Interview with Diane Demetre…..

For those who don’t know already, could you tell us about yourself and your book(s) please?

I’m a contemporary fiction author and I love writing stories about empowered women who live life on their terms.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

They all beam in, mostly when I least expect them.

Are any of your characters based (however loosely) on anyone you know?

I think there is a little of someone I know or have met in all my characters.

How do you pick your characters names?

Their names beam in as well. If I try to change their names, they won’t let me.

Can you share your writing process with us, in a nutshell?

I endeavour to write every day, seven-days-a-week. Most times I do, but there is another thing called life which sometimes gets in the way 😊

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

There are too many to just name five, but probably my all-time favourite is Agatha Christie.

If you could meet any author, who would it be and what would you ask them?

I’d probably like to chat with Nora Roberts about her writing regime.

Were you a big reader as a child?

Yes. I loved to read.

When did you start to write?

Like any child, I started to write when I was young and have continued in one form or another since.

If you could re-write the ending to any book what would it be and what would you change?

I would never want to change anyone’s ending. Each ending is perfect for the story which the author was inspired to write.

Is there a book you wish you had written?

Nothing comes to mind.

If you wrote an autobiography, what would your title be?

I have written my autobiography. It’s called Whispered Words of Wisdom, and I’m looking for a publisher.

If you could invite any fictional character for coffee who would it be and where would you take them?

I’d love to have coffee with Hercule Poirot, but of course, I would allow the great detective to choose the venue.

What are you working on right now?

I’m writing the Diana Daniels Murder Mysteries series. It’s Jessica Fletcher, from Murder She Wrote meets Prof Reinhart from The Murder Games and morphs into Diana Daniels; a smart, sassy, recently-widowed woman, whose sixth sense and rekindled love of adventure lands her in all sorts of trouble.

Do you have a new release due?

Not yet.

What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?

I normally take a little time off to relax, sit and contemplate on how fortunate I am to do what I love.

How can readers keep in touch with you?

Through the usual platforms..

WEBSITE www.dianedemetre.com

BLOG https://dianedemetre.com/blogposts/

FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/dianedemetreauthor

TWITTER https://twitter.com/DianeDemetre

GOODREADS https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14418461.Diane_Demetre

AMAZON https://www.amazon.com/Diane-demetre/e/B015P878H4/

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, Diane 🙂

Book Blurb

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.

Publisher Luminosity Publishing Llp

Ebook ISBN 978-1-9993066-0-1

Paperback ISBN 978-1-9993066-1-8

386 pages

Ebook

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07J5CSHPS

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07J5CSHPS

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07J5CSHPS

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07J5CSHPS

https://luminositypublishing.com/book/island-of-secrets/

https://www.bookstrand.com/island-of-secrets

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/899908

https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Diane_Demetre_Island_of_Secrets?id=tIhxDwAAQBAJ

https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/island-of-secrets-16

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/island-of-secrets-diane-demetre/1129715424?ean=2940155837329

https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/island-of-secrets/id1438526411?mt=11

Paperback https://www.amazon.com/dp/1999306619

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 & 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.

Behind the Scenes

In this moving tale of love lost, love found and love eternal, award-winning author Diane Demetre makes us believe in the power of love — a love that is timeless and ageless.

In 1973, when wild child, Cecilia Freemont flees her privileged upbringing in San Francisco for sex, drugs, and adventure, she finds herself embroiled in the local superstition and secrets of Harbor Island, an unspoiled paradise off the coast of Maui. Against her better judgment, she falls in love with the island’s young heir-apparent, Dickie Reginald. But the odds are stacked against them, and Cecilia must make a heart-wrenching decision that will change her future forever.

Forty years later and under the saddest of circumstances, investigative journalist Tina Templeton and successful cabaret singer, CiCi Freemont find themselves involved in another of the island’s secrets. Despite being strangers, Tina, now the new owner of Harbor Island must work with CiCi to solve the mystery of Origin Beach which threatens to devastate the island. But when the US Coast Guard is called in, past and present collide with the arrival of Captain Jack Holmes. He brings with him a new mystery. One which may unearth the island’s deepest secrets.

Will Harbor Island’s legacy topple or will love triumph and transcend time?

If you love stories rich in emotion and fueled by intrigue, Island of Secrets will make you laugh, cry and capture your heart. An epic love story not to be missed.

****

I remember vividly 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.

Immersing myself in the island’s history, I grabbed a copy of James A. Michener’s epic tale, Hawaii. In discovering how the missionaries came to the islands and their impact on the indigenous population and culture, I gained a deeper insight into this special place. An insight I’ve woven into Part One of Island of Secrets.

Told across forty years, the story begins in the heady 1970’s. Having been a teenager during this time, I drew on my experience, as well as researching this amazing decade. The early 1970s saw the world undergo exponential change. With a sense of freedom coursing through our veins, we viewed the planet’s evolution with passionate optimism, seeking out opportunities to make the world a better place. It was an empowering time of enthusiasm, peace protests and free love; all bubbling forth from the post-civil and equal-rights era and the women’s liberation movement. With this as her backdrop, Cecilia launches into her big adventure. And like many young women of that time, she is fired in the kiln of life.

In Part Two, we meet her again. Now in her late sixties, she is matured and polished, but her essence and loyalties remain the same. She becomes the reflection character for Tina, who must deal with her own personal and environmental issues to save the legacy of Harbor Island.

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.

