Diane Vallere Interview by E. B. Davis

Interior decorator Madison Night is no stranger to the occasional odd inheritance. But when an octogenarian friend dies and leaves her a pajama factory, the bounty is bittersweet. Once a thriving business, Sweet Dreams closed decades ago after a tragic accident took the life of a young model. Or was that simply a cover up? Between her friend’s death and her own stagnant life, Madison is tempted to hide under a blanket of willful ignorance. But when family members and special interest groups lobby to expose the secrets of the factory, Madison gets caught in a dangerous nightmare and discovers that sometimes, the bed you make is not your own.

https://www.dianevallere.com/madison-night

Doris Day is one of my favorite actresses. I watched a lot of her movies when I was younger and still like them. Few women of a certain age don’t like Doris. The happily-ever-after endings, the morality of the characters Doris portrayed, the good-looking male leads, and the clothing Doris wore—all of which made for great female entertainment.

Diane Vallere’s Mad for Mod series main character, Madison Night, looks like Doris (a perky blonde), dresses like Doris, and designs house interiors like those shown in Doris Day movies (late fifties/early sixties styles). In Madison’s quest for period furnishings, she’s drawn into the drama of estates and death. The Pajama Frame is Diane’s fifth Madison Night novel.

Often murder motives in mysteries are far fetched, but the motive for murder in this novel was grounded in the real world. Cute dogs, pastel fabrics, and tailored clothing aside, Diane takes on some real-world issues in this book and some of her character’s issues, too.

Welcome back to WWK, Diane.                                                                                       E. B. Davis    

Madison inherits a pajama factory from her elderly friend Alice Sweet. It’s been boarded up and neglected for sixty years. Why did she pass off her problem to Madison? Avoiding the building’s painful past, or is it more personal?

DV: I think Alice was a woman who came into her own after her husband died (when she was in her fifties) and instead of letting her new life be defined by something her husband had done (or not done), she chose to let her life be defined by her own identity.

Why did Madison name her little Shih Tzu, Rocky?

DV: Rocky is named after Rock Hudson. She added the “y” because it makes the name cutesy, but both Captain Tex Allen and Hudson James, the two men in her life, only call him Rock.

Does the Captain’s relationship with Rocky mirror his relationship to Madison?

DV: I think you can tell a lot about a person by how they interact with someone else’s pet, so having Tex interact with Rocky gets to show him in a different way than only showing him interacting with Madison.

Why doesn’t Madison have many close friends her own age?

DV: Madison left Pennsylvania for Texas, not for any reason other than the person she was getting away from was in PA and would never come to TX. She had friends there, but after started over with a whole new life, she discovered that it’s harder to make new friends in your late forties than your twenties.

At the cemetery while looking at Alice Sweet’s headstone, Madison has a moment of reckoning. What hit her so hard?

DV: Even though Alice was decades older than Madison, the two women were friends, and Madison sees Alice’s life as having been similar to hers. She realizes how alone she’s been in Texas, how here’s a woman who died and her family is treating the death like an inconvenience. Madison, who has been trying to open up to people feels a bit like she’s losing herself in the process of inviting people into her world. It’s a real struggle: stay isolated and protect herself, or be vulnerable to others and risk being hurt.

Donna Nast (former Officer Nasty) talks a lot. She claims Madison lives in the past. Does she speak the truth?

DV: Nasty is a very interesting (and fun) character for me because she represents what I think a lot of people might think if they encountered a real life Madison Night. Madison does dress in vintage, and her business does revolve around the midcentury style, and people often assume she’s ignorant of technology or modern business practices.

I like to think of Donna Nast as Alex Krycek from The X-Files. She has her own agenda, and you never really know whose side she’s on.

 

Nasty also said of Captain Tex Allen, “For him, the job comes first. Period.” True or is she just a “think-she-knows-it-all?”

DV: I’m going to leave this one unanswered so the reader can decide for themselves!

I was surprised that Donna Nast felt impacted by a man’s suicide she may have indirectly caused even though she didn’t know him. Does Donna have more emotional depth than readers perceive?

