Dianne Gallagher's Blog, page 2

Deep, Dark and Downright Jittery…

Uncle Book’s Review of Too Dark to Sleep

Too Dark to Sleep by Dianne Gallagher was deep, dark and downright jittery. It was a mystery that wrapped around every nerve-ending and played tricks with the mind. The technique of writing took some getting used to and broke the flow of the story in some places, but this evened out as the story continued. The start of the story told of the suffering past of the main character Maggie Quinn (who is an extremely astounding character by the way) and detailed the very being that she is, intelligent, troubled and commanding. As well as being introduced into Maggie’s life, the story got straight into the mystery, revealing frightening and ingeniously planned murders.

As the story went on, the plot thickened and the characters got more entwined and uncomforting. I would guess what was going to occur next but never got it right, one way or another Dianne Gallagher achieved the unexpected mystery!

The finale was stunning… hand on my heart; I did not have any idea how the ending was going to unfold! The main character Maggie Quinn, seemed to get more unpredictable and erratic towards the end, and even had me doubting my belief in her! I still nevertheless wanted so much to trust her, which is what I think Dianne Gallagher wanted readers to feel. I think I want to read it all over again!

A very kind review from Uncle Book. Please check out the blog and the great promotion they give the books reviewed.

Crime Fiction Lover Review of Too Dark to Sleep

Crime Fiction Lover Review of Too Dark to Sleep

…if the quality of her debut crime novel Too Dark to Sleep is anything to go by, her name will spread quickly in crime fiction loving circles… 

This is a fine debut from Dianne Gallagher, and in Maggie Quinn she has created a true one-off with as many layers as an onion. She is a complex character, but one with whom you’ll bond with from first acquaintance. I loved the contrasts in Maggie – she was a hard-bitten detective who had seen and done it all in her job, but because of the traumas she has faced now has to live in the light as she is completely terrified of darkness, both real and imaginary. The descriptions of her creeping fears are sharp and realistically drawn – so much so that I found myself checking the shadows myself!

…It was with regret that I reached the last page of this book because I really enjoyed my time spent with Maggie, even though I had to keep all the lights on! More please.

A lovely review from Crime Fiction Lover in the UK. Please check out not only my review, but their whole site.It really is a class act and a wonderful resource for fans of crime fiction. Reviews, news, features… Crime Fiction Lover a very cool place to explore.

Time, Time, Time…

Flies.

No. I don’t think so.

“Flies” implies that I can actually see where something is going. Some “thing” flies by. It goes someplace. And even though I may not see the actual place, I have a clue as far as direction and velocity of the thing that is flying by me.

And as far as time goes… nothing could be further from the truth.

I blink and I’m in college. Blink, married. Blink again the kids are in elementary school. Then, one is off to college and the other is in high school. Blink and there goes twenty-odd years of marriage. Blink again and my parents are great grandparents.

And I feel like I didn’t see it all… which is pretty sad.  I know these things happened. I know time “flew.” There are records. Photos. Stacks of tapes… Beta, VHS. Most unlabeled. So the tracks are there, I just didn’t see the direction they came from.

Maybe I was looking to the next “thing”… the next appointment or commitment or event. Maybe while I was waiting for some “thing” to happen, other “things” whizzed by, unnoticed. Maybe I just wasn’t paying attention.  

I read an article about the lost art of conversation. It explained how people are losing their ability to actually sit in a room and talk with another warm body. Yeah, pretty much. We blog our feelings and frustrations while our family sits at their separate computers in their separate rooms and blogs their feelings and frustrations. “I read your blog today. Wow. Nice perspective. I left a comment and reposted.”

We sit in rooms full of people who are on their cell phones, like we are, pressing keys to talk. All of us, losing our ability to spell as we find new and interesting ways to abbreviate our feelings and experiences. Semicolon, right parentheses. Colon, dash, left parentheses, period. Period. Period. Period.

And all the while, we miss things. Things right in front of us.

And time flies.

