Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Diana Lloyd | Author-Reader Match: THE LAST LORD STANDING
Author Guest / May 16, 2023

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Diana Lloyd!   Writes:  Hi (waves in Midwest friendly), I write historical romance with heart and humor where characters work together to find their happily ever after.   About: It might not be my circus, but I’m acquainted with the clowns. I prefer to observe drama rather than be a participant; I think that’s why I write. In my books I like to throw two imperfect people together on the page and make them deal with each other until they fall in love. I’m a sucker for a happy ending because life can be messy and hard, and books are an escape. If you like your history with large doses of heart and humor, I’m the author for you.   What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: Enjoys being transported to another place in another time Sees and appreciates the humor and absurdity of everyday situations and isn’t afraid to laugh Finds a certain amount of sarcasm sexy Notices…

Diana Lloyd | Perfect People Are Boring
Author Guest / January 22, 2020

Perfect people are boring. Also, kind of annoying. I’ll admit to occasionally pretending perfection but the ruse never lasts long. I don’t enjoy reading about perfect characters and I don’t really enjoy writing them either. Real people are flawed, sometimes hopelessly so. Characters in books need to have flaws too. Human foibles bring book characters to life. Visible “flaws” are limited by the eye of the beholder. I found The Emotional Wound Thesaurus (Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi) to be an invaluable resource for writing flawed characters. Emotional wounds and internal flaws are the salt & pepper of romance authors. Sprinkle that stuff liberally or risk a bland story. In my historical romance series, What Happens in the Ballroom, I purposely gave my characters a little more emotional baggage than they could successfully bear. And then I poked them with a sharp stick before writing their happily-ever-after. For book 2 of the series, ABOUT AN EARL, Oliver Chalford, the new Earl of Winchcombe, has scars he can hide and one he cannot. Unable to erase his physical scar, he struggles with the scars within that threaten to destroy his chance at happiness.  The son of an abusive alcoholic, Oliver wishes…