DV: I think every single person has emotional depth, whether we like them or don’t like them. Nasty is a great nemesis for Madison, but to me she’s more interesting because she does have layers.

Although Donna Nast isn’t pleasant, she was more forthcoming with information about a past case connected to Madison’s case than Captain Tex Allen. He can hide behind the shield, but withholding information is a kind of lying. Why would he do that to Madison?

DV: I can admit that understanding police procedure and behavior is the steepest learning curve I have when writing a cop, and I learned early on in this series (after consulting with a 25-year homicide detective) that there are things a cop would not discuss because it would jeopardize a case. Tex will share information to a point, but he wouldn’t want Madison to think he wants her to put herself in danger. Their relationship has changed a lot since the first book, when she proved to him that she can think through facts and evidence clearly, but they still have a police/civilian barrier.

“[Madison’s] My desire to live an independent life without the possibility of emotional connection or pain dissolved.” (Kindle Loc. 3457) What did Madison discover about Alice’s life that affected her so deeply as to change her path? 

DV: The death of her friend (regardless of her age) made Madison see that life is short and feeling alive—and experiencing the messiness that goes with the ups and downs of that—is better than going through the motions. In her friend’s life she saw opportunities lost and doesn’t want that to be her.

You have four mystery series, but this fall you released a science fiction novel. Has sci fi always lurked as an interest?

DV: I think of MURDER ON MOON TREK 1 as a mystery set in outer space more than a science fiction novel. I love Star Trek and UFO and wanted to have the freedom to completely create an alternate setting while still relying on clues, evidence, and sleuthing for my amateur to solve the crime. I expect Sylvia Stryker to have more adventures, but I don’t expect to delve farther into sci fi than dipping my toe, which is what I’ve done here.

What’s next for Madison?

DV: I’m currently working on book 6, which is expected out later this year. In her efforts to expand the boundaries of her life, she has been bidding on higher profile jobs, and in book 6 she’s competing in a design competition that pits her and her mid-mod aesthetic against more commercial designers throughout the state of Texas. Unfortunately, a computer hacker is wreaking havoc on the very technology Madison is forced to embrace…

   

An Interview with Diane Vallere

When Poly Monroe was little, she loved playing in her family’s textile store.

But after a fatal family tragedy, Land of A Thousand Fabrics was boarded up

and Poly never expected to see the inside again. Now, as inheritor of the

long-shuttered shop, she’s ready to restore the family business.

However her two new kittens, Pins and Needles, aren’t the ones causing a

snag in her plans...

Not everyone wants Poly back in San Ladrón, especially a powerful local developer

pressuring her to sell—and leave town fast. But even when the threats turn deadly, she’s

not ready to bolt. Because Poly is beginning to suspect that the murder behind the

shop is tied to a mystery in her family’s unsettled past that she’s determined to

solve before her own life is left hanging by a thread.

                                                                                                                 http://www.dianevallere.com/suede-to-rest.html

Diane Vallere writes three mystery series. Due to her varied publishing experience, she has been called a hybrid writer. I call it self-determination.

Diane started her first Style & Error series by self-publishing it. Shortly after, her Mad for Mod series was picked up by Henery Press. Suede to Rest is the first novel in her Material Witness series published by Berkley.

When I first heard about the series set in a fabric store, I wondered how Diane would bring it to life. I’m glad I didn’t have to wait long. Suede to Rest garnered a Left Coast Crime Awards (aka: the Lefty) nomination for most humorous mystery. Not without reason. I read the book in over two days and loved her new protagonist, Polyester Monroe.

One of Diane’s writing attributes is her ability to write strong secondary characters. They are memorable so the reader isn’t grasping to remember their identities. Diane’s cast provides hours of reading pleasure. Please welcome Diane Vallere to WWK.                                                     E. B. Davis

I sew, mostly squares (pillows) and rectangles (curtains), because it can save a lot of money, eliminating the need to have these big-ticket items made. But I didn’t think many people did anymore. From the research I’m sure you’ve done, do people still sew?