So maybe during this holiday season, let’s all of us just stop time. Actually, don’t just stop it. Grab it and hold it and keep it in that place where we used to sit and talk, instead of walk and text. That place where a couple keystrokes didn’t make us experts on a topic and worthy to hold electronic court as judge and jury. Where we didn’t pour out our hearts to the blogosphere, but instead shared ourselves with our friends and companions and family. Hold time in that place where “what” we gave was less important than the act of giving. That place where we sat in the same room. With each other. Talking. For hours.

Happy Holidays.

Available for the Holidays

Available in paperback and as an ebook.  

 

It was a good night for a ride.

A late spring. Brisk, but not freezing. Still cold enough to entice someone walking home to take a ride from a good-looking stranger. He switched the radio from the slow jazz station to something a little livelier. Pop rock. Innocuous, giving the impression of youth without the strong convictions that sometimes followed. Yes, it was a good night for a ride. He felt strong, vital. The case containing his tools lay in the back seat. He wouldn’t be using them tonight, but he always insisted on being prepared. As the thought of stainless steel teased with the promise of a gift, a tingle of excitement rippled through his midsection. He rolled down the window and let the cool air frost his nostrils. Checking the time, he quickly calculated who might be where. Maybe he’d take a spin along the lake. There might be some bites down there. If not, he’d take a trip over to the Sound Bar or Enclave.

It didn’t matter. It was a good night for a ride.

 

 

Dianne’s Bio

Growing up in rural Minnesota, Dianne attended the University of Minnesota where she got a BFA in Theatre. Although her initial focus was on performance, Dianne eventually focused on playwriting and had winning scripts performed for three consecutive years in that school’s one-act play competition. After moving to Los Angeles so her husband could attend film school, Dianne switch focus to screenplays. While writing her own spec material, Dianne formatted, edited, critiqued and wrote low-budget scripts… including a redux of the B-movie classic, The Crawling Eye.

A move to the Chicago area translated into a new focus on novels. Dianne edited, critiqued and ghosted a variety of fiction and non-fiction pieces while having great fun with her husband, Rob, and their two kids. After increased success in the ghosting and editing, Dianne decided to start writing for herself. The result is the debut novel, Too Dark to Sleep.

Continued…

Day 2 of captivity. Today’s goal… start a new religion.

Yes, I know. If you want to tick people off talk about religion. Let’s face facts. We are living in odd times. Times when the religious majority seems to think they are horribly persecuted. Times when science is trumped by dogma. We seem very capable of judging everyone and everything… as we spout that this is not our judgement, but God’s judgement. And we don’t see the problem with that statement.

So I’m starting a new religion. It has only a few simple tenets… so we won’t need books or scholars or even leaders.

1. Take care of your shit

2. Don’t be a douche

3. Read the paper

4. Talk to people… especially your family

So let’s break it down. No scholars or leaders required. If you do number one, number two kind of takes care of itself. Number three helps with numbers one, two and four. And number four basically makes number one and two more effective.

So there you have it. That’s the religion. I have yet to come with a name, bu there’s got to be a good one out there.

So no more alienating, judging, being threatened, being fearful, attacking, killing, maiming, abandoning, or starting war with anyone who holds different beliefs. Let’s just grow up and get on with it, okay.

 

Bloggity, Blog, Blog, Blog

Well… It’s happened. And it wasn’t easy. But… I’ve been convinced to blog. I avoided it with my editing business. I’ve avoided it with my personal life. Every time someone mentioned the word blog, I either cringed or changed the subject or just smiled and nodded.

Now, don’t get me wrong. There are some amazing blogs out there. Neil Gaiman. Astounding. A pleasure to read.

But I’m no Neil Gaiman.

But I am launching a book. So… I should be blogging. Right? But I don’t want to tell people how to write. Not only is it presumptuous, it’s silly. You learn to write by writing… a lot. And reading… even more. Sure you can be taught grammar and punctuation. But the grammar and punctuation you learn isn’t always the right choice for good writing.

I could write about my private life. But here’s the problem… and don’t take offense. There’s a reason it’s my private life. It’s private. I want to keep it that way.

So… I’m left with politics. May offend. Religion. Certain to offend. Gardening. Wine. Cooking. Lovely and perhaps will be explored. And my books.

Which is how this whole blog thing started.

To be continued…