From Louise Wise

Thursday, 17 January 2019

An interview with Diane Demetre discussing Island of Secrets and the writing process in general. #womens #fiction #suspense @DianeDemetre .@rararesources



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?
 
Amazon
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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