Book Review: Chain Reaction by Diane Fanning

This is not the first book by Diane Fanning that I have read. As a matter of fact, I have quite a few of her books on my book shelf. Chain Reaction is the latest in her Lucinda Pierce series.

I like this series. With each book, it's like getting back together with a friend. I like Lucinda.

When a bomb goes off at a high school, two bodies are found in the aftermath. The FBI move in to investigate, but Lucinda, a homicide investigator, doesn't agree with the FBI's theory of what happened. Lucinda begins to investigate on her own. She's not alone, though. She has the backup of her boyfriend, FBI Agent Jake Lovett.

In addition to the bombing, there's a suspicious teacher who's not above soliciting the male students.

I like books with female protagonists. I especially like ones like Lucinda: smart, determined, concerned, involved. The people in Fanning's books come to life. Some of them you'd like to sit down and have coffee with in the morning. Some you'd like to punch. There are no cartoon characters, only ones that are believable and relatable. Ones that you'd like to meet again in another book.

Tomorrow, May 5, I, along with Karen Casey Fitzjerrell and Diane Fanning, will be signing at The Twig Book Shop (306 Pearl Parkway, Ste. 106, San Antonio,78215), from 1 to 3 pm. Would love to see you there! We, of course, would love it if you bought our books, but even if you can't, stop by and say "hi".

Angel Sometimes Review

Best-selling author Diane Fanning reviewed Angel Sometimes! I'm so excited.

Diane writes true crime and mystery. If you have cable, you've probably seen her on TV. She tends to get called up when they need an expert.

She's also a friend of mine. Even so, I was surprised that she not only read Angel Sometimes, but liked it enough to post a review on her blog.

If you have a couple of minutes, link over and read the review, then leave her comment.

If your house is shaking, it's because I'm dancing around my office.

Book Review: Her Deadly Web

Her Deadly Web is a true crime by Diane Fanning. It's the story of Raynella Dossett Leath who found her husband in bed, dead from an apparent suicide. There were some concerns, though. For one thing, apparently 3 shots were fired. And this wasn't the first husband Raynella had lost. And she doesn't wait too long before tying the knot again.

Rather than tell you the ending, I'll tell you what I liked about the book. Diane Fanning has written many true crimes. As in the past, she does extensive research, which shows in the pictures, detailed interviews, and court records. The people are real. Diane does not let you forget that these are real people.

But this story isn't just about the suspicious deaths of one woman's husbands. It's also the tale of how status in a community can act as a barrier between a high-standing suspect and police arrest.

I don't read much true crime, but when I do, I read ones written by Diane Fanning. She does so much research and has such a way of using the truth to bring the people to life.

Amazon   

Barnes and Noble   

Powell's   

If you like true crime, I can recommend Her Deadly Web by Diane Fanning. If this had been fiction, I wouldn't have believed anyone could get away with such crimes for so long. I give Her Deadly Web a rating of Hel-of-a-Story.

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FTC Disclaimer: I bought Her Deadly Web with my own money. I don't like to spend money, but doing so did not influence my review. If Diane Fanning had given me the book, I would have liked it just as much. Either way, I consider Diane a friend. Which, when you think about it, is rather scary. She knows how to kill people. She's written and researched a lot of true crime books. Even been on TV shows as an expert. So she not only knows how to kill, she's probably figured out how to do it without getting caught. And she knows where I live, although I don't think she's ever been to my house. But I'm pretty sure she has GPS. Must stop. I’m scaring myself.

Book Review: False Front

 False Front by Diane Fanning is the latest in the Lucinda Pierce mystery series. Pierce is a Homicide Investigator who’s called out to a home where a woman has been found hanging from the second floor balcony. Suicide or murder? This is not Pierce’s first time to a scene like this and she’s not jumping to any conclusions.

But this is not just a book about Pierce trying to unknot the twists in the case. It’s also about her boyfriend, FBI Special Agent in Charge Jake Lovett, who’s off on a case of his own, which involves a murder three decades old. Their two cases collide, though, when Lovett comes across a connection between them. Sharing notes and information doesn’t necessarily make things easier.

Lucinda Pierce is a formidable protagonist. She’s smart, determined, loving and flawed. You would want her on your side. You would not want to be on her wrong side. The case is complicated with lots of twists.

This is not my first book by Diane Fanning nor my first Lucinda Pierce book. In 2009, I reviewed Punish the Deed and in 2010 I reviewed Twisted Reason.

Each Lucinda Pierce book gets more complex. While each paints a cold picture of crime and evil, Fanning also lets us see a warm still-developing picture of Lucinda Pierce.

