An interview with Keta Diablo
My guest today is Keta Diablo. Keta is the author of a grand total of 18 books! We'll be giving one away at the end of the interview.
Hello Keta! First, I'll just be a lazy hostess and ask you to introduce yourself.
Hi Marie, thanks so much for hosting me today. I'm Keta Diablo, erotic romance and gay fiction writer. I live in the Midwest on six acres of beautiful woodland. When I'm not writing, I spend entirely too much time reading. In the summer months, I spend a lot of time outdoors in my flower garden. Oh, yes, I also frequent our local animal shelter and would love to bring all the abandoned and neglected fur creatures home if I could.
What do you think is the best thing about being a writer? What do you think is the worst thing about it?
The best thing about being a writer is the independence and freedom it offers. You work for yourself basically with no one standing over you cracking the whip. Of course, you have to be disciplined if you expect to make a living at writing. That means, put your butt in the chair every day and write.
The worst thing about being a writer is the solitary life you lead. Yes, you meet many great people online, but if you write for a living, it's just you and your laptop.
You seem to be part of a great many blogs, mailing lists and websites. How do you have time to do all of that, plus write as many books as you do?
It's called lack of sleep – lol. I do write for many blogs which means a bigger commitment of my time. Writing a book is only part of the equation. Once you type "the end" you can't afford to sit back and hope the millions of people in cyber space will buy it. They can't buy if they don't know about it. Marketing and promotion is a necessary evil for a writer. You've spent months agonizing over every word, but now it's time to let the world see what you've accomplished. And that means, spreading the word about your books. I limit myself to a certain amount of time every day to promote my books. The rest of the hours go to writing, eating and sleeping.
What's your favorite holiday?
Christmas because I'm forced to slow down and devote time to the world around me. It means I also get to spend time with my family and children. I've become rather lazy when it comes to shopping. I used to go to the malls to buy Christmas gifts, but now I shop almost exclusively online. Christmas has always been sort of a magical time for me. If only we could bottle that magic and spread it throughout the year.
What's your favorite food?
That's an easy question for me. I love everything Italian, particularly the pasta dishes and pizza. I also adore my coffee, and wonder if it could even function without it. If taken away, I'd probably have major withdrawal issues.
Favorite ice cream flavor?
I seldom eat ice cream, but once in a while on a hot, summer day, I might eat an ice cream cone. I always select maple nut or guess what? A coffee-flavored ice-cream.
Turkey, ham or roast beef?
Definitely roast beef. I've never been fond of ham, and eat turkey only occasionally.
Dogs or cats?
Oh, this is a hard choice. I love animals, all animals. They're loyal and oh so loveable. Two years ago I adopted Emma LaPounce from our local shelter. She had been abandoned by her previous owners when they moved out of town. She'd been at the shelter for a long time, so when I heard they were going to put her down soon, I adopted her. She's really a lovely cat who has adjusted well to her new environment. She must be appreciative because she's always by my side.
Coffee or tea?
See above – lol. I love my coffee. I don't know why, but it seems most writers love coffee. I see this love affair mentioned all the time on twitter and other social networking sites.
Where did you go for your all-time favorite vacation?
I like to vacation in Vegas. Something about the bright night life and the lack of a schedule calls to me. Now, if I could only figure out a way to leave my laptop at home, this would be the ideal vacation.
Where would you go for your next vacation if money and time were no issue?
Someplace . . . no, make that anyplace warm. We have a lot of cold weather and snow here in the Midwest. The older I get, the more I realize I'd like to be a snowbird – a person who spends the winter months in a warm climate but returns home in the summer months. Perhaps one day, I'll take the plunge.
Where do you hope to be ten years from now?
Alive and kicking. Seriously, since we all have an expiration date, I like to imagine mine won't run out too soon. I imagine in ten years I'll still be writing and agonizing over those words we talked about above. So I'm not disappointed, I keep my expectations low when it comes to my writing. I don't aspire to be in the big leagues, but rather just write the best book I possibly can and hope people like it.
My latest paranormal, Where The Rain Is Made, was recently nominated by Authors After Dark for a BOOKIE AWARD in he best e-novel category. This is an enormous honor for me even if I don't win. I guess it establishes me as an author.
You can find more about Where the Rain is Made here.
I also write gay fiction. Here's a little about my latest release, Long, Hard Ride.
Civil War divides a Nation. Grayson Drake has been sent by a covert spy agency from the South to break Marx Wellbourne out of a Union prison. Ordered to return Wellbourne to Richmond, 400 miles away, Gray soon discovers Marx is courting death from malaria and pneumonia. To complicate matters, the sinfully gorgeous Wellbourne is none other than the same man he coveted from afar four years ago in Charleston.
Pursued by the villainous warden of the prison, Major Darkmore, nothing is as it seems when intrigue, suspense and passion collide on the long, hard ride back to Richmond.
You can find more about Long, Hard Ride here. We're also giving a copy away today. Leave a comment below, and Marie will select a winner on Saturday.
Thanks so much for hosting me today, Marie! The questions were fun!
Thanks for taking the time to visit!
You can find Keta on the Net at the following places:
Keta's Keep, erotic romance blog
