If you’re keen to know more about me (of course you are!), the lovely Zen has just interviewed me 😀
As part of my resolution to read more indie novels this year, I picked up The Eleventh Question by fellow blogger, Dianne Gray, and did not regret it once. A short and easy read, this novel tells the story of Arista, a teenager with a less-than-idea living situation, who goes through the eleven stages of enlightenment through a series of events that test her and make her ponder the true meaning of life, while in the background a Seer and her apprentice observe her and go through a journey of their own.
I really enjoyed this book. The writing style was great, and the story kept me hooked throughout. I was curious to see what the eleventh question was, and I thought Dianne did a good job choosing which events led to which question, and the end of the book was quite satisfying.
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Dianne Gray author 
Great interview….and I’m thrilled to read that you are doing a follow up to The Eleventh Question. It was such a great read! The other stories sound very intriguing as well….get that farm built so you can get back at it!! 😉
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LOL! Will do! I just need to start kicking butt to get the guys to work faster 😀
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If I have to fly over there and scare them with some Canadian voodoo…I’ll do it!!
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Hahahaha! Do it! 😀
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😀 I need me some Dianne Gray books….haha.
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I loved the interview and your answers!
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Thank you for heading over there and reading, Ruth! Much appreciated 😀
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Great interview, Dianne. Loved your answers. You must have a complex mind to write 20,000 words a day. The only way I could do that would be to write the same word over and over. 🙂 And so pleased to hear you don’t write every day. If it’s not there, it’s just not there. All the experts who say you need to write every single day are missing out on life and if you don’t embrace life, what the hell are you going to write about? 🙂
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That’s exactly right, Justin! I sometimes go for weeks/months without writing and don’t believe that we need to write every day – but once I get going, it can be like a flood 😀
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Wonderful review and interview!
I love your random approach to living . . . much easier to tap into the source when you haven’t got everything mapped out in advance.
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I’m so glad you liked it 😀
It’s so true about the randomness, Nancy. I just wing it most of the time and it seems to work! 😀
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Good to hear there are three more on the way!…and hey, if you ever do make it to Scotland I’d be thrilled to show you around the Highlands I’m blessed enough to call home. How I love where I live…
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I’m looking forward to it Harula! Don’t worry, I’ll contact you if I’m ever heading that way 😀
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This was such a great interview to share with us… it gave a deeper insight into your life and the way you think… I wrote a comment on the blog, and the one point I made was my disappointment that South Africa is not on your wish to go to list… has it something to do with Cricket or Rugby??? Loved that you re-blogged this it just gave us a deeper insight into Dianne Gray,.. thank you…
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Thank you so much 😉 I’ve tried to comment on Zen’s post to the comments I’ve received and haven’t been able to yet (I’m not sure why – it just doesn’t have a ‘reply’ button for me.
South Africa would be wonderful to visit and if I ever head that way, I’ll read all your posts from first to last so I know my way around and what animals to look out for!
I’ve not been able to do much work online today because the major telephone provider is down due to the incredibly bad weather here (you can’t even dial emergency numbers 8O). It’s a major disaster with the floods and storms…
Thank you so much for taking the time to read the interview, I’m very flattered 😀
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Wow – 20,000 words in one day! I don’t even write that much in a month. I’m seriously impressed and a little frightened all at once. 🙂
You and I are also quite opposite in that I don’t have a random bone in my body. I’m so scheduled, I practically have to iCal my breathing.
From what I know of Aussies, you’re something of an anomaly in have never travelled overseas. You should come to Canada. I hear Vancouver is
rainy and greynice this time of year, and full of your countrymen as well. 😉LikeLike
I actually have some friends in Canada so that would be a lovely place to visit. I believe it’s very nice in the summer months 😉
I get up at 4am every morning (except for this morning because I was up puking all night with a stomach bug – ewww) and if my muse grabs me I start writing then and don’t stop until late in the evening. It doesn’t happen very often, but when it does I feel like I’ve really achieved something. But then I may not write for a week or so and then the next time maybe 5 – 10 thousand words. I’m not saying it’s particularly good writing, but it usually gets major parts of my stories underway 😀
I’m so glad you checked out the interview, thank you so much, Janna! 😀
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Great interview, Dianne. I bet Zen didn’t even have to twist your arm to talk about chocolate. 😉
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Not in the least! And I’m not even a fussy chocolate eater. It must have been a sign when I was taken to hospital at age 2 because they thought I’d eaten poison and when they pumped my stomach all they found was a huge ball of chocolate! LOL 😀
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Great interview! We have similar writing styles, also very similar notions about publishing houses, hee hee. So glad there will be a sequel to The Eleventh Question. And the story about the kidnapped writer sounds fabulous! 🙂
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Thank you, Anna 😀 I’m so glad you went over to read the interview! Zen is wonderful 🙂
I also love the kidnapped writer story and the fact that she’s not a writer, but has to become one to save her own life, adds a lot to her character (and I’m having a lot of fun writing it!) 😀
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That was a great interview. I love that she asked about your favorite snacks! ha, I have similar tastes. I didn’t know that all of your books are on such a variety of topics. Interesting. I would be very interested in Wolf Pear now that I know its premise is psychic ability. Keep on truckin Dianne 😉
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Thank you so much for taking the time to go over and have a read, Jess. I know it’s difficult when your on holidays. Enjoy – and take loads of pictures for us all! 😀
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Great interview, Dianne and Zen. I love that I learned more about The 11th Question from reading this interview, although it made me a bit jealous that you get to live with Archimedes. Thank you for giving us valuable insight into your writing mind and habits. Now I won’t feel so bad when I don’t write everyday–although I will always feel a bit small until I punch out 20k words in a day. :0
Look forward to reading the sequel and the fascinating book about the kidnapped plagiarist.
