Diana DeRicci is the sexy, flirty pen name of Diana Castilleja. A romance author at heart, DeRicci’s writing takes you into a saucier spectrum of sensuality and sexual adventure, where a happily-ever-after is still the key to any story. Diana lives in Central Texas with her husband, one son and a feisty little Chihuahua named Rascal. You can catch the latest news on all of Diana DeRicci’s writing and books on her website. Feel free to drop Diana an email. She’d love to hear from you.
More about Diana:
When did you decide you
wanted to be a writer and what inspired you?
Truth be told, I never actually decided to start writing. I'd dabbled some in my
early twenties working at a job that gave me essentially 8 hours of no
contact, attempting to emulate a historical that inspired me. I was into
pirate and highlander stories, along with time twist mainstream, at the
time. I learned two things then: I can't write historical or horror - not my
thing at all. It was atrocious. My best friend's mother dared to
slog through that story. She deserved a medal. Fast forward about a dozen
years and I was a new mom with a lot of time to read and to
myself. Cue the "new journey" music. I dug out storylines that were
older than dirt and played. I even managed to get a new start up publisher
to add their name to a few. By then, I had a new reading love:
Paranormal. Thus was born Diego Viteri. And I never looked back.
Tell readers about your most current release.
Mated To The Sheriff is my latest release,
a part of the Men of Silo series. Stand-alone books in the series follow
couples from Silo and surrounding areas in the unmarked Midwest, USA. Matt is
first introduced in a prior story, Where Trouble Travels, as Peyton's ex who is
escaping a high profile, abuse situation. Arriving in Silo is a balm of fresh
air and new strength. Where he can learn to be himself again. Then he meets
Dave, the town Sheriff, and discovers maybe love isn't done with him yet. A
love that has gentle hands... And howls at the moon.
What do you love most about writing?
I love the adventure of it all. That I can
be anywhere in my mind, all over the world, or even other worlds. That there
can be magic, that the things that go bump in the night can be heroes. There is
so much about stories and writing them that I love. There's escapism, wild
adventures, true feelings and emotions. When we can't really do those things
during normal times, they're even more needed now.
Which of your stories is your favorite and
why?
My favorite would still be The Charlie
Factor. It was released 10 years ago and I still call it comfort reading. There
is just something about Gregory's slow fall for Charlie, from friends to
lovers, that makes me melt. It's a low-angst storyline, which means the story
is almost solely about the characters' reactions to each other, and I find
those stories refreshing. There is a lot of input and demands on our everyday
lives and having a story where two men form bonds and they deepen naturally
without being threatened, shoved, or forced as a catalyst to the story helps me
to relax. These are the types of stories that make me want to curl up under a
blanket fort. So I thoroughly enjoyed writing this one.
What is the strangest thing you’ve had to
research for a book?
Honestly so many of my stories are
character-centric, the most commonly researched aspect for stories is the jobs.
Can they be done by one person? Can they be done outside of an office?
Remotely? Are there licenses or degrees needed? Some of the most basic details
to live day to day are what I end up researching. Definitely not strange....
Except for that one bit of history on bloodletting.... that might be strange.
Leeches. *shudders*
What message do you want your readers to take
away from your stories?
Just that there is someone out there for
you. Someone who will believe you are exactly what they need, that you are
enough. Whether a person is straight or gay, cis or trans, bi or poly, that
isn't the part of you that is most important. That love comes in many forms and
not all loves are sexual in nature. Love is as varied as nature makes it.
Hopefully, my stories make a person feel, react, and maybe if I'm lucky and did
it all right, a fan.
Lots of Love,
Diana