Excerpt

The engine rumbled to life and Smith’s eldest son, Andrew, cast off the ropes from the jetty, while Cecilia sat on the aft seat. Shoving on her sunglasses and straw hat, she disguised some of the emotion but couldn’t totally hide it. Harbor Island II pulled out from the ramshackle jetty, setting a slow course across the harbor. Just over seven months ago, she came to the island with a young woman’s fantasies of adventure. She’d arrived seeking independence and freedom from her previous life. Filled with determination and dreams, she’d launched into a new job, a new family and a new life. Now, as she returned to Maui and then to the mainland, she took stock of what that desire for adventure had cost her. So, this was your adventure, Cecilia. To fall in love and then lose love?

From the shore drifted a lilting melody sung by a familiar blend of voices she’d heard many times in the Sunday service.

She rose and stuck her head in the cabin. “What are they singing, Smith?”

“It’s a traditional song of farewell. It wishes you love and success on your travels with the hope that one day you will return.”

She moved to the guide rail, clasping both hands to her breaking heart. The crystal waters of the bay lapped against the gleaming hull of the boat as Smith steered it toward the reef break. Memories flooded back to the day she arrived and her embarrassment at being so seasick, how Beatrice had interrogated her in the Local Store and how she’d been saved by Victoria, her new best friend. A nostalgic smile tipped her lips as the ghosts of her recent past revisited. Watching the people she’d grown to love raise their voices in goodbye, she ignored the hot tears streaking her cheeks.

“I hope one day to return too,” she said aloud.

With mournful voices raised and arms waving white handkerchiefs, they sent her on her way. She would not forget these wonderful people or this place, or the soulful melody which was now etched into her memory.

Not until they became tiny specks on the shore did Cecilia finally sit down. Smith turned and waited for her instruction. She nodded, and he pushed forward on the throttle. Bright and new, Harbor Island II cut through the ocean waves. Long accustomed to the rolling and pitching of the waves, she no longer felt squeamish. She’d matured. For neither the ocean nor life’s challenges held sway over her. Like Harbor Island II forging toward Lahaina, Cecilia was unstoppable in her purpose. Once more she turned away from the past. With jaw set, she faced into the stinging, salty wind, her chin lifted high, and like the cruiser, powered into her future. This will not break me. I am more than this.

Testimonials

Amazon 5 Stars

A lovely intergenerational family drama set in an untouched paradise – Avid Reader

This is the second novel I’ve read by the author and, though very different from Retribution (which I loved), this novel has its own strengths. It’s the saga of a🌺 Hawaiian family dynasty, but focused on two generations of strong women and their❤ romances. Cecelia ‘s young love is poignant and doomed, Tina’s second chance love is sudden, healing and, ultimately, an ironic conclusion to an old family drama. Cecelia was my favorite character. She is full of life, a sense of adventure, and an optimism about life’s possibilities; she’s also ready to sacrifice big time for the place and people she loves.

The descriptions of the natural beauty of the fictional Harbor Island are vivid and lyrical. Otherwise, the prose is simple and straightforward. I got so involved with these characters that I could not stop reading! I really liked the inclusion of several mysteries that take a while to solve. Although the minor characters who reside and work on the island seemed a bit stereotyped, all in all it’s a lovely read with some tearful moments and well worth considering. I will be looking forward to more stories from Ms. Demetre.:-)

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!

Amazon 5 Stars

Entertaining – Kim F

Extremely entertaining, captivating, and interesting read. I could not put it down. Wonderfully written with strong and intriguing characters. I want to read more from this author.

Amazon 5 Stars

Captivating – Debbins

The story was told in several points of view about life on an island. It was captivating and original. The characters draw you in and carry you right along with their journey through time. Highly recommend this great mystery.

Amazon 5 Stars

Good story of true love – C. Sasser

This is a heart wrenching love story that covers a lifetime. It is not the traditional happy ever after but it still does end that way. It was an entertaining, easy to read love story with wonderful characters. It had some very emotional moments. It was a great story.

Amazon 5 Stars

Island of secrets – Angie Anderson

This book is so good. It’s two generations of love. I loved all of the characters. The ending is wonderful. I suggest Kleenex being handy.

Amazon 4 Stars

An enjoyable story – Misty

An enjoyable well written book with good engaging characters. Interesting with Cecilia’s character as she developed relationships with the islanders and Tina easily resolved conflicts. Story jumps in years and held my interest with a special ending.

Amazon 5 Stars

A sweet story of redemption, family and enduring love – Ltwin

I’m a little late with my review because it took me a few days to stop crying. This is wonderful story about 2 strong women separated by a span of years, yet very connected. CiCi is a free spirit child of the 70s and it is her story that draws the reader into the book. Tina ties the present with the past and has her own journey to love and family to travel. There is a bit of family dysfunction and mystery that is sprinkled throughout that enables the reader to see many facets of the characters.

Amazon 4 Stars

Heartbreaks and Triumphs – Sahar’s Beaded Creations

At first I was not sure what to think, but the story pulls you. There are some heartbreaking elements, but there is also love and redemption. I definitely shed a few tears reading the story. The island held many secrets and heartaches. The story had lost love, finding love, and in the end, a sort of homecoming. It spanned two generations.

Amazon 5 Stars

Family – Renee Strauss

I don’t know where to start. It was a flashback to the 70s and life then. We follow the journey of Cecelia at first. Harbor Island is where she ended up. There she found herself and the love of her life, but she had to move on. Her love inherited the Island and upon his death everyone reunited. Including the new addition to their family. There were fights and criminal activity which in the end turned out to be a happy ending