DV: I’ve been amazed at the wide variety of people I meet who are learning to sew, or learned from their mothers when they were children. I’ve taken a few classes at Mood Fabrics, and the students are a mix of fashionistas, mothers, crafters, and others who like the challenge of being able to make their own clothes or home decorations.

Spandex characterizes the current time. But I remember and appreciate the fabrics of my youth, like dotted Swiss and waffle cottons, until synthetic fabrics took over. Is there a market for fine fabrics?

DV: Yes. In fact, many people are purists and still don’t like blends. That’s one of the reasons I named my character Polyester. For someone born into a family business that deals with luxurious fabrics from all over the world, she has to live with a name that represents the dark side of the fabric world!

You set your story in a fictionalized town of San Ladrón, which you based on San Dimas, CA. Is San Dimas a suburb of LA? What was it about this town that appealed to you for your series?

DV: In the end all of our secrets come out. I am a fan of Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, which took place in San Dimas, CA. Once I realized SD was an easy drive away from where I live, I went to visit for the fun of it, and immediately felt it was the perfect setting for a cozy mystery.

What does acronym FIDM mean?

DV: Fashion Institute of Design + Merchandising. (it wasn’t until a recent public reading that I discovered that I’d dropped the acronym with no explanation. Sorry!)

Inheriting the fabric store becomes a catalyst for change in Poly’s life. Why does she embrace this windfall?

DV: Poly has a strong connection to her family, and even her current job with a tacky pageant dress designer in Los Angeles is loosely connected to her youth growing up in the fabric store and learning about how to use old, vintage gowns to make patterns for new dresses. She wants to see inside the store when she first inherits it, but once inside, she’s taken by surprise by the feeling of nostalgia that hits her. Add in the crazy things that start happening to her and around her, and she digs her heels in to find some answers before being run out of town.

Pins and Needles, cats that Vaughn finds in Poly’s dumpster, seem to reflect Poly’s experience and emotional states. But at other times, the cats reflect the fabric store’s existence, almost abandoned, thrown in the trash, then, resurrected. What role will the cats play in the series?

DV: The cats will continue to be present in all of the books, and just like Poly grows to open up and embrace her new life, the cats start to trust her and the people around her. I heard once that rescue cats become some of the most loyal and affectionate pets because they recognize when they’re in a safe place, and I think Poly may be like that—unsure who to trust at first, but eventually opening up and showing her loyalty to her friends.

Poly’s boyfriend Carson seems more than clueless, he doesn’t get it at all. I was surprised that Poly wasn’t more vehement with him. How did two opposites attract? Why isn’t Poly more emotionally distraught by his insensitivity?

DV: I think we often find ourselves in relationships just after college, when we’re transitioning from being students to adults, and somewhere in there is when Carson and Poly met. It’s an exciting time for lots of people: finding that first job, getting a regular paycheck, being trusted with responsibilities, paying bills. As a couple, they complemented each other. She being creative, him being financially savvy. Carson’s long-term goal was to become a successful banker and climb the corporate ladder, and be able to take care of Poly. Unfortunately for him, that wasn’t what Poly wanted. Inheriting the fabric store triggered Poly’s desires to own her own business instead of working for someone else. She recognizes Carson’s intelligence when it comes to financial matters, but gets to the point where she would rather make her own mistakes than listen to his advice. 

Although Poly’s love of the store is apparent, I’m surprised she so readily accepts a plan that her great uncle Marius concocted for her. Isn’t her forte designing dresses?

DV: I never thought that Marius concocted the plan for her to take over the store. He has kept it because it was too painful to sell, and when he passes away, Poly is the only person he leaves it to because he knows she has taken her legacy of growing up around fabric and parlayed it into first a degree, and then a job in the fashion district of Los Angeles.

Poly’s job isn’t as a successful designer to the rich and famous. She oversees a team of seamstresses and works under the morally challenged Giovanni, who runs a tight ship. He buys the cheapest of fabrics in order to maintain a high profit margin, and simplifies Poly’s designs so they cost less to produce. Her great aunt taught her to deconstruct vintage dresses and create patterns, and because of that, she has a love of dresses from the twenties and thirties that are rich with details and made from expensive fabrics. Being away from Giovanni’s workroom and surrounded by the fabrics in the store’s inventory bring her back to that love.

