Hi, all published and aspiring authors. I’m Diana Rubino,
author of 18 historical and paranormal novels. My publishers are The Wild Rose
Press, Creativia Publishing and Endeavour Media.
My story will inspire you to push on, if nothing else will.
It’s unique, because I'm probably the longest aspiring author to be published—18
years. I wrote my first novel in 1982, after a dose of reality in the brokerage
business. In those days, executive-level women were virtually nonexistent in
the finance industry. My first novel was largely autobiographical, as most
first novels are. Although my third and fourth novels came close to getting
published with Harlequin, they didn't quite make it.
Because I’m a huge history buff, I decided to write a
historical, which became The Jewels of Warwick, set around Henry VIII and a
fictional mistress. Jewels took 2 years to research and write, with no
internet. This was 1990. It came very close to publication with several romance
houses, but missed the mark for containing too little romance. When I finished
Jewels, I scoured the history books for another legendary figure to write
about. While I browsed the Cambridge Library stacks, a book snagged my eye.
Lying, not standing, on the wrong shelf was Crown of Roses by Valerie Anand. It
drew me like a magnet. Richard III is a central character in the story, and the
author thanks’ the Richard III Society’ for helping her. Who’s this Richard III
Society? I wondered.
Already hooked on Richard, his tragic death at 32 and his
reputation as a usurper and a murderer of his little nephews, I joined this
Richard III Society. So, I joined up again through snail mail, no internet.
As everyone else who has a story about how they ‘met’ Richard,
he fascinated me. I’d found the subject of my next novel! And it tied in
perfectly as a prequel to The Jewels of Warwick. Titled Thy Name is Love, it
made the same rounds of publishers, remaining homeless after several rewrites
and seven years.
But the miracle of the internet came to all of us. My first
online experience was CompuServe’s Romance Forum in 1993. This led to meeting
many authors who shared leads and their own writing journeys. In 1999, Lisa
Hamilton, an author I'd met on the CompuServe Romance Forum, sent me a list of
E-publishers, since E-publishing was new and quickly catching on. One of those
publishers was Domhan Books, a British publisher who also did print.
When I heard back from them, I figured it was just another
rejection, but it was an offer to publish my historicals, since Siobhan
McNally, the owner of Domhan Books, was a huge Richard sympathizer. They also
published print books, so I lived the moment I’d dreamed about—seeing my first
book in print. This was 18 years after that first novel went out into the
world.
What surprised me most about the publishing business is that you
really have to work on promotion as well as writing. I've read many differing
opinions on this, but I do believe you should promote as much as time allows,
without taking away writing time.
I can tell aspiring authors to make sure the opening is enough
of a grabber, make sure the characters are compelling, make sure they're
interesting enough and the reader cares enough about them to keep reading, make
sure the novel is structured well, so that it doesn't have a sagging middle or
any pacing problems, make sure the stakes are high enough so they're in life or
death situations that it seems they can't possibly get out of, make sure the
secondary characters aren't mere cardboard, and a humor always helps.
I don’t have any one favorite author, but there are authors
whose books I’ll buy if their name is on them. That includes Doug Preston &
Lincoln Child (they write great thrillers together), and Bertrice Small, who we
recently lost. She never disappointed me.
I’ve never had a deadline from a
publisher, but I’d once sent an agent the first 3 chapters of my vampire
romance. He said he’d like to see the entire ms., so I wrote 5,000 words a day
til it was finished. He later rejected it. Oh, well. But at least I know I’m
capable of turning out 5,000 words a day. My usual output is 2,500 words a day.
In my ‘other’ life, I own an
engineering business with my husband, based in Boston.
I’d like to tell any aspiring authors who are frustrated that
it’s taken them 3, 4, 5 or more years to get that first contract, remember, I
wrote for 18 years before getting ‘the call’ so never give up! Keep believing,
and keep the faith! And of course, keep writing, because you’ll only get
better. And NEVER give up on your dream!