Amazon

Barnes and Noble 

Powell’s 

Murder By The Book 

I give False Front by Diane Fanning a rating of Hel-of-a-Character.

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FTC Disclaimer: I paid for False Front and felt no obligation to review it. Diane is a friend of mine, but that did not influence my review. She has tons of best-selling true crimes out, four books in the Lucinda Pierce series, and one in the Molly Mullet series. You may have seen her on shows like 20/20 or 48 Hours. I could have mentioned about a half-dozen shows, but I won’t because I can’t get them because Time Warner won’t hook us up so we can’t get cable. And more than likely, Lucinda Pierce will end up being a series on cable. On the crime network, if there’s such a channel. Or on FX. Is that a channel? I wouldn’t know. I … can’t … get … cable.

Book Review: Twisted Reason

 Twisted Reason is the fourth in Diane Fanning’s series starring Lucinda Pierce. Lucinda, a homicide detective, is dedicated to her job and to the people who need her help. She’s also used to the looks she often gets when people see her scarred face. Kirkus Reviews called Lucinda Pierce a “complex heroine” and I would agree. Because she has so many facets to her life, Lucinda comes across as three-dimensional and as the kind of detective you’d want on your side.

Here’s the cover blurb describing the case that Lucinda Pierce is working in Twisted Reason:

 When a missing elderly man shows up dead on his son’s front porch, homicide detective Lucinda Pierce isn’t certain if she’s investigating a murder or one of the strangest natural deaths she’s ever encountered. Then, the search for a missing five-year-old girl leads to the discovery of the bodies of two more senior citizens. The investigation brings Lucinda into contact with the adult children of missing persons with dementia. This then resurrects the trauma of the death of her own parents causing Lucinda to question her motivation for continuing to search for answers when there are no definitive indications of homicide. A failed abduction attempt leads Lucinda to a man who did all the wrong things for al the right reasons and to a strange little Wonderland build with little money and lots of imagination.

Twisted Reason starts with a report of a missing elderly person – someone with dementia. This doesn’t set off loud bells since those with Alzheimer’s often wander. Lucinda, however, soon uncovers more missing elderly, some recent reports, some old. She’s disturbed by this and begins putting the pieces together, trying to see how all of the cases could possibly be related and trying to determine what could be simply cases of lapses of memory or wandering and what could be something more sinister. As bodies are found, she realizes that the lives of the remaining missing elderly may very well depend on her finding them before it’s too late.

Diane Fanning is an accomplished writer. Her books flow and she covers all the bases and doesn’t leave threads hanging. In addition to her Lucinda Pierce mystery series, she writes the Molly Mullet mysteries, and is the author of bestselling true-crime books. She’s also an Edgar Award Finalist.

This is not the first Lucinda Pierce mystery I’ve read, and it won’t be the last. I like reading strong female leads who are multi-dimensional. I also like that as strong as Lucinda is, she still cares and can empathize with the families who need her help. Lucinda has flaws beyond her mangled face, but they are flaws like you and I have and we can, thus, identify with her.

Twisted Reason is available from Barnes and Noble and from Amazon.

I give Diane Fanning’s Twisted Reason a Hel-of-a-Writer.

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FTC Disclaimer: The author sent me this book, but that did not influence my review. One thing that did influence my reading is that Diane wrote on a topic that is not often used in fiction – Alzheimer’s. She delved into how the disease affects families and those suffering from it. In addition, she presents multiple sides. Most families are devastated when a father or mother go missing, but not all. Some Alzheimer’s patients are so lost in the tangles of the disease that they accept what has happened to them. Some remember and struggle to go home. Alzheimer’s is a heartbreaking disease and I’m glad Diane addressed it. I’m also glad that she did it in a mystery, a fiction book that is not preachy or sad. While there are parts of it that inform, those parts are subtle. I wrote about it here because Alzheimer’s runs in my family. Other reviewers, I’m sure, will focus on what a good read Twisted Reason is and what an interesting lead Lucinda is.

Diane Fanning

 Diane Fanning writes true crime books and mystery. And she’s really good at both. You might have caught her on TV programs like 48 Hours, 20/20, and Forensic Files, the blog, Women in Crime Ink, her personal blog, or at book signings or speaking engagements. She not only writes nonfiction and two mystery series, she’s a strong promoter, which authors have to be if they want to continue writing and selling. (We’ve talked a lot about that here on SFH.)

