Please allow me to introduce to you Diane Moat...author, nurse, and dog mom. Let's take a look at her story:
Thank you for joining us. Please tell me a little about yourself.
Hello and thank you for including me in this Blog. I am a southern transplant from New York, although I have now lived in Tennessee longer than I lived up North. I have been a nurse for 35+ years and a dog rescuer for 10+ years.
Could you let us in on what you’re working on now?
Pepper is back! She was on vacation for a bit, but the next installment of The Supernatural Pet Sitter is underway. In this book (The War) Pepper and her friends are pulled into the battle between the magic world and the Trolls. There is excitement sprinkled with life lessons from start to finish.
Which of your stories is your favorite?
I feel as if I am betraying one of my children, but the Dog Gone series will always be closest to my heart. As the story which pushed me into writing, none of the other stories would exist.
What’s your inspiration?
Life. I can see someone walk by while I’m at a stop light, or a funny ad on TV, and I will think “I wonder what…” and I’m off and running.
How and when did you begin writing?
I didn’t write a sentence until I turned 50. Friends of mine had done exciting things (like camping in Mt. Everest) for their 50th birthday. No way was I jumping out of a plane or climbing a mountain, but I wanted to do something different to celebrate. As I asked myself what I liked to do, I kept coming back to dog rescue and reading. I shied away from writing at first, convinced I couldn’t do it. A friend of mine mentioned a recent dog abuse case and said “If only I could get my hands on the person who did that, they would regret it.” It struck a chord and I wondered what would really happen if she truly got her hands on the dog abuser. The seed grew quickly and by the next day Sam Holden was born and Dog Gone wrote itself from there.
What is one of your favorite books by another author?
All of the Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene. The series was the first time I a young girl as a heroine and I never forgot it.
Have you considered writing in other genres?
I would love to write a historical novel but so far Pepper Neely and Sam Holden have other ideas.
What is your writing process? Do you need silence or music?
I write best among strangers and noise in a coffee shop. I can write at home, but the coffee shp works best.
How long does it usually take you to write a book?
Usually three months once I have my outline. Of course, then it take another three months for editing!
Have you ever had the dreaded Writer’s Block?
I’ve had it for all of the pandemic! Likely from a combination of anxiety and being stuck in the house, I haven’t been able to write a sentence. I am grateful – for many reasons – we are healthier and Pepper’s voice has piped up.
Do you have pets?
Hahahaha. How long do you have? I take in elderly or disabled small dogs and run between 7-8 dogs at any moment. Currently three of mine are blind (one is blind and deaf), three others are seniors, and another has a spinal cord injury. It makes for a chaotic and entertaining home where no one is ever lonely.
What is your favorite part of writing? Do you have favorite plots?
I love watching a book develop. I am a “pantser” so often don’t know where it is leading until I get there. Currently I am enjoying Pepper’s relationship with one of the young trolls as she works through how to be a friend to someone who has betrayed her. It’s not easy but my bet is she will figure it out.
Is anything new on the horizon?
The Supernatural Pet Sitter – The War, should be available by the end of the year.
Do you have anything that you absolutely need to have in order to write?
My laptop. I’ve written on notepads before but then can’t read my own writing.
Could you tell me the heat rating of your books out of 5 flames?
The Supernatural Pet Sitter series has zero flames. The Sam Holden series has three flames, and the Hand of Magic series has a five flame rating. There is a rating for all readers!
Who is your main source of support for your writing? Mine is my husband and children.
My friends are my biggest support. The strangers out there who read my books and put in reviews are also more support than they realize.
Is there anything you’d like to add?
I have turned toward other writers and their books at times when I was on vacation at the beach or sitting at my mother’s bedside in the hospital. I am grateful to every one of them and hope that a book of mine may similarly take a reader away for a time. Thank you to anyone who has ever read a book of mine – I see you!