Genre: Biographical Romance Novel
Blurb: Abandoned and left to survive on the streets of
Providence, Betsy Bowen dreams of being reunited with her father – none other
than George Washington. During her ninety-one
years, she begs, sells her body, marries a rich man, marries a poor man, solves
a murder, meets her father in secret and becomes Eliza Jumel, the wealthiest
woman in New York City. She actually could have been George Washington's
daughter, according to the historical record--he visited Providence nine months
before she was born.
A story
of desperation, ambition, heartache and betrayal, borne with humor and refusal
to compromise with what the heart asks first.
Excerpt:
July 11, 1804, a day I’ll
never forget, a Wednesday, I rose early from fitful sleep. Two of my servants huddled
in the kitchen, murmuring instead of cooking. They held the newspaper wide
open.
When I walked in, they froze
as if turned to stone, and held the paper out to me.
“What is it?” Without fresh
coffee I was half-awake. But seeing the paper, I trembled. My mouth dried up.
“Oh, no …” I hid my eyes with my hands, I couldn’t bear to look.
“M-Miss Eliza …” Mary stammered. “Vice President Burr
shot General Hamilton in a duel.”
Too weak to stand, I grabbed
a chair and sank into it. “He … shot Hamilton?” My head spun,
dizzy with relief. But I still didn’t know about Aaron. “Is he all right? The
vice president?”
“We don’t know, ma’am. It
just says General Hamilton was mortally wounded.”
Without another word, I ran
down the hall, threw open the front door, not closing it behind me, and raced
to Gold Street in the gathering morning heat. Humidity soaked my clothes. I
mopped sweat from my face.
I banged on his door. No
answer. “Aaron, open the door, it’s me, please, we need to talk!” I banged
again. Echoes answered me. I stepped back and squinted into the sunlight,
shading my eyes to see the upper windows. Nothing stirred. The house was shut
tight. He’d fled. But where? When would I see my beloved again?
Hamilton died the next day,
and the city fell to its knees in mourning. It was even more pronounced than
when Papa passed – because Hamilton was one of New York’s own.
Public grief over Hamilton
paled beside the anger at Aaron. As I approached Trinity Church for the
funeral, Gertrude’s father Gouverneur Morris greeted me. “I’m to deliver the
eulogy. But indignation mounts to a frenzy already,” he cautioned me, eyeing
the mob.
The tolling church bells and
muffled drumbeats echoed through the sweltering city air. I thought of every
place Aaron could be. I knew he hadn’t meant for this to happen. It was a
tragic twist of fate. I also knew Aaron’s political career was over. He’d never
be president.
“Oh, Aaron,” I wailed,
“Where are you, my love?”
****
I heard nothing from him as
each empty day slipped away. Desperate, I wrote
to his daughter Theodosia but received no reply. I contacted his friends, but no one knew his whereabouts.
I saw Mrs Hamilton on Broad Way, head to toe in widow’s weeds.
I wanted to approach her and offer my condolences, but she knew I was intimate with
the vice president, so I kept my distance. Their country home, The Grange, was
not far from the Morris mansion I planned to buy. We’d be neighbors someday.
BIO:
Diana has
written many historical, paranormal and biographical novels set in England and
the U.S. She’s a longtime member of Romance Writers of America, the Richard III
Society and the Aaron Burr Association. She has written articles for Romantic
Times and appeared on The Book Swap Café, shown nationwide on Comcast channels.
Diana and her husband Chris own an engineering business, CostPro, and make
their home on Cape Cod. She’s a golfer, pianist, fitness nut, and Jersey Shore
Italian.
Where can
your readers find you?
Website
~ http://www.dianarubino.com
Facebook
~ https://www.facebook.com/DianaRubinoAuthor/
Twitter
~ https://twitter.com/DianaLRubino
Where’s
your favorite place to hang out online?
Twitter