You might be thinking, well, it’d be fun to switch around. Write a true crime this year. A mystery next year, then a different mystery the next. That’s not Diane. She puts out multiple books each year - and when a true crime is gone to print, she’s not through because in a year or so she’ll most likely have to do an update on the book.

Today, she’s going to talk about her split personality. How she can switch from doing hours and days of hard-core research on horrific crime to making fiction characters come alive in readers’ minds.

Please welcome Diane Fanning.

SPLIT PERSONALITY

Maybe it’s because I was born on a cusp. Or maybe because my moon is in Gemini. Or maybe, simply, because I’m just not right. But I find myself very comfortable leading a double life.

I feel at home assuming two writer identities—one in non-fiction as a true crime writer, another in fiction as an author of mysteries. I seldom get confused about which hat I am wearing except for the times, like many writers, I forget that my fictional characters are not real people.

 My dual authorship, however, seem to befuddle a lot of folks. It is most evident at the release of a new fiction book. Now that MISTAKEN IDENTITY, the third in the Lucinda Pierce mystery series, is available on-line and in brick-and-mortar stores, I find myself explaining my dual writing roles quite often.

A lot of people make the assumption that because I have started writing fiction, I will stop writing true crime. In fact, I regularly get email from my True Crime fans pleading with me to continue writing those books. At this point in time, I have no intentions of abandoning that genre. Working in two worlds, teaches me something new nearly every day and makes me feel complete and fulfilled.

The first lesson I learned was that writers need to be voracious readers of every genre. I learn something about the craft from every book I read, no matter the genre or area of focus. A writer can pick up a useful tool from a nonfiction book about butterfly migration that can be used to add uniqueness and complexity to a fiction endeavor. Although constrained by reality, you can learn much about plotting and character development in a novel that can be applied to true accounts to keep the reader turning pages. Most important of all of these lessons, in my opinion, is the value of suspense.

Anything and everything that you read needs a strong element of suspense—something that keeps your reader turning the page because you’ve raised questions in your readers’ minds and made an unspoken promise to provide answers. Take a simple children’s book like ARE YOU MY MOTHER? by P.D. Eastman. Despite the cute drawings and continuous repetition, the book contains a very existential question about identity. And Eastman promises an answer by the time the book ends.

Another benefit of having a split personality as an author is that it fulfills so many of my loves and needs in life. Writing non-fiction gives me the pleasure of digging with abandon into infinite piles of documents, musty newspapers and vignettes of history—I’ve loved research since my first high school term paper. Certainly there are some opportunities for research in writing contemporary fiction but you must always be on guard to not let it consume your writing time. With a True Crime book, the research is the life blood of your work.

Additionally, in writing non-fiction, I have to speak to a lot of different people in diverse walks of life for assistance in the research aspect, for interviews, and for observation in various settings—there is simply no end to the one-on-one contact. And, in general, I really like people and enjoy the social interaction in the work sphere.

Finally, with True Crime, I know that I can make a concrete and positive difference in people’s lives. There is nothing more fulfilling than a mother telling me that one of my books saved her daughter’s life or getting an email from a domestic violence center who finds one of my true accounts important and an essential read or knowing that one of my books helped obtain a new trial for a wrongfully convicted woman. It doesn’t get much better than this.

Fiction writing, however, satisfies different needs. At times, I crave solitude and there is nothing more solitary that working week after week crafting and polishing a novel. It gives me a break from reading autopsy reports, looking at crime scene photos, crying with victims’ family members. It’s an escape to a welcoming world where I as a person cease to exist.

Writing fiction also provides an outlet for limitless expressions of creativity. In my non-fiction world, I am tied to facts, constrained by circumstances, bound tight by the truth. With fiction, the facts are of my choosing, the circumstances of my making and the truth only what I say it is and nothing more. If I don’t like the bad news in chapter four, I simply re-write it. If I don’t like my main character’s new best friend, I cut her from the manuscript. If someone is really getting on my nerves, I bump them off using any method I want without causing any grief to real people.

With a foot in fiction and another firmly planted in non-fiction, it might sound as if I am straddling a great divide. But to me, it feels like one place—a world of my own. I cannot imagine living anywhere else.

Thank you, Diane!

Diane’s latest book, Mistaken Identity, is now available online and in your favorite book store. Here’s the cover blurb:

In a cozy suburban home a woman’s body has been carefully laid out on a bed. She looks perfect, except for a single gunshot wound to the head. In the bathroom a bloody male corpse, missing both its head and its hands, is in the tub. When the victims’ thirteen-year-old son reacts to the deaths in a strange way, claiming his father is immortal and has sold his soul to the devil, Homicide Investigator Lucinda Pierce suspects that this family has something to hide.


