Diane Slocum has been a newspaper reporter and editor and authored a historical book. As a freelance writer, she regularly contributes to magazines and newspapers. She writes features on authors and a column for writers and readers in Lifestyle magazine. She is assigned to write interviews of first-time novelists and bestselling authors for Authorlink.
Insights Into Diane
If I were to pick one type of book that I most like to read it would probably be historical novels. I appreciate the research that goes into recreating a world from our past and populating it with characters both historical and fictional.
I don’t really have a favorite author. Since I’m usually reading debut authors for my interviews, I rarely have repeats. Maybe that is also my reading quirk. The same way I dish up my plate at a potluck – take a little taste of everything.
The first peeve that comes to mind about the writing world is form rejections that say “It’s not right for us at this time.” I know agents, editors, etc. are overwhelmed with reading submissions, but something triggered the rejection. I would rather get a rejection that said “boring,” “weak lead,” “got to page 2,” than “it’s not right for us at this time.” Of course, I would hope that the reader really did think it was brilliant but just not what she needed then, but then one word to say why, what was in her mind, would help.
What foods do I like? As I said, I sample everything at a potluck. Maybe fruit? I live in Fresno County. We grow almost everything. Fresh and local is the best. My food quirk is probably raw potatoes. I could be lured into a trap by a trail of raw potato slices. So far, I’ve never enjoyed tasting liver or kidneys. I also don’t want to eat food that should be accompanied by a fire hose because it’s spicy hot.
In my leisure time, I go camping and hiking. I keep a journal. I watch TV shows like Poldark, Victoria and Mercy Street. I run, but that’s not exactly leisure, neither is growing my vegetables. And, of course, I read.
Of all the people in the world, who I would most like to have dinner with, is another hard choice. But right now, I’ll choose Jimmy Carter. I have great respect for his character and all he does to help people, even continuing into his very advanced years.
Salt Houses, Hala Alyan, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt - Salma Yacoub, her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren call a lot of places home. And for that reason, many times they feel as if no place is their real home.
If We Were Villains, M.L. Rio, Flatiron Books Macmillan – Seven acting students made the cut into their fourth year at Dellecher Classical Conservatory. Their on-stage Shakespearian roles have become predictable
The Half Wives, Stacia Pelletier, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt – In 1883 San Francisco, Henry and Marilyn Plageman lost their little boy and most of their reason for living. Henry’s cause became saving the cemetery where Jack is buried.
Rabbit Cakes, Annie Hartnett, Tin House Books - In Annie Hartnett’s debut novel, Rabbit Cake, ten-year-old Elvis lost her mother in a sleep-swimming accident. Or was it an accident?
The Impossible Fortress, Jason Rekulak, Simon & Schuster - In Jason Rekulak’s novel, The Impossible Fortress, young teens in a 1987 New Jersey working-class neighborhood set goals to break into several impossible places.
History of Wolves, Emily Fridlund, Grove Atlantic - In Emily Fridlund’s History of Wolves, a teenage girl raised on a failed commune in the north woods of Minnesota feels like she doesn’t fit in at home or at school.
All the Breaking Waves, Kerry Lonsdale, Lake Union Publishing - The women in Molly’s family have special abilities – to foresee the future, to communicate telepathically, and in Molly’s case, to cause people to do as she directs against their own will.
The Education of Dixie Dupree, Donna Everhart, Kensington Publishing Corp. – Eleven-year-old Dixie Dupree did not like being around Uncle Ray. He had a creepy way of getting too close to her.
The Wangs vs the World, Jade Chang, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt - When Charles Wang emigrated to America from Taiwan he hit on a lucky break. He started a cosmetic empire from his family’s urea business.
The Wolf Road, Beth Lewis, Crown – In the post-apocalyptic north country, Elka is tossed into the woods during a storm, taken in, and raised by a man she calls Trapper.