Remember When

 

Remember When

The latest attack on Thera Logan's life wasn’t the first one and won’t be the last. Someone wants her dead, but until she realizes that these attacks aren’t just random acts of violence or mere coincidences, she leaves herself wide-open.

After her divorce from Nolan Logan, she decides to move from Seattle, Washington back to her hometown of Tahlequah, Oklahoma to live with her father and try to start a new life. She is surprised to find her old childhood sweetheart, Caleb Sutherland, has moved back home too.  

Old sparks fly until Caleb starts asking too many questions, and then the mystery surrounding Caleb’s return coinciding with hers draws her suspicion. Caleb is determined to get answers to pertinent questions that he feels only Thera can answer, and he’ll go to any length to get them . . . even deception.

He’s not the only one asking too many questions. Her ex-husband pops in for unexpected visits, wants to reconcile, and is being far too inquisitive.

Confusion fogs Thera’s world. What does Caleb really want? Why the sudden interest from Nolan? And who is stalking her? What does she possess that is more important to someone than her own life?

Her fears and suspicions of Caleb and Nolan’s annoying persistence to reconcile put her into flight mode, but fleeing will only set into motion a deadly rollercoaster ride leading up to an event that leaves her totally helpless. Her only way back is to remember when. 

Amazon.com Remember When 

Famous in a Small Town ~ An Entering Southern Country Novel

Famous in a Small Town

Famous in a Small Town

An Entering Southern Country Novel

  

The quiet town of Cypress, Mississippi is turned upside down when a former citizen, Raven Sawyer, returns for a funeral. Raven’s fictional novel goes viral when the town folk realize that she’s the author, and soon they’re thinking that her book is not fiction but truth. Every little dirty detail is revealed in her book and has the people of Cypress wagging their tongues and shaking their heads at a few of the upper-class citizens and—the Sheriff.

All Raven wants is to get through the funeral and go back to New York, but Sheriff Cal Rayburn can’t allow her to leave after she discovers and turns over evidence that may be connected to a double homicide that he’s investigating. At least, that’s the excuse he’s giving her, and he’ll go to any length to keep her in Cypress until he can make her believe that the affair, that she thinks he had six years ago, never happened.

When more dead bodies turn up, Cal feels they’re connected to the double homicide, but with the evidence he has, he can’t make a connection. He’s left with more questions than answers. He’s told that Raven’s novel may have answers to questions that could help with his investigation, but what it reveals is more than what he wants to know.

Famous in a Small Town is book one of An Entering Southern Country Novel. It has murder, lies, fiction, and truth—and more twists and turns than the back roads of northwestern Mississippi.
Enter at your own risk.

 

Happy Valley (A Southern Country Novel)

Josephine Preston was released and sent home from a mental institution. She has only vague memories of why she had been committed. Circumstances beyond her control will cause those memories to surface, one by one.
A tragedy, brought on by deceit, leaves her heartbroken and rejected. Jo is sent away to live with some rather peculiar relatives. Her fear of being institutionalized again has her desperate to keep her past hidden, but how long can she keep it a secret when her imagination begins playing tricks on her... or is it? A voice from her past resurfaces as well as the man who wants her secret to die with her.
This is a story about a young girl's heartbreak, rejection, fear, faith, and determination.
Happy Valley is the first in the series of A Southern Country Novel.

To read a sample or download follow the link below. Happy reading!
Happy Valley @ Amazon 

A Vanilla Christmas

Vanilla Lillian Carver has given up on love. Every relationship has left her disappointed and heartbroken, from a high school romance, to a broken engagement, and then jilted at the altar. She’s decided that she's through with love. It was a good plan until the day her true love returns after he had disappeared twelve years earlier without even saying goodbye. She's afraid to trust him again. Her heart and common sense battle it out, because there are too many unanswered questions that she’s afraid to ask him. Poor Lily! She’s running in circles.

December 14th through the 17th 2012, A Vanilla Christmas will be FREE for your Kindle device.
A Vanilla Christmas

Kindle and Paperback

Faded Rose

Rose Daniels is ready for a change. Her decision to divorce after twelve years of a failed marriage gives her a short moment of hope for her and her son's future, but Mother Nature throws a wrench in her plans and so does the Hughes County Sheriff when he arrests her for the murder of a local woman. She's lost so much already, but she could lose more... her son and her life.

Faded Rose is now available for Kindle and in paperback.