Although Poly’s parents seem to support her decisions, they also kept information from her for years. Doesn’t she have a problem with their data omission?

DV: Here’s a funny story that I promise will get back to this question: growing up, I was a competitive swimmer, and there was an annual race in the local river. One year, someone had drowned the night before the race and the body wasn’t found. All of the parents decided not to tell all of us, the competitors. We swam the race, and found out after it was all over. In a way, that’s how I see Poly’s parents’ data omission. They wanted to protect Poly, and they thought it was better to not tell her some information than to tell her and have it upset her. She is upset with their decision, but her parents are her only family at this point. The whole reason she’s in San Ladron is because of family. She’s not going to stomp around and yell at them, because they are the only other people who have a connection to the fabric store.

Please give our readers a short synopsis of the plot in Some Like It Haute.

DV: In Some Like it Haute, former fashion buyer Samantha Kidd finds herself working for her ex-boyfriend’s maybe former girlfriend. The night before the runway show, Samantha is attacked in the parking lot outside of the runway show venue. Twenty-four hours later, with a full audience, the show goes up in flames. Because there are no casualties, there is no homicide investigation, but Samantha thinks her attack is linked to the arson, and she wants some answers. She finds herself in the unusual position of sharing information with the local detective, who isn’t enamored of the arson investigator who is running the show.

The back cover copy: Fashion expert Samantha Kidd is in the hot seat. After agreeing to help her ex-boyfriend’s former girlfriend with a runway show, she’s attacked in the parking lot outside, landing in the hospital. And when a garment goes up in flames on the catwalk the day after the attack, the situation turns explosive. She recruits a smokin’ hot photographer to turn up the heat on the investigation, but even the third degree won’t expose an angry arsonist. With a crash course in sizzle, Samantha’s curiosity leads her into another inferno, and this time she either faces the fire or gets burned.

Some Like It Haute, the fourth book in the Style & Error series, was released in January, 2015. Does Samantha Kidd, your main character, have similarities to Poly Monroe?

DV: Samantha Kidd is about 5 years older than Poly and has had a very successful and glamorous career as a buyer for a luxury retailer. She traveled to Milan, Paris, and London for her job, so she’s seen a bit of the world. Even with all that, she feels she has not found the place where she fits. She gives up her glamorous job and moves  back to the house she grew up in when her parents announce they’re moving across the country. Samantha is isolated—no close family, friends who don’t understand her decision left behind—but is looking for a fresh start. Samantha has a kooky sense of style inspired by decades of fashion designers and trends, and she considers the way she dresses to be vitally important to her sense of self.

In comparison, Poly Monroe is in her late twenties and has lived in California her whole life. She is very close to her family, who live in a nearby town. She has followed an expected path: graduate from design school and get a job only barely related to the fashion industry. She thinks about one day opening her own shop instead of working for someone else, but the steady paycheck keeps her comfortable. Her relationship is comfortable, too. She’s not looking for a change, but when it finds her, it triggers a whole lot of What If. Poly wears black every day to hide the stains she picks up from working around and fixing sewing machines. It’s easier that way.

You worked in the clothing industry for years. Do your books have a common theme related to your experience in that field? 

DV: The Style & Error books are most closely related to that field, although often more from a jumping off point. From working in the industry, I had a chance to interact with people in all sorts of jobs, which makes it easy to imagine the people Samantha would interact with in the various jobs she takes on. On a bigger scale, I think my books will always contain elements of style and clothing because that’s of interest to me. (Even though Madison Night in the Mad for Mod series wears sixties vintage, the clothes are a vital part of who she is). That is why I say I write about shoes, clues, and clothes.

Crushed Velvet continues Material Witness, Poly Monroe’s adventures, but it won’t be available until August 2015. I hope some of the mysterious questions posed by Suede to Rest Diane will answer in Crushed Velvet, such as:

Why did the McMichaels put their daughter up for adoption?

