Delaney Diamond is a woman's best friend!

Today we are pleased to welcome Delaney Diamond to CLC. Her latest novel, Handsome Devil, released last month and she's here to talk more about it, as well as her writing process and some other fun topics. We enjoyed hearing what she has to say and we hope you will too!

Delaney Diamond is the USA Today Bestselling Author of more than 50 contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels, and dozens of romance short stories. Her latest release is Handsome Devil, a marriage of convenience romance between a Venezuelan billionaire and his ex-wife, a wealthy Texas socialite. 

Delaney reads romance novels, mysteries, thrillers, and a fair amount of nonfiction. When she’s not busy reading or writing, she’s in the kitchen trying out new recipes, dining at one of her favorite restaurants, or traveling to an interesting locale. Enjoy free stories.

Visit Delaney online:
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram

Synopsis:
Annabelle Buchanan waltzes into Dante Escarra’s office with a singular goal—to persuade him to accept her audacious one-year marriage proposal. Her objective? Taking control of her father’s real estate empire. But Dante is her ex-husband, and their past is littered with hurt and anger.

Dante never once contemplated reuniting with Annabelle, because she broke his heart and left him devastated years ago. But her offer is a tantalizing chance to add an iconic Houston building to his real estate portfolio—a prize he covets more than he’s willing to admit.

As they pursue their respective goals, the lines between business and heart blur. Can they make their marriage work the second time around, or will they both end up with broken hearts—again? (Courtesy of Amazon.)

What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing?
One of my favorite compliments is when readers tell me or mention in reviews that they stayed up late into the night, unable to put down my book. Knowing that my writing has the power to captivate readers in that way is very encouraging and great for my ego. It motivates me to keep writing and digging deep to provide the same experience with each release.

What did you learn from writing your previous novels that you applied to your latest novel?
Something I learned fairly early on is that readers—my readers, anyway—like the details. I noticed how some reviews would state they could picture the scenes in their heads or the story played out like a movie. As someone who enjoys the details in stories, those comments alleviated my concerns that I might be too detailed. 

Conventional writing wisdom suggests less is more as you allow the reader to use their imagination. Personally, I want to “see” what the characters see, taste and smell the food they eat, and experience the texture of their clothes. 

In Handsome Devil, my latest release, there’s a scene where the hero and heroine attend a casino party at an estate. I described the property as they entered the mansion, describing the red carpet, the people in attendance, and the various games for the attendees to play. My editor thought it was too much and suggested I cut it, but in the end I left in the descriptions. 

Planting the reader in the scene is part of my writing voice. Though there are some people who don’t like it, readers have come to expect that from my work, and since I enjoy adding those details, I will continue to write them. 

If you could tell the debut novelist version of yourself one thing, what would it be?
I would tell myself to put processes and procedures in place so I could be organized. When I started self-publishing in 2011, there wasn’t nearly as much to do. I basically wrote my books, published them, and moved on to the next book.

Now, I have to juggle so many hats. There’s marketing, advertising, continuing education, admin work, social media, research, etc. There’s so much to do! 

Luckily, I come from an administrative background. I like finding ways to organize and save time, but it took me a while to fully understand the reason I was feeling overwhelmed. I even had an assistant for a while, but the truth is, I just needed to get better organized. 

Eventually, I put processes in place and created checklists, etc., but I wish I’d done those things sooner.

Which TV series are you currently binge watching?
I’m not currently binge watching a series, but I did recently finish binge watching Will Trent. Watching the series has made me curious to read the books by Karin Slaughter. I’m invested in the characters—getting to know them, their flaws, and watching them work through their issues in each episode. I also like that the crime is solved in each episode, instead of dragging it out for the entire season. 

If we were to visit you right now, what are some places you would take us to see?
Currently, I’m in Huntsville, Alabama, and I’d take you to see the Space and Rocket Center. Then I’d take you downtown to Big Spring International Park, where we could spend the rest of the day doing the following: feeding the ducks, listening to live music while chilling on the grass, visiting the Huntsville Museum of Art, and end the day at the pizza place where they have the absolute best cheesy breadsticks—while another band serenades us on the patio. 

What is something you had a good laugh about recently?
This is terrible, but an Instagram video made me laugh hard. A man was walking down the stairs to the basement with his son, when he stepped on a Lego and fell down the stairs. He howled at the end. That was funny, but even funnier was the comments section. 

“Not the kid making it about himself 😂”
“These birth control commercials are getting wild”
“My man’s turned into Kermit the frog”

I assume the man is fine, or we would have never seen his video. If you have a sick sense of humor and want a laugh, here’s the link: https://www.instagram.com/p/C1piixbOfLx/. 

Thanks to Delaney for visiting with us!

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