, and no practical knowledge of how difficult it was to promote, sell, and market a novel.
How long have you been writing? What does your path look like? – My first book was published in 2018, but I’d been writing for years before that, trying to learn the craft. My path to publication is atypical in that it was mostly an instance of me falling upward. I entered my book, How to Train Your Baron, into RWA’s Golden Heart contest for unpublished authors. Not expecting much of it, I forgot I had entered it and went on with my life. Five or six months later, I got a phone call informing me I was a finalist. I remember thinking, “Oh, that’s nice.” I did not expect to win, and I didn’t.
What happened next is right out of a fairy tale. Because I was a contest finalist, I was contacted by three publishers interested in my book. I chose the one I’d heard of before, Entangled Publishing. As we worked out contract details, the editor assigned to me asked if my book was part of a series because three-book series were selling well. I said “Yes.” Reader, I lied. I had ideas for other books but never intended for them to be a series. I was offered a three-book contract and I signed it. Between COVID and my bout with breast cancer, it took much longer for all three books to make it to market, longer than either I or the publisher imagined.
My novellas exist because I was in the right place at the right time and asked to participate in anthologies with reverting rights. That’s not how any of this is supposed to work, yet it worked for me.
Where is your favorite place to write? What kind of atmosphere do you need? Quiet, music, coffee, wine? Any tricks to get in the zone? – I’ve written romance while hockey games blared on the TV screen and while watching John Wick movies, but my preference is a musical backdrop. I switch between lovely baroque symphonies and my personal playlist of angry/sad woman music. This playlist includes Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Gossip, Adele, Christina Perri, Alanis Morresett, and my current favorite, The Blower’s Daughter, by Damian Rice. I don’t drink coffee, but writing snacks, a mix of sweet and salty munchies along with a frozen Coke from the nearest gas station are all a part of my process.
What do you do for fun when you’re not writing? – Weather permitting, I enjoy walks in nature. I’m particularly drawn to water so it’s fortunate I live near the Great Lakes because I take advantage of that destination whenever I can. I highly recommend a waterfall tour of Michigan. When not writing or hiking I dabble in other crafts. My dream (besides a vast library hidden behind a secret door) is to have a craft room where I can organize my craft supplies and work without interruption.
Website/blog: https://www.dianalloydbooks.com
Facebook author/business page: https://www.facebook.com/DianaLloydBooks
Amazon author page (for authors): https://amzn.to/418wVGD
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DianaLloydBooks
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dianalloydwrites
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/DianaLloydBooks
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/diana-lloyd
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17233307.Diana_Lloyd
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