Faded Rose

Happy Valley

At first, I was skeptical about putting my novel on Amazon.com, but I've sold several and have had some good reviews. The reviews are from people I don't know.  My friends are still reading my novel and I'm waiting for their feedback.
Happy Valley A Southern Country Novel is the first in the series. The story is mainly based in Northwest Mississippi.  Happy Valley is a mystery with humor.
"Jo Preston could write a book on survival. Her titles could be: How to Survive Five Years in a Mental Institution, How to Cheat Death, How to Overcome Heartbreak and Rejection, How to Live With Crazy Relatives, or How to Run From a Serial Killer. Yes, she could write a book... if she survives all of the above."

http://www.amazon.com/Diana-Anderson/e/B008FU5U66/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

If you read my novel, please leave a review at Amazon.com.  Thanks!

My Facebook page is: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Diana-Anderson/432120250141271

Now that I've told you about my novel, let me tell you about where I live.  Although I was born and raised in Oklahoma, I've lived in this area of Mississippi since 1979.  My husband and I moved to the country in 2006.  Being raised a farm girl, I was long over-do and ready for the move.
A sign over our driveway reads, "God's Country" and it is a taste of heaven on earth.  I love having my morning coffee on the patio.  I'm never alone.  Many mornings, deer walk between our yard and the woods that surround our home.  Casey, our Jack Russell Terrier, is more interested in the squirrels and lizards though.  We have chickens, which is more of a hobby as most are pets.  However, fresh eggs are good.  We keep a bird feeder in view of our kitchen window as well as hummingbird feeders.  I love watching the blue buntings and have managed to get a few photos of the skittish little creatures.  We have a creek down below our home and when we get a good rain, you can hear the rushing water.  At night, the whippoorwill sing, tree frogs croak, and crickets chirp.  We are so far away from the city that the night skies are lit up with stars, like diamonds on black velvet.  I remember the first few nights after we moved in.  I couldn't sleep because it was so quiet. Now, sleep is wonderful.
Life is good here out in this neck of the woods.  I wouldn't have it any other way.

The Flower Beds Will Have to Wait

Okay, here I go. My first blog.

I've been searching for a local writer's group and have come up with zilch. Where are all the struggling novelist in Mississippi? One group, I was able to locate, was further down south near the Gulf. I don't think it'd be wise of me to go for a once a month Tuesday luncheon. That's quite a drive. Others don't have a website or much on the website that they do have. It can be rather frustrating trying to get some feedback.

From research on the internet, most of what I'm getting is the Catch-22. You have to have an agent to get published and to get an agent you have to be a published author. (Insert head tilt here.) So it seems, no matter how much sweat you pour out onto the keypad of your laptop while your eyes feel like daggers have been poked into them from the eye strain of working and polishing your manuscript, day in and day out for over two years, it may have been time better spent weeding your flower beds that have been neglected. My flower bed needs mowing.

I try to wake up every morning with a positive outlook. As long as I'm not looking out my window at my flower bed. A pot of coffee and back at it. I've written the darn thing in first person and third person... just in case. I've sent it to several agents and have had one reply. Yes, the old form letter, not for us.

I've tried mental telepathy. Desperate times means taking desperate measures. I've stared at the agents photos on their website at least once a week and try to convince them what a good novel it is. Maybe there is too much aluminum in the building material at their location. Whatever, it doesn't seem to be working.

I'm curious as to what literary agents really do all day. With the Catch-22 thing, it makes me wonder, if just maybe, they spend their days trying to steal established authors from other agents.

I think my manuscript is a good story and I'm very critical of my writing as well as my artwork. I'm my worst critic. I'm critical of the books I read and get frustrated trying to find a good read. You buy a novel and it's really good, so you purchase another novel by that same author and it's a huge disappointment. Seems like they are in a big hurry to sell another and add filler that you end up skipping over. Gotta get that 100,000 word count in. Filler reminds me of minced fish in fish sticks. I actually threw a book across the room after reading three pages. I won't meantion the fairly well known author here, but geez lady, how did you get into the business? I've been known to kiss some ass when needed, but after reading that mess, I'd say a tad more than ass kissing was involved. And it's a shame. Really! What? Are you going to return the book to the store and get your money back? To me, there should be a standard a writer must uphold to all of his or her readers. A high standard. After all, if it weren't for their loyal fans, they'd be history.

It's not all about money. It's not all about fame. That's just the perks. For me, it's really all about someone enjoying my story. I love to make people laugh and cry with a story. I want to touch a heart and encourage the soul. I want to take them away from their weary day, their worries, and travel to another place. A place with characters that are real and dreams do come true.

Am I going to give up? No. It's been a life long dream of mine since I was a youngster. I was telling stories when I starting talking. Got into a lot of trouble weaving those tales. I didn't have books to read when I was very young and didn't have anyone reading to me, but I told myself bedtime stories. And when I was school age, I read a lot. And then I started writing. Married with children put my personal dream on hold. No regrets mind you. My kids are all grown with little ones of their own and now, it's Mom's turn.

The flower beds will have to wait.