Lucinda must uncover the secret that holds the key to the investigation, but news from her home town brings back painful memories and she must first overcome her emotional wounds, if she is to solve the case.

The comment section is open for you to ask questions or tells us about your own split personality.

Split Personality

Tomorrow, author Diane Fanning will be here. Diane is not only a friend and a best-selling author who’s published in multiple genres, she’s had a fascinating career as a writer. If she’s ever in your town talking about writing or her true crime books, go listen. I heard her speak at the University of Texas on serial killers and she has stories that will make you triple check the locks on your doors.

She writes -- in addition to true crime -- mystery. She has two mystery series, one starring police detective Lucinda Pierce and one with officer Molly Mullet. Tomorrow, she’s going to talk about what it takes to write both nonfiction true crimes and fiction mysteries.

Authors often struggle to get one book out each year. Diane puts out multiple books each year. She has at least two scheduled this year. The latest is a Lucinda Pierce mystery called Mistaken Identity. With that many books due, Diane has to work on both nonfiction and fiction at the same time. To do that, she has to have, in a way, a split personality. One which lives in a world or research, details and reality. One which thrives on imagination.

She’ll tell us how she handles both. Be thinking about what questions you might want to ask her.

While you're thinking, here's the trailer for Mistaken Identity. 

Diane Fanning's in the House

Diane Fanning is an author of both true crime and mystery. She didn’t start off writing books, though. In college, she majored in chemistry, a passion from her high school days (that's her to the left). She later wrote for radio and television and an advertising agency. She’s earned over 70 Addy Awards for her work. When she moved to Texas, she began working in non-profit, including a ten year stint as the Executive Director of Another Way Texas Shares and serving three terms on the State Advisory Committee for the State Employee Charitable Campaign. In 2001, the National Association for Choice in Giving awarded her the Freedom Fighter Award.

Her true crime, Written in Blood, was nominated for the Edgar Allen Poe award and she was featured on 20/20 and 48 Hours. She still writes true crime, but is also now writing multiple mystery series. You can find her on her website, where you can also see a video of her on CBSNewsOnline talking about her work on Mommy’s Little Girl. Or look for her on the blog, Women In Crime Ink, and follow Diane on Twitter.

No Apologies Needed

I often receive apologies from readers for purchasing one of my books at a marked down price. Typically, these messages concern a paperback bought at WalMart at a markdown or a hardcover book pre-ordered on line. They want my forgiveness for diminishing my royalty payment because it was bought on impulse, without thinking or because they simply couldn’t find the book elsewhere.

But, apologies are not needed. I’m delighted they got a bargain. I’m pleased that they saved money. It something I like to do and more power to them all. To prove I mean what I’m saying, I’ll let all of you in on a money-saver.

Right now, if you pre-order a copy of my third Lucinda Pierce book, MISTAKEN IDENTITY, from either Amazon or Barnes & Noble on line, you’ll save more than $9 off the cover price. The book is scheduled for release in February in the UK and in May here in the states. If the past is any indication, the price will probably go up after the UK release. Or in that trite old phrase: “Buy now and save.”

Why am I so cavalier about readers paying less for my books? For one simple reason, with both my true crime with St. Martin’s Press and my fiction with Severn House, my publishers pay me royalties based on a percentage of the cover price. This practice is an industry standard—not universal but very typical.

Who, then, loses money on this deal? It’s not the author or the publisher. It is the bookseller. Although there are exceptions, booksellers typically pay the publisher 60% of the cover price. If they decide that they can sell more books by cutting the price, they are cutting into their profits for each individual book, with the hope that the volume of sales will make up for that shortfall.

There are times, however, where I do not receive a percentage of the cover price and my cut is based on the publisher’s actual sales price. That situation has arisen for me several times with St. Martin’s Press. However, in order to make that deal, St. Martin’s needs to have my authorization. And I have granted permission, every time.

I am certain my approval sounds counter-intuitive. Why would possess an author to willingly accept lower royalties? For me, it was international sales. In order to gain readership of my true crime books in foreign countries, I have to get them on the shelves. No books equals no sales equals no royalties. As Billy Preston sang, “Nothing from nothing is nothing.”

I and the publisher make this decision to compensate for the money spent to send the books overseas. Paper is a heavy commodity, making shipping costs high. For books by an author who is not well known in a particular country, the added expense forces sellers to mark-up the book to a price that would scare away most potential purchasers.