In case you didn’t already know, Dianne, you are spectacinating. Love, Kozo
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LOL – I love to be spectacinating! What a great word 😉
Archimedes (aka Kitty) thinks she’s a person and I sometimes wonder what is on the other side of those eyes. She seems to understand conversation and I often have to spell things to people when she’s around (although, she knows what w.a.l.k is now when I spell it and also f.o.o.d!)
I’m really enjoying writing about the plagiarist – she can’t write, but now she has to in order to save her own life!
Big {{{hugs}}} for my sweet hugologist, Kozo 😀
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Are you kidding me? Archimedes knows how to read? Now, I’m really jealous. 🙂
I’ve been thinking about your plagiarist idea a lot lately, because many of us new writers kind of feel like imposters. I’m thinking about hiring someone to put a gun to my head and force me to write 20,000 words in one day. What do you think? haha
Love being mistaken for a hogologist, but you, Rarasaur, and some of my other BBFs know I’m probably more of a hugophile.
{{{Hugs}}} Kozo
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I got the plagiarist idea when I saw the police van and the man in the back was trying to use sign language to talk to me through the bars. I thought ‘what if he escaped now?’ ‘What if he jumped in my car?’ ‘What if I told him I was a writer and I wasn’t?’ ‘What if he wanted me to write his life story?’ and the story just rolled on from there.
You need to have plenty of time on your hands to write 20,000 words in one day. I wake up very early every day and now that I’ve quit my day job I’ve got all the time in the world to write 😀
{{{Hugs}}} to you, happy hugophile!
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That reminds me. I want you to promise me that I will get to come on the set when they shoot the film version of this book.
I’m seeing Samuel Jackson as the kidnapper, not because he is black, but because he can enunciate so well with a gun in his hands–“The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish…”
I’m seeing Emma Stone as the writer. She reminds me of you. 🙂
Love and {{{Hugs}}} Kozo
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Oh, they would make great leads! Naturally, we’d have to have walk on roles! I’ll write something in for us both! 😀
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20,000 words in one day? Incredible! Good interview. Love your take on things and chocolate…mmm…tried those Rocky Roads yet? 😉
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I’ve got it on my list to make next weekend. I got the ingredients yesterday, but I got a stomach bug and ended up on the couch for most of the afternoon/evening (damn stomach bug interfering in my ‘chocolate time’ 😦 )
Thanks so much for going over to read the interview, I’m so glad you liked it! 😀
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Great interview! 🙂
Xx
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Thanks Vikki! 🙂
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Love the interview. I’m always heartened when I hear a writer say that they don’t have a structure – that some days they write loads and then they go without writing. The thought of making myself sit down every day with a word target sounds like the best way to turn pleasure into pain. (I’m a chocolate lover too). And if you happen to come to Scotland this summer let me know! I’m going to be performing in the Edinburgh festival and I’m taking on a house with a few spare rooms 😉
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You’re exactly right! I don’t want to force my writing and if it ever became a pain, I’d give it up! I write because I love writing and it’s not a chore for me. I’m really not sure why so many people say you need to sit down every day and force yourself to write – to me that seems to defeat the purpose of writing!
It’s fantastic that you’re performing in the Edinburgh festival! Congratulations. What a star!!!! 😀
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Well, we’ll see if anyone comes to see the show first!!
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Great interview, Dianne. I think your answers are wonderfully honest and down to earth. I love your approach to writing; I think too many writers turn it into a chore or into a ‘have to’ (I know I have been guilty of that). I have your book in my queue to read, and this interview has just made me move it up a few notches. 🙂
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Thank you so much! I don’t want to ‘have to write’ because someone tells me I should. I just write when the feeling takes me there and that’s the beauty of the craft 😀
I really hope you enjoy the book! 😉
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hahaha loved the interview… I certainly need a book read!!!
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Thanks, Lisa – so glad you enjoyed it! 😀
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Really nice interview, Dianne. Zen sure makes it easy, and I loved your answers. I can’t imagine writing 20,000 words in a day. I think I topped out at 7,000 once and thought I was pretty spectacular. 😉 … Good luck with all of your present irons in the fire, and thank you for including chocolate and strawberries in your responses.
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Thank you, Maddie! Zen is truly wonderful and so easy to work with 😀 Chocolate and strawberries – now I’m hungry again! 😉
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Zen did an excellent job…. and I love chocolate and strawberries too. Kudos! 🙂
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Zen is wonderful! Thanks so much for going over to have a read 😀
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