Is Vaughn a good or bad guy?

Will Carson beg Poly to come back? Will Giovanni?

Over the course of the next book and book three, your questions will be answered!

Here’s what’s next in Crushed Velvet:

With opening day of Material Girl approaching, Poly is stocking up on lush fabrics, colorful notions, and best of all, a proprietary weave of velvet. But upon delivery, it’s not quite the blend she expected, being ninety-percent silk and ten-percent corpse. Crushed under a dozen bolts of fabric is Phil Girard. His wife, Genevieve, local teashop owner and close friend of Poly, is the prime suspect.

Granted, Phil may not have been the perfect husband, but surely Genevieve had no reason to kill him! There’s just the small matter of Genevieve’s own incriminating confession: I’m afraid I killed my husband. Now, as Material Girl’s grand opening looms, Poly is torn between a friendship pulling apart at the seams—and finding a smooth killer with a velvet touch…

SinC Anthologies--LA Chapter

Most of the authors at Writers Who Kill write short stories as well as novels. Last summer, WWK blogger Paula Benson interviewed short stories writers. This summer, we want to canvas editors and publishers of anthologies to promote short stories and to point our readers in the direction of some great reads. This week we’re focusing on the Los Angeles Chapter’s anthology, LADIES’ NIGHT.

Please welcome Diane Vallere, the chapter’s president.                    E. B. Davis

What prompted you to create an anthology?

The Los Angeles chapter has published an anthology every other year for the past several years. We provide a chance for our members to receive a traditional publication credit (which is eligible for awards), and also to encourage new writers to become more involved in the chapter. A few authors received their first publication credit in one of our chapter anthologies. Stories from previous anthologies have received award nominations and wins, which is a nice boost for any writer’s résumé.

Royalties from the sale of the anthology go to the chapter, but we have found that the value lies much more in the opportunity that we provide for our members than in any incoming monies.

How did you develop a theme for your anthology?

Each of our anthologies has to do with Los Angeles in some manner. The past 3 anthologies have included the letters “LA” in the title: LANDMARKED FOR MURDER, MURDER IN LA-LA LAND, and LAST EXIT TO MURDER. LADIES’ NIGHT continues that trend.

Do you develop a “local” theme to entice readers in your area?

Yes. LAST EXIT TO MURDER, our 2013 publication, dealt with the car culture of Los Angeles. LANDMARKED FOR MURDER featured some of the city’s more notable landmarks.

Our announcement for LADIES NIGHT is:

From Valley Girls to Valley of the Dolls, the L.A. Woman has captured our imagination and redefined the fairer sex. CJ Parker is our lifeguard, Lucy Arnaz, our studio executive, Angelyne, our reality star, and the Black Dahlia, our murder victim. L.A. neighborhoods have spawned the Beverly Hills housewife, the Hollywood starlet, the Van Nuys dominatrix, the Santa Monica Surf Betty and the Manson girls, to name a few.

LADIES' NIGHT, the upcoming anthology by Sisters in Crime Los Angeles, will be composed of stories that dish out these women in a broad range of Southland flavors, each served on a rich bed of crime, of course.

How long did you give your writers to submit stories?

Our initial submission window is three months long. During that time we hold a workshop on short stories.

Did you adhere to the guidelines set up for anthologies by SinC?

Yes.

What was the response to your query for stories among your writers?

Since we opened for submissions in July, stories have been trickling in. In the past, stories have come in at the end of the submission window. We encourage people to submit early, so there isn’t an onslaught of entries on the judges, but people like to tweak until the very end.

What were the criteria for selection?

We have three judges who will read each of the stories and deliberate until they’ve reached a decision on the ones to be included. Stories must be less than 7,000 words.

Were the stories judged blind? How did you obtain judges?

The judges don’t know the identity of the authors during the judging process. Each of our judges is a successful author member of our chapter and was approached to be involved in the process

Did you hire an editor?

Our judges will also serve as editors of the anthology.