To make it possible and profitable to these book dealers, St. Martin’s Press agrees to sell at a price that is less than 45% of what is printed on the cover. I agree to accept a royalty percentage of that lower purchase price and the foreign seller agrees to pay in advance and not make any returns. As a result, I get some money that I wouldn’t have otherwise and, in addition, I get paid for that sale in my next royalty check with nothing held back for possible returns in the future—as is common practice with most sales. As a direct result, I have built up a reader base in South Africa, Australia, the UK and elsewhere.

So don’t worry about taking advantage of bargains on my account. Just go out and buy books—the more the better. Read more. Build your library quicker. Give gifts to family and friends. Just buy books wherever you find them.

I and my fellow authors thank you from the tips of our busy fingers to the bottoms of our hearts!

Thank you, Diane!

Diane’s a prolific writer. You may wonder what someone who investigates murders and crimes, interviews serial killers, and publishes about two books each year is like. I can tell you firsthand she’s open-hearted and a good friend.

Diane will be dropping by today, so leave her a “howdy” or a question.

Lying on the Couch

Thanksgiving’s over. I’d get up to greet you all, but I ate too much Breakaway Bread. I did manage to get out and visit a few of you, but … well, Fruit Pie was a’calling my name. I hope all of you had a family-filled, fun holiday. I know I did.

I’m going to cross-post today. Yesterday, over on The Blood-Red Pencil, I posted a recommendation for a book. Probably wasn’t a good day, since by 9:30 last night, I was the only one who had stopped by to comment. The book I recommended is a good one, so I’m going to post about it here today. I hope you’ll check out the book!

Punish the Deed by Diane Fanning

I recently got my hands on the second book in Diane Fanning’s mystery/police procedural series starring Lieutenant Lucinda Pierce. I’ve been looking forward to following Lucinda again.

Lucinda is, in a lot of ways, typical of women police officers. She’s tough and believes in her work. In others, she’s very different. After taking a shotgun blast to the face, one side is mauled and she lost an eye. In this book, she’s taking the first real steps to plastic surgery, but is still on the job. Along with dealing with the physical injuries, she’s working on the emotional ones.

Setting aside her personal problems, Lucinda now has to deal with a violent killer who hides in the shadows and who eventually threatens her own life. She’s got quite a few other things going on in her life - like the rest of us. Lucinda Pierce is no one-dimensional character. I enjoyed discovering the different layers of Lucinda.

Here’s a snippet of Diane’s writing in Punish the Deed:

“She’d been to many crime scenes and seen many gruesome photos from others. Those sights were not alien -- they were the stuff of her life. She could think and work as she looked on the gory remains of a brutal death. She could hash over the details with her fellow professionals without the slightest churn in her gut. She swore that none of it bothered her any longer. But then there were those images that burned into her brain. The visuals she wanted to forget but instead they hung on, haunting every blink of her eye and troubling her dreams.”

The intensity of the plot and the believable development of the characters keep you reading. Fanning comes to mystery writing with a credible writing pedigree. She’s the best-selling author of 10 true crime novels, as well as another mystery series starring Molly Mullet. You may have seen Diane Fanning on Court TV or the Discovery Channel. If she ever comes to speak in your area, go hear her. I sat in on a talk she gave at the University of Texas on The Criminal Mind and she is a great speaker. Her talk sent chills down our spines.

If you or someone you know likes mystery/police procedurals with a strong, totally believable protagonist, I recommend you look for Punish the Deed by Diane Fanning. It’s available online at Barnes & Noble or on Amazon.
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FTC Disclaimer: I consider this more of a recommendation than a review, but I'll go ahead and reveal that I paid for this book and the postage. And, no, I am not giving it away. Diane autographed it for me, so it goes on my bookshelf. (I love autographed books.) I don't even lend my autographed books. I've done that once or twice and lost books. Excuse me? You lent the book I lent to you? You don't remember to whom? Aaagghh! What do you mean, the FTC confiscated it? All they gave you back was the cover, but no book? Where's the cover? Did you even try to get the cat to throw it back up?

Book Winner: Herise Poland Wright

Herise Poland Wright is the winner of The Trophy Exchange by Diane Fanning.

Diane Fanning was Straight From Hel’s July Featured Author and she held a drawing for a copy of the debut in her Lucinda Pierce series.

In November, Diane Fanning has a new true crime coming out – The Pastor’s Wife. This is the true story of the woman who killed her husband, Pastor Matthew Winkler. Diane goes beyond the headlines, into the whys and what really happened.

If you’d like to know more about Diane Fanning or any of her mysteries, true crimes or nonfiction, visit her website. And be sure to check out her home page for the announcement of Wright’s win of The Trophy Exchange.

