With the new year starting, we're all looking for new books to read and new authors to discover, and today my guest is author Ana Diamond.
Ana is a 2020 Tara Contest Finalist for Body Conscious and 2015 Melody of Love contest finalist. She lives in New York with her husband, two children and two needy but wildly entertaining kitty cats.
Ana, tell us about your road to publication.
Like most authors, my road to publication was a long process of taking online workshops to educate myself, and querying multiple times over many years on a part-time basis.
What do you find is the most challenging part of being an author?
The hard part about being an author for me is the promotional aspect. If you are consistent and know how to interact on social media this could be easy for you but otherwise it feels like a daunting task.
What is your latest book and how did you come up with the idea to write it?
Body Snatched is book 2 in the Body Conscious series. It’s a cozy mystery set in a funeral home with a touch of romance. The idea to write the story came from the slapstick notion of the chaos surrounding a missing body.
Let's get a blurb:
What’s worse than losing a body from a funeral home? Losing two. But mortician and amateur sleuth, Lily Reynolds has a hunch. The new visitor in town, Rick Drakon, may have charmed his way into her life but she’s not fooled by his smooth talking ways. Problem is, Rick is a long-time friend of Lily’s new husband, Detective James Rivers. While James is busy convincing her to look elsewhere, Lily embarks on a dangerous path toward uncovering the truth. Will this case come between the couple or will Lily find herself closer to evil than ever before?
We need to know more! What about an excerpt!
Black River reminded James of one thing: murder.
Hidden in dense foliage, the river stretched out far beyond his view and also happened to be a perfect spot to dump a body. He had no doubt there had been many missing people over the years who wound up weighed down by rocks at the bottom of the river until their flesh disintegrated into nothing.
His boss, Donald Abrams had a bad habit of telling him about their worst cases, probably to freak him out. The sicko with the garden of people floating upright like weeds was particularly gruesome. The chills he got from that one made the hairs on his neck stand up. However, since Manorview’s crime rate was low, James wasn’t entirely sure if the stories were folklore or not.
“Congrats on your last case. I heard you’re a big boss detective now,” Rick said as he reeled in his empty line.
James impaled a worm on his hook and swung the line out into the water. “Thanks. I wouldn’t say big boss though. More like maybe I’ll get to keep my job.”
“Have you ever caught anything here?” Rick asked.
“No, but I hear there’s trout.”
And bodies.
What’s your next project?
I’m working on another cozy mystery set in a bed and breakfast with an enemies to lovers trope intertwined in the mystery.
What advice do you have for beginning writers?
My advice for beginner writers is to take basic online classes and have your work professionally edited before you query. There’s a lot to be learned.
You are so right! Thank you, Ana, for being my guest today. Here are Ana's buy links and social contacts information.
Buy Link:
https://books2read.com/u/3LVx5X
Social Media:
https://twitter.com/AuthorDiamond
https://www.tiktok.com/@anadiamondauthor
https://www.facebook.com/anadiamondauthor
https://www.instagram.com/anadiamondauthor/
Website:
https://anadiamondauthor.com/index.html
Thank you, Ana, for being my guest today. Any questions or comments for Ana?
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Enjoyed the excerpt, Ana. The setting of a funeral home is perfect for this story :) Wishing you continued best.
ReplyDeleteLooks like an addition to my TBR list. Best of luck!
ReplyDelete