Meet fellow Clean Indie Reads author Dianne Marie Andre

Hi Dianne!  Welcome to my blog, and thank you for joining me here today.

Hi, Sandy. Thank you for the invite. I’m Dianne Marie Andre, and I live in the country with my husband and our adorable rescue dog on twenty acres with hens, cattle, and a bazillion trees. Before I started writing, I experimented with various occupations: private piano instructor, receptionist, administrative assistant, and barista…even though I don’t drink coffee. But my favorite jobs are the ones I’m now doing―writing and photography.

Sounds like you’ve lived an interesting life so far, and now with writing, it will no doubt get even more interesting!  I’ll get you to tell us about your books, but first, I’ve got three questions for you.

What inspired you to become an author, and how old were you at the time?

I began writing essays, articles, and blogs in my early forties. A few years later, destiny and a friend, who had written over six-hundred published articles, stepped in. My friend wanted to write a novel and encouraged me to attend a fiction workshop with her, which I did…reluctantly because I didn’t think I had the imagination or skills to pull it off. Weeks before the workshop began, writing withdraws had set in. I had given up blogging due to deficient dial-up…the only internet connection available in my area at that time. So I looked at the first fiction assignment, and said, “I can do this.” A year later, it became my first published novella. Now, fiction is mostly all I write…happily.

Awesome! So, how much time per week would you spend writing? Or are you a full-time author?

As a full-time author, writing hours are unmeasurable. My work includes research, reading when time allows―usually beneath the covers after bedtime―taking online writing courses, working with critique partners, marketing, designing ads and posts, and always thinking of the next line, the next plot, or how a character will react to adversity, and of course, making sure my readers love the characters.

It really is a way of life, isn’t it? And now lastly, what makes you happiest as an author?

I love-love-love working from home, sharing a little grace and hope through my work―at least that is my goal―and connecting with readers.

I’m currently working on a sweet romance that I hope to release this year. I love the story, written by an aging man who recalls his life at twenty-three when he returns home in 1954 to wrap up the past, completely unaware it would revitalize an old fantasy to life.

Oh the new book sounds wonderful! Thanks for telling us about it. Now, tell us about your currently available books, and where we can find them.

My two-book Witter Springs novellas are clean reads packed with drama, a dash of suspense, mystery, friendship, family, and romance. Together, book one and two weigh narcissism and noble acts of love of everyday people.

In Book One, Ashley’s Gift, A Story of Loss and Self-Forgiveness, Robert and Jenna Hamilton are passionate about each other and their only child, Ashley. When Ashley is abducted, Jenna believes her ordinary decision caused her daughter’s disappearance. She decides Robert deserves better and withdraws from his affections. But when Ashley’s missing gift is found, Jenna discovers a healing more powerful than she ever thought possible.

The story continues in Book Two, Lily’s Gift.

You can find my books on my Amazon author page, or to receive updates and a free gift, please visit my website.