Hello! I am BWL Publishing Inc. author, Diane Bator. I’m a mystery
writer and my books can be viewed and purchased by visiting https://bookswelove.net/bator-diane/ I’ve been a writer my entire life. Since I
was little and learned how to scribble with crayons. I still have short stories
and poems from when I was a teenager.
Back then, I had one major goal in life. I wanted to be on the
Oprah Winfrey Show. In my daydreams, I was an actor or a writer and Oprah and I
got on famously. Flash forward many years, a marriage, three kids, and a
divorce. Oprah’s show is in reruns. I work in administration for a local
theatre and get to meet actors. Oh, and I became a writer.
I’m likely not Oprah Show material at this point. Somehow, I don’t
think she’s read my books nor have they been part of her book club, but I’m
still a fan.
That’s okay. I write for me.
Writing is what keeps me happy and sane through all the obstacles
life hurls. It gives me focus even when the world feels like it’s falling
apart. As one of my friends says, it’s like breathing and the ink is in my
blood.
I’ve been on several Zoom chats with some very inspiring authors
through all of this. Some are encouraging, some are more focused on other
things in the world right now. It’s a juggling act between the real world and
our fantasy lives some days. Not everyone can keep the balls in the air all of
the time. Sometimes, we need to just sit. Just rest.
If I could offer one bit of advice to anyone who wants to write
but doesn’t know where to start, I’d say to start with what you ate for
breakfast. Silly, right? As Julia Cameron says, sometimes we need to prime the
pump. Start writing just for the sake of writing then the great—well,
good—stuff will follow.
As for me, after a month and a half of being numb in this new
world, I’m writing again. Chapters at a time, which is exciting after a dry
spell.
For now, may I present excerpt from my two newest novels, Drop
Dead Cowboy and Dead Without Shame. I hope you enjoy the excepts. I promise,
there will be much more to come!
Excerpt:
Chapter
1
“Wow, Miss Lavinia sure goes all out for Halloween,
doesn’t she?” Merilee set a brown paper tray with two take-out cups on the
front counter then slipped off her black leather gloves.
“In case you hadn’t noticed, her shop is always ready
for Halloween. It’s her favourite day of the year.” I reached for a cup and
took a whiff. Stitch’n’Time was the only thing that kept me busy and happy now
that the children were on their own and I had nothing left to do at home but
clean the house and stare at walls. Not that I wasn’t good at either. “Mmm, nothing like a cup of pumpkin spice
tea on a chilly October day.”
Merilee Rutherford, my best friend and partner in our
shop Stitch’n’Time shook her head. “Give me coffee or let me sleep.”
“What are you talking about?” I laughed. “You get up
at five in the morning to do your work out. You’re half done your laundry
before I even get out of bed. You’re the earliest early bird I’ve ever met.”
“Yeah, well, it starts to catch up by mid-week.”
I sniffed my tea once more. “Does Miss Lavinia plan to
do palm readings again for the Halloween Festival on Friday?”
Merilee shrugged. “I didn’t go inside. I just noticed
all the creepy little voodoo dolls and shrunken heads in her window. What’s
creepy is that one of them looks a lot like your husband.”
“There’s a shrunken head that looks like Rex?” I
raised my eyebrows. “No wonder I haven’t seen him much lately.”
“No silly.” She tapped my arm. “A voodoo doll. How
would she know what he looks like or have a piece of his blue striped shirt?
Has he ever even been inside her shop before?”
I straightened a rack filled with embroidery needles
and a dozen fancy crane scissors I’d bought online for a steal from another
shop going out of business. “Only when I dragged him in to see her that one
time. I hoped she could cure his snoring with one of her essential oil blends.”
“Did it work?”
“Nope.” I sighed. “Rex still snores like a chainsaw.
The problem is now Drake has started to snore too. It’s like I’m stuck between
two race cars revving their engines at the starting line. Some nights, I go to
sleep in the guest room. I couldn’t get the dog or Rex to wake up. I should go
check out her decorations.”
Merilee chuckled. “Oh, speaking of interesting
decorations. Did you happen to see the new one on the bench in front of Miss
Lavinia’s shop?”
I frowned. “Did she put something on the bench? I know
a few people who won’t be happy about that. Mr. Ossington sits out there and
throws breadcrumbs for the pigeons.”
“We have pigeons?” She stared.
Excerpt: Dead Without Shame (Book 4 Gilda Wright Mysteries)
Just as he
predicted, the lunch hour class was packed, even though he did wear the top to
his karate uniform. Not about to let anyone slack off, he pushed all the
students to run a lap then drop and do ten push-ups over and over until Gilda’s
arms and shoulders burned.
“Okay, I
give. I’m six push-ups away from death.” Marion Yearly, Gilda’s best friend for
nearly ten years groaned beside her. “Who gave Kane coffee today?”
Gilda
gasped. “No coffee. Just an unhealthy overdose of ego.”
“Stop
being nice to him, will you? Flattery will get us all killed.” Marion dropped
face down onto the mat. A foot taller than Gilda and built like an NFL
quarterback, Marion was a local 9-1-1 operator. She’d lost about twenty pounds
since August when she started training as well as eating healthier along with
her new boyfriend, Razi Mauli.
“Get up.”
Kane nudged Marion’s leg with his big toe. “One more lap then you can
collapse.”
She didn’t
look up. Her voice was muffled by the tatami mats. “I’m good. Just run me
over.”
Kane closed
his eyes and shook his head. He grabbed Marion’s feet and dragged her into a
corner. He left her there face down then turned back to face the class. “Yame.
Stop and grab your sparring gear.”
“Did he
just yell stop?” A loud groan came from Marion in the corner. “Seriously?”
“Except
for you.” Kane glanced back over his shoulder.
She
struggled to get up. “Oh good.”
“You can
give me another fifty push-ups.”
Marion
flattened her body to the mat with a groan. “You’re cute, but I hate you.”
“Just
think how good you’ll look in a bikini next summer,” he said.
Gilda
tried to stop a giggle from escaping as she fastened the Velcro on her sparring
gloves. The fact Marion had started training to impress Razi wasn’t lost on
Kane.
“Me in a
bikini?” Marion pushed her upper body off the floor in a Cobra pose she
couldn’t do two months ago. “Could you imagine?”
Kane’s
eyes grew wide. He flashed Gilda a small grin. “I asked for that, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you
did,” Gilda muttered.
He paused.
“Okay, on your backs. Count out ten sit-ups each. Marion starts.”
“Yup.
Still don’t like you.” Marion flared her nostrils then rolled over and counted.
Gilda
never saw Marion move so fast in her life. Not even for ice cream, and that was
saying something.
Diane Bator
Ienjoy your books. Keep writing
ReplyDeleteWhat a delightful way to meet you, Diane! And your books are tantalizing!
ReplyDelete