Island of Secrets
A captivating story of love, mystery
and hope
Two love
stories separated in time. Two women following their dreams. In a paradise
littered with painful secrets, will love turn the tide?
1973. Cecilia “CiCi” Freemont has a restless soul and
the voice of an angel. Leaving her privileged upbringing behind, she chases her
dreams to the sandy beaches of an unspoiled Hawaiian paradise, Harbor Island. But
life takes an unexpected turn when she falls for the island’s young
heir-apparent and her newfound adventure becomes too much to bear…
2017. Investigative journalist Tina Templeton has
dedicated herself to the pursuit of truth. But when she inherits Harbor Island,
her career plans take a confusing twist. Managing the sprawling island estate
is tough business even with the help of aging cabaret singer, CiCi Freemont.
Especially when a massive ecological disaster threatens to destroy her
beautiful beaches—and the responding coast guard captain steals her heart.
As the investigation into the disaster reveals a
40-year-old mystery that could change their lives forever, will Tina find love
among the secrets, or will CiCi’s painful past dash her dreams on the rocks?
Island of Secrets is an epic love story. If
you like generations-spanning drama, characters with hidden pasts,
heart-warming romance and intrigue, then you’ll love Diane Demetre’s powerful
romantic mystery in paradise.
An interview with Diane
Demetre discussing Island
of Secrets and the writing process in general.
Does writing energize or
exhaust you?
Writing always energizes and inspires
me. It’s a soul connection and conduit to my creativity.
Why did you write Island of Secrets?
I remember when the idea for this book
came to me. My husband and I were out in our boat on the Broadwater on the Gold
Coast in Australia. It was one of those magnificent boating days—calm, sultry
and cloudless. Having just completed Retribution, I’d been waiting on the
inspiration for my next book. Nothing yet had beamed in. As someone who is
willing to wait for inspiration rather than forcing my creativity, I was
enjoying a couple weeks off from my writing schedule.
While we were relaxing on the Broadwater
and lapping up the beautiful weather, an old Huon pine cruiser drove past us.
Like a bolt out of the blue, Island of Secrets landed in my consciousness. The
story arrived well-formed, with characters I immediately visualized.
I’d visited Hawaii a couple of years
earlier, and Maui, with its volcanic geography, lush vegetation and captivating
sea life lived up to its name of the Magic Isle. It was the ideal location for
Island of Secrets.
What is Island of Secrets about?
In the vein of Iona Grey and Nicholas
Sparks, Island of Secrets is a contemporary multi-generational love story which
transcends time and speaks to the profounder meaning of love, loss and
belonging. Island of Secrets is romantic women’s mystery with the narrative woven
across two time-lines—1973 and 2017. It is written in third person and told
from the heroine’s POV through each timeline.
Give me the first,
middle and end line from Island of Secrets.
FIRST LINE - For a day that had
started out so right, she had no idea how it went so horribly wrong.
MIDDLE LINE - In contrast to the
solemn reason for her visit, the magical mosaic of color tinged everything with
its vibrancy.
END LINE - At last, everyone had found
their home, their happy place.
Does (and how) your
protagonist change/learn by the end of the book?
Though the story is told in two parts
and from two female protagonist’s point of view, both women are transformed
firstly, by self-love and then love for another person.
Is there an underlying
theme to Island of Secrets?
At its heart, Island of Secrets
examines the lives of not just Cecilia and Tina, but all the empowered
women—Leilani, Victoria, Beatrice, Loretta, Silly Suzie et al. Women from
different times and cultures who face similar challenges and find the courage and
strength to overcome them. It is an exploration of how we view the fundamentals
of life. Is it love or money that motivates us? Where does loyalty lie in the
equation? What moves us to make the decisions we do? And no matter the dilemma
we face, there comes a time when we must acknowledge that love is the ultimate
answer.
Would you have the main
character as a best friend?
I
would have both Cecilia and Tina as close friends. Both women are strong,
independent, kind and intelligent.
What’s the best/saddest/funniest/shocking
one-liner from Island of Secrets?
Harbor Island V listed in the ocean in the same way she did, alone
and unmanned.
Is there a dedication?
Yes…
the dedication is to all the readers who believe in the power of love. This
book is more than a story about romance, it is about the how love can transcend
time and space.
Can you share a few
lines from your best review of Island of Secrets?
Amazon 5 Stars
I love, love, love, this book! – Tasha
Thomas
This book was so good! It jumps over a
span of about forty years. It has everything in it. From first love to first
discovery. It has suspense, love lost, and love gained. It also has a
friendship that stood the test of time, and sibling rivalry. If you read
another book this year, this is the one! I highly recommend this wonderful
book!
About the author:
Diane began her career as a school teacher before moving into the entertainment industry as a choreographer, director, event manager, dancer and actress, working in television and live theatre, and managing multi-million-dollar productions.
Following her onstage career, she spent many years as a stress and life skills therapist, keynote speaker and presenter, appearing on national radio and television.
When she launched into a writing career, Diane’s debut erotic romance series, the Dance of Love was voted Luminosity Publishing Readers’ Choice Best Books and Best Covers for 2015 and 2016.
Her romantic suspense, Retribution won the Romance Writers of Australia Emerald Pro Award 2017 for Best Unpublished Manuscript. Diane loves to write genre-busting stories with a twist. Her works are packed with emotional punch and feature empowered heroines who live life to the fullest, much like the author herself.
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