Was any thought given as to the order of the stories in the anthology?

The judges will be responsible for arranging the stories in the order they see fit.

How did you find a publisher, and who published your anthology?

LAST EXIT TO MURDER was published by Down and Out Books. Both they and we have been happy with the partnership, and they’ve expressed interest in publishing LADIES’ NIGHT.

Were you given a choice of covers?

For LAST EXIT TO MURDER, Down and Out listened to our cover input, and we worked with them on a few revisions to their original cover. I anticipate the same process for LADIES’ NIGHT.

How are you promoting your anthology and do you have a budget to do so?

We hold book launch parties for the new anthology, where each author is introduced and interviewed with one or two questions about their story. The anthologies are available for sale at our monthly chapter events and at book festivals where the authors are present. Press releases and social media blasts are also part of our promotion. We discuss the cost of any promotion and vote on the monies needed prior to spending.

Do you think that there is a resurgence of interest in short stories?

Short stories have always been a great way for readers to sample authors, and many writers show a flair for the short format. I am always impressed at how much someone can pack into a few thousand words!

Have any of your anthology’s stories been nominated for awards?

Two of the stories from LAST EXIT TO MURDER were nominated for Derringers.

Are you planning other anthologies?

LADIES’ NIGHT is planned for a 2015 release. It will be up to the incoming 2016-2017 board to decide whether they’d like to do another anthology.

An Interview with Diane Vallere

“The reflective letters EMT on the back of her nylon jacket

were more jarring than white shoes after Labor Day.”

Diane Vallere, Designer Dirty Laundry

It’s no wonder that both of Diane Vallere’s series focus on fashion. She has worked for over twenty-years in the fashion industry, which has built credentials for her writing career. Polyester Press, her creation, published the first two books in the Style & Error Mystery Series and the Mad for Mod Series, and she wrote short stories introducing them. I’ve read all of her books, and I can tell you that Diane knows how to orchestrate complex plots! Now, Diane writes a third series, the Fabric Store Mystery series for Berkley Prime Crime (not yet on the market), keeping Diane busy writing full-time.

Please welcome Diane Vallere to WWK.                    E. B. Davis

Diane, would you give our readers a synopsis of the three series you write?

Style & Error: When a former fashion buyer gives up the glam life to buy her childhood home in the hopes of starting over and simplifying, she finds new challenges in the form of murders in her new hometown of Ribbon, PA.

Mad for Mod: A midcentury-modern interior decorator who has modeled her life after Doris Day’s character in Pillow Talk teams up with a local homicide detective to solve crimes in a small suburb of Dallas, TX.

Fabric Store: A young woman inherits the decades-old fabric store she was born in and discovers

more than musty satin and lace.

What were your considerations when you decided to self-publish?

I wanted to be able to provide for myself everything I might have gotten with a small press: ARCs, advance reviews, blurbs, trade paperbacks and ebooks. I felt empowered by the idea of having control over things like cover art and interior book layout, and the ability to be able to react quickly based on sales trends. I knew my experience as a buyer would serve me well when it came to making business decisions, and truthfully, I’ve spent all of my life working for companies and I’ve always dreamed of having something of my own.

Did you have help in editing, cover creation and formatting your self-published work?

I hire a content editor and copy editor for each of my books. After some trial and error, I’ve found

people I like to work with, and I believe in building relationships with people when I like their work. I’ve always enjoyed graphic design even though I’m self-taught, so I took on the challenge of learning Photoshop and designing my own covers. (Even in my corporate jobs I often took on graphic design projects; as Creative and Planning Manager I designed the regional postcards, in-store promotional posters, and special event T-shirts for a division of stores, so I knew my skill set wasn’t completely imaginary). I also taught myself interior book layout and ebook formatting. I can’t say that this is the norm, but I really enjoyed knowing that I was continuing to learn new things. I found the entire process invigorating—much more so than the years I spent searching for an agent! J

How would you characterize the main characters in each of your series, including your new series?

