A Reading Smorgasbord by Diane Burton

Do you read in various genres? Or just one or two?

I’m an eclectic reader. First and foremost, I read science fiction romance. I didn’t used to. I was afraid I’d inadvertently use someone else’s ideas in my own work. Then an author I admire told me to read more in the sub-genre I write so I would know the tropes, the language, the abbreviations that writers use and readers expect. I can’t tell you how many new (to me) authors I’ve discovered and enjoyed.

I read sweet romances and gritty suspense. I find Young Adult books intriguing. Where were those books when I was a teen? When I was in my twenties, my girlfriend suggested I read Georgette Heyer’s Regency romances. Loved them. Recently a friend, Alyssa Alexander, began writing Regency suspense. Way cool. A perfect combination.

I’ve always read mysteries, starting with Nancy Drew when I was a kid. My mom had a whole set of them and I read everyone. I love mysteries and romantic suspense that include humor. Slapstick comedy like Stephanie Plum or situation comedies like M.C. Beaton’s Agatha Raisin. I like Bob Mayer’s military suspense novels and Nancy Gideon’s vampire and shifter stories.

So many books to choose from . . . so little time.

Since I love mysteries, I decided to write one. A story about a private investigator who sometimes takes chances she shouldn’t. I set it in a fictitious resort town on Lake Michigan, a place similar to where I live.

Small town . . . big case.

After taking over O’Hara & Palzetti, Confidential Investigations from her dad and his partner, Alex O’Hara’s bottom line has taken a plunge. So when a femme fatale offers her the case of a lifetime along with a huge advance, Alex sees her finances on a definite upswing. She might even be able to change her diet from ramen noodles to prime rib.

But someone doesn’t want her to find the long-lost brother. Complicating matters is the return of Alex’s old heartthrob, Nick Palzetti. Is he really there just to see her or does he have an ulterior motive? The Lake Michigan resort town of Fair Haven is abuzz with the news that O’Hara & Palzetti are together again.

Diane Burton writes romantic adventure . . . stories that take place on Earth and beyond. She blogs here on the 8th and 30th of each month and on Mondays on her own site: http://dianeburton.blogspot.com/

Scary Halloween

Halloween brings out the love of horror in people. People who actually enjoy being thoroughly scared. People, like my good friends Alicia Dean and Nancy Gideon, for example. They love books and movies that frightened them half to death. Creepy movie marathons are for them. Not me.

Do you know what happened when—against my better judgment—my sister talked me into taking my kids (ages 8 & 9) to see Gremlins? We were visiting my sister—sans Hubs who stayed home—and she thought it would be fun. My idea of fun is not sitting in a theater with one kid on my lap and the other leaving fingernail imprints on my arm. Every time one of those creatures jumped out, they shrieked. And so did I. That night, the kids asked if they could sleep with me. They were that scared. I never told them, but I was glad to have the company . . . to keep my own nightmares away.

But that was not my first being-scared-out-of-my-wits movie. In my early twenties, I’d gone to a friend’s house for Halloween. After the trick-or-treaters had gone, we watched a movie called The Hand. Black and white and so old it’s not even in IMDB. It was about a severed hand seeking revenge. When the hand crept up the back of a car seat and strangled the driver, I was so freaked out. Silly now, but back then? I was terrified. The worst part was I had to drive home. I just knew that hand was going to creep up the back of my car seat and . . .

I think the scariest move I’ve ever seen was Deliverance. At the end, when that hand and arm came up out of the water, I lost it. I really had nightmares after that. What did Hubs who had taken me to see that movie do? Laughed. Great help he was.

I’m a wimp, a scaredy cat. I admit it. So while the rest of you get your kicks out of watching movies that make your hair stand on end, I’ll enjoy my happy romantic comedies.

What scary movie is your most memorable?

I’m participating in the Snarkology Halloween Hop. There are prizes galore. In addition to the Grand Prizes, the 50+ authors are each offering giveaways. Stop by http://dianeburton.blogspot.com/2014/10/snarkology-halloween-hop-giveaway.html for a chance to win a copy of my new PI Mystery.

Alex O’Hara finally gets a case that will give her bottom line a much needed boost. She might even be able to change her diet from ramen noodles to prime rib. All she has to do is track down a man who’s been missing for over ten years. Piece of cake . . . until an old flame arrives and a mugger roughs her up with orders to back off.