Congratulations to Herise Poland Wright.

Last Day for Free Book

Just a quick reminder that today is the last day to sign up for a chance at a free copy of Diane Fanning’s latest book, THE TROPHY EXCHANGE. Fanning stopped by Straight From Hel last week for a Q&A. If you missed it, be sure to go now and read what she had to say about true crime, mystery and writing, as well as her new Lucinda Pierce mystery series.

To enter the drawing for a free copy of THE TROPHY EXCHANGE, go to Diane’s website

Find the last word in the first paragraph and place it in the subject line of your email to Diane@dianefanning.com

In the body of the email include your mailing address.

Winner will be announced on the home page of her website on August 1, 2008.

Don’t miss out on a chance for a free copy of a great mystery!

Featured Author: Diane Fanning

I’m so excited to have Diane Fanning stop by today. She’s a friend of mine and the hardest working writer I have ever met. The woman has a whole slew of true crime books and two mystery series! Plus, she’s a sought after speaker and expert, a blogger and an activist.

The Trophy Exchange, the first in her Lucinda Pierce mystery series, is hot off the presses. Kirkus Reviews said:

Fanning has produced an exciting, emotionally intense story with a complex heroine whose future adventures will be widely anticipated.

Booklist called Fanning the “one to watch.”

Welcome Diane. Let’s get started!

Helen: You are the author of seven true crime books, a nonfiction book, and now you have two mystery series going. So far this year, if I'm counting right, you have two new True Crime Classics coming out, the first in your Lucinda Pierce mystery series premiering this month, a new true crime book, The Pastor's Wife, coming out in November, and you've already turned in the second in the Lucinda Pierce series to your publisher. Then there's the marketing and speaking engagements. Have I missed anything and how in the world do you juggle it all?

Diane: Helen, I wish I knew. It really makes no sense to me. Most days, I accomplish less than I want or expect. When I look at my daily output, I don't know how I ever managed to finish one book--let alone ten. Day-to-day, I am a big disappointment to myself but when I look out over the last six years at the body of my work, it blows me away.

And, by the way, the second Lucinda book, PUNISH THE DEED, is written and scheduled for release in the UK this December and in the US in March 2009

Helen: You recently signed a movie option for your 2007 true crime, Out There: The In-Depth Story of the Astronaut Love Triangle Case that Shocked America. (That may be in the running for the longest book title!) This is not the first time you've jumped into the media pool, though, since you've been on TV many times talking about the crimes you research. Tell us a bit about how Hollywood came a'calling.

Diane: It used to be that the books of true crime writers were in high demand in the Movie of the Week arena. Now, with the blossoming of reality television, few books are optioned with that purpose in mind.

When OUT THERE was optioned by the company that made THE QUEEN into an acclaimed movie, I was thrilled. The option itself is nice because it is like found money--not a lot but definitely appreciated. Of course, if is actually does become a movie, I'd get a lot more. But I think I'm even more excited about the prospect of seeing how my book is interpreted on the screen than I am with the cash.

Helen: You put a lot of effort into marketing your books. You sign, you speak, you have a page on MySpace and Facebook as well as an extensive website plus you blog. What advice can you give other writers on marketing and book promotion?

Diane: Sometimes I resent the time I spend on marketing because it takes me away from my writing and research. Then I remind myself that being a writer is part art and part business. When I approach it with a positive attitude, I find I actually enjoy a lot of what I do.

Most of all, I like speaking to groups large and small. I love the interaction with my readers and I love the opportunity to share what I've learned along the way with other writers or aspiring writers.

Blogging would make me nuts if I were engaged in a solo venture but I have been lucky enough to find the perfect niche for me. Women in Crime Ink is a blog with a team of other women--prosecutors and a defense attorney, cops and a private investigation, true crime writers and crime novelists, and even a psychologist. I get a lot of the benefits of having a blog without having to keep on top of it at all times as you do.

The most important thing to remember about being an author--particularly in the beginning--is that your name is your brand. Creating awareness of your brand is essential. Channel your energy into having fun with marketing yourself and your books instead of griping about the marketing tasks you need to do.

Helen: Your latest mystery, The Trophy Exchange, came out this month. I think the heroine, Lieutenant Lucinda Pierce, breaks the mold on protagonists. Unlike some lead characters who are "beautiful but don't know it," Lucinda has a "flaw" for all to see. She's been in an accident and is blind in one eye and her face is scarred, yet she keeps going. Most leads have a flaw, but they can usually be kept under wraps. What made you decide to put Lucinda's on constant display?