While there is definitely a common thread to all three of my main characters, here’s how I would differentiate them:

Samantha Kidd: Thirty-something. Taurus. Bull-headed, stubborn. Fashion-history major. She believes fashion is important, not silly. Will charge ahead into a situation without thinking things through. She’s loyal to a fault. She has her own reasoning for everything she does, but it often isn’t the same reasoning anyone else would follow, which makes for some good humor. She has an older sister and parents on the other side of the country.

Madison Night: Late forties. She shares a birthday with Doris Day, so she’s an Aries. After a bad break-up, she left Pennsylvania for Dallas, TX, where she started her own decorating business and lives with the perfect male: her Shih Tzu, Rock. She relies on her “decorating eye”—the ability to look at a room and see what fits and what doesn’t—to help her work through the clues of solving a murder. She is currently drawn to two different men: her handyman, who is loyal and creative, and the local homicide detective, who seems to be the polar opposite of her, but shares many of her same independent qualities. Her parents passed away when she was in her thirties, and she has no siblings.

Polyester Monroe: Late twenties. FIDM graduate who has spent five years working at a seedy dress shop in downtown Los Angeles making pageant dresses out of cheap fabrics. Family is very important to her, so when she inherits a fabric shop that has been closed for ten years, instead of signing the paperwork to turn it over for resale, she sticks around, looking for signs of what her great uncle wanted her to do with the store when he left it to her. She is an only child, very close to her parents, who live locally.

Do you think the new series for Berkley Prime Crime would have happened without self-publishing?

No. I give the story below, but I think arriving at the mental place where I was ready to move on from what felt like a stagnant position in my writing career was a catalyst. Plus, once I decided to do it on my own, I started learning so much about how the industry runs! It was like seeing the whole process from the other side of the looking glass.

Have you ever entered fiction contests?

Yes. An earlier version of DESIGNER DIRTY LAUNDRY won the Get Your Stiletto In The Door Contest, run by what was once the Chicklit Chapter of RWA (they are in the process of rebranding to Contemporary Romance Writers). I entered the Daphne (good scores but didn’t final), and several other RWA chapter contests.

How did the deal with Berkley Prime Crime happen? Were you represented by an agent? Was it a proposal of your own, or did the publisher have the series in mind?

The story: I asked an author for a blurb. She liked DESIGNER DIRTY LAUNDRY enough that she told her editor about it, who asked to read it. She liked it but agreed that it wasn’t exactly right for their cozy line and asked if I’d be willing to rewrite it. I was already pretty solid on my decision so instead I wrote a proposal (character sketches and 3 chapters, plus concepts for future books in the series) and waited. And nudged. And waited. And nudged. And then I heard they were interested. On the advice of an author who was published with Berkley, I contacted my current agent and told her the situation. She read the chapters, we had a good conversation about where I was in my career and what I wanted, and she offered representation. I told her I wanted to keep self-publishing with Polyester Press, and she was okay with that.

Which is your favorite: clothing or home fashion?

Clothing, but it’s kind of 60%/40%, so a pretty close split.

How long have you written, and what drew you to mystery?

I’ve written since I was in my early teens—stories, poems, essays, novellas. I have a nice excerpt

from a Batman/Catwoman romance that I started in the early 90s! I always wanted to write a mystery because I grew up with Trixie Belden—honestly, she’s as much a part of my childhood as the rest of the girls I was friends with!—and I thought it would be the absolute coolest to be able to write a mystery series. For a long time I wanted it to be a children’s series, but I didn’t have ideas. Then one day I thought about a woman who’s trying to be a grown-up but feels like her family always treats her like a kid. That idea turned into Samantha Kidd in the Style & Error Mysteries.

What items are in your beach bag?

30+ sunblock, 2 towels, a pillow, an old Vanity Fair magazine, $2 in loose change for a meter, rose water to spritz my face, a collapsible umbrella (one day I forgot the beach umbrella and discovered these work quite well!), bathing suit. If the trip is planned vs. spontaneous, I add: bottle of water, cheese & crackers, kindle, and an issue of Atomic Ranch.

To learn more about Diane’s books, go to her website.