About Diane Solomon:
Diane Solomon enjoyed a wonderfully diverse career path that included her own variety show on BBC TV in England and major tours with Glen Campbell and Kenny Rogers. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome then laid waste to her performing career, and she suffered for more than seven years in a kind of half-life. Her almost miraculous recovery, via a homeopathic remedy, is in itself the basis for a book. Now she is a full-time author and writer.
This is the first novel written with her husband, Mark Carey, a retired biologist, naturalist, and accomplished voice-over artist.
They live in New Hampshire, amidst acres of woods and streams, where they spend many hours designing gardens and meadows, and watching wildlife.
What inspires you to write?
The joy of creativity, of being creative, drives me. It always has! As a singer/songwriter, I learned to trust the creative process and dive deeply into it. You have to dare to be criticized, dare to be silly, to be crazy, to be wild. There are moments during writing where you forget yourself entirely. You lose track of time. The writing seems to have taken over. Sometimes you look down and are surprised by what you read, as if you didn’t, in fact, write it! I can only describe this experience as somehow verging on transcendent, in that it feels beyond the limits of experience, or independent of this world. It is exciting, inspiring, and rewarding.
As for ideas for books, they stem from my life (and I have had a very strange but interesting life), and from my imagination. And from the “What if?” game!
Tell us about your writing process.
Logistics first: I am an outliner. I use a large board, into which I stick push pins to hold up postcard sized cards with scenes, sections, individual pieces of the story (or sections if non-fiction). Then I can physically see the jigsaw puzzle and move things around until they feel right.
Character is vital: I spend a long time on character development, and before I begin to write, at least at the beginning, I read through all my notes and reacquaint myself with the character. If I am in her head, and she is in mine, she will write her own actions and words.
Required for the process for me: My writing seems to stem from what my husband calls my “extreme heart.” So my writing process only works well if heart is involved; I have to be working on a piece that has heart. By that I mean it has honor, integrity, caring for others, meaning, courage, and love in some form. I can’t write in fields of horror or terror, or genres that focus on shallow, meaningless violence. The protagonists, the main characters in fiction need to be real, to be human, with flaws, certainly, but with good hearts. The character arc of the main character must move toward kindness compassion, truth, honor. When working in non-fiction I lean towards self-help books or educational books that offer something of value to the reader. Ok, ok, yes, I am Pollyanna.
And perhaps the most important note about the writing process, for me, is to leave my ego outside the door. Get out of my own way. Leave judgment until the editing process begins. Let the flow happen. That is also where the great fun is!
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
Not exactly. It is more that I get into their heads and they speak through me. They definitely write their own dialogue and drive the story. As long as I have fully developed them, and take time to know them well, they take over and I don’t have to wonder what they might say or do. Who they are determines that.
What advice would you give other writers?
Leave your ego at the door. Do not be married to your own words. Be patient, but hopeful. Be kind to yourself. Be tenacious. Do it because you love the process, not because you want wealth or recognition. Write from your heart. Hone your craft! And do not give up.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
Watching the internet and social media over the last 15 years, I believe traditional book publishing carries less gravitas in the public’s mind than it used to. This has opened the way for more self and indie publishing.
My husband and I formed a small indie publishing company called Eloquent Rascals Publishing, and are publishing our books through it.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
Book publishing is in a great state of transition, obviously. I believe many people will always prefer a real book they can hold in their hand, so I doubt physical books will disappear completely. I hope not!
As for traditional versus indie or self- publishing, it is very hard to predict the final outcome, so I will not presume to attempt it. I am just very glad to see people giving voice to their ideas in the way of books, and am fascinated that new books by unknown authors can suddenly and magically go “viral”! It is a whole new era!
What do you use?: Co-writer, Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: Middle-grade, fantasy, non-fiction, health, women’t lit,
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Diane Solomon Home Page Link
Link To Diane Solomon Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on other site
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