Diane: It wouldn't have worked any other way with Lucinda. If her flaw was not obvious, she would be able to hide it from others and deny it to herself. With damage that she can't conceal, she is forced to deal with it in her relationships with others. She can't run from this problem but has to actively work to overcome obstacles and defy any limitations it imposes on her.

Beyond that, there is a personal answer to the question. Like a lot of people I know, I'm not pleased with my physical image. All my adult life, I've battled weight gain. When anyone looks at me, it is pretty obvious that I am not at the ideal. I know that there are people who meet me and immediately make the assumption that I must be lazy. They don't know that I work out at Curves three times a week, go to yoga class twice a week and do additional exercise on my own. They simply look at my excess weight and assume that I sit around stuffing my face all day. Because of that, I could relate to a character with a flaw that she could not conceal, with receiving advice she did not want and with assumptions that are not true. It made Lucinda more real to me.

Helen: It seems to me that you were brave to write her that way. If you had one bit of advice for aspiring writers, what would it be?

Diane: Never, never give up. Persistence is your ally. While you wait to find the right agent/publisher at the right time with the right project, continue to polish your craft.

Write, write and write some more. And save it all. You never know when you'll be able to pluck the perfect phrase out of the scrap pile and use it elsewhere.

And read. Reading is vital. Read from every genre. You can learn from it all. What you learn in other genres can be brought to your own work and used to create a unique voice, style or technique that will make your work stand out from the others. To get an idea of the scope of my reading, visit my website, www.dianefanning.com, I have pages for my favorite reads of the last three years along with a page for my favorite books for writers.

Finally, always write to your passion. Don't write about something or in a specific genre just because it's popular. If you are not passionate about what you are writing, it will show. As Joseph Campbell said, "If you follow your bliss, doors will open for you that wouldn't have opened for anyone else.

Helen: I like that advice – both yours and Campbell’s. Thank you very much, Diane.

Here are a couple of things you may not know about Diane Fanning. She has a degree in Chemistry. And she’s won over 70 Addy Awards for her work in advertising.

Oh – she’s also very generous. She’s giving away a copy of her book.

To enter the drawing for a free copy of THE TROPHY EXCHANGE, go to this page on Diane’s website: http://www.dianefanning.com/lucindapiercenovels/readchapterone.html

Find the last word in the first paragraph and place it in the subject line of your email to Diane@dianefanning.com

In the body of the email include your mailing address.

Winner will be announced on the home page of her website on August 1, 2008.

If you have any questions or comments for Diane, post them here in the Comments section. Thanks Diane for stopping by!

Author Diane Fanning Coming Thursday

Bookmark Straight From Hel and remember to come back day after tomorrow. Author Diane Fanning will be here to discuss her latest books and her writing. Fanning writes true crime and two mystery series.

I’ve known Diane for years. I'm not sure whether we met through the Writers’ League of Texas or Sisters in Crime. She’s no longer on the board of the League and I’m no longer the Executive Director, but we’re still friends.

Her latest book, The Trophy Exchange, is the first in her new Lucinda Pierce series. I feel like Lucinda’s great Aunt Helen (the crazy one they keep in the attic) since I got to read the manuscript before Severn House bought it.

You can read Chapter One, then come back to hear what Diane Fanning has to say, ask questions or make comments here on Straight From Hel – and throw your name in the hat for a free copy of The Trophy Exchange.

Author Diane Fanning Stops By Next Thursday

True Crime/Mystery/Nonfiction author Diane Fanning is coming to Straight From Hel next Thursday, the 24th. Here’s your chance to hear from and ask questions of a prolific and truly skilled writer. Booklist called Fanning the

one to watch

Her book out this month, the first in her Lucinda Pierce mystery series, is called The Trophy Exchange. Diane has created a complex, tough, yet approachable protagonist. As you look around her website, stop in to read the first chapter of The Trophy Exchange.

While you’re there, stop by her page of links. It’s a great resource. And, yes, that’s Diane petting a starfish!

Then come back next week for the interview. I’m asking Diane about the movie option for her true crime, Out There: The In-Depth Story of the Astronaut Love Triangle Case that Shocked America, and her advice for writers – among other things.

Plus, she’s going to be giving away a copy of The Trophy Exchange to a lucky reader!

The Fanning Inspiration

Yesterday I went to a book signing by Diane Fanning. She talked about each of her seven true crime books, as well as her first mystery which will be out July 18 and her next true crime called Out There about astronaut Lisa Marie Nowak.

Diane always has fascinating stories to tell about her experiences researching and writing true crime. And the audience had lots of questions about her books and about cases they know of and would want her to write about. She said she doesn’t have to look for cases any more since her agent or editor usually has cases lined up for her.

My questions focused more on the writing and publishing aspect of what she does. For instance, I asked her about the extremely fast turnaround on the astronaut book. The story broke in early February of this year. The day after the news, her agent called to ask if she wanted to write the book. Within just a few days of that, St. Martin’s had bought the proposal. Within a week or so, the movie treatment had been optioned. Since then she’s been writing and researching. I knew all that already. What was new to me was that Diane had a sign up saying that the pub date for Out There is early October (the 10th, if I remember correctly). That’s basically eight months from the event to book publication. Wow! Most fiction books with a big publisher take 18 to 24 months to come out – after the publisher gets the manuscript.

Diane said true crime books come out faster than fiction, but she agreed this was a very quick turnaround.

She also mentioned that her first mystery did not take the usual 18 to 24 months, but that’s because she and her agent went with a smaller publisher, Five Star Mysteries, for it. Her true crimes are all with St. Martin’s.

Diane said she felt true crime is a little easier to break into, but she had tons of rejections before she found her agent, whom she’s been with since the beginning. She got her agent with the help of another true crime writer, who offered to recommend her to her own agent. Diane sent in a chapter and the agent immediately signed her, saying it was the best murder scene she’d ever read.

Diane’s first book was Red Boots and Attitude. She’s published seven true crimes. Has a mystery coming out next month and another in the works. She has the astronaut book coming out later this year and is working on another true crime. Plus, she updates all the true crimes every year or so, as things develop. Although she now writes full time, she wrote the first four while holding down a full-time job.

Someone else asked about her daily schedule. She said she gets up about 4:30 and gets caffeinated. Then she goes to work. In the morning, she writes. In the afternoon, she may do phone interviews or research. In the evening, she often continues working on writing or editing. She also does quite a bit of traveling to do interviews and research, as well as talks. I also happen to know that she makes time to exercise – she’s the friend who inspired me to get an elliptical trainer.

If you get the chance, go hear her speak. She may just inspire you to write.

The Criminal Mind

Busy day around here. Went to a talk by Diane Fanning at the University of Texas this morning. Now I should be packing for my 7 a.m. flight tomorrow for D.C. Then tonight I have a birthday party to go to.

But wanted to take a minute to tell you about Diane’s talk. I’ve heard her speak before at book signings. Today was a talk geared toward a big crowd signed up for a six week class on the criminal mind in fiction and real life. Diane had slides, interesting stories, and expertise to share. It was fascinating to hear details about the research she does, the insight into the criminal mind she has gained over the years, and her personal experience with the killers and criminals she’s written about.

For anyone who might think she can’t be an expert since she’s not a psychologist or a psychiatrist, she’s a writer … think of how much you learn with each book you write about whatever your theme is. Now, imagine writing book after book after book on the same topic – the criminal mind. Not only writing the books, but getting up close and sometimes personal with the killers. Some of her subjects continue to correspond with her after the book is done. She goes to death row and interviews the killers.

The audience had lots of questions, including on cases Diane has never written about.

If you ever get a chance to hear her speak, do so.

True Crime Writing

If anyone watched 20/20 last night, you saw true crime writer Diane Fanning. She played a significant role in the story they were reporting. In the process of writing a book about a completely different murder, Tommy Lynn Sells confessed to the murder that no one suspected him of doing. Diane wrote about the confession and, as a result, broke open the other case. Kudos to her.

I know Diane, but have no idea what it would be like to be a true crime writer. Mystery, thriller, and suspense writers get into the mind of their antagonists, which are often killers or really bad sorts. But that’s different from sitting across from an actual serial killer, of talking to one for hours, establishing enough of a rapport that he/she will open up to you. Diane even gets letters from some of her subjects long after the books are done. And when the book is done, she can’t just set aside the case and move on. She has to keep up with new developments so she can write updates in future editions of her books.

And despite that, Diane is a warm, funny, beautiful person. Go figure.

On a personal note, I’m o.d.ing on paint fumes. The only room left in our house re-painting, at least the downstairs, is the closet in my office. We started on it today. Took everything out, ripped out the shelves and clothes rods, measured and marked for the new shelves, then did some sanding and started painting. I’m doing it all in yellow, except the shelves and trim will be a cream/beige color. I’m on a break now because we ran out of paint. But my husband’s on a Lowe’s run, so it’s a short break. I’ll have floor to ceiling shelves along the back wall for books. Yea.

Silly husband thinks we might be done by the end of the weekend.