 |
| There are days we need tougher coffee! |
My guest is romance author, Diane Kelly. She's a sassy Texan, and a Bandita, who writes laugh out loud adventures of an IRS Special Agent, Tara. I think she and Diane grew up together, lol! But I do appreciate her topic on trust and especially learning to trust yourself and your instincts. It came at just the right time for me and the whole trust issue resonated with me. I hope you enjoy it as well.
My road to publication has
been a long lesson in trust. I’ve
learned that trust can be misplaced, that learning to trust again after a
breach can be hard, and that finding people whom you trust and who trust you back
is essential.
As a girl, I ventured into
bookstores and saw those beautiful, cloth-bound journals on the racks. But I was just a flat-chested adolescent
with acne and braces who lived in a cookie-cutter suburb. Who was I to think I had anything worthy of
writing in such a pretty journal?
Instead, I went to Eckerd’s and bought cheap spiral notebooks to write
in. They were less intimidating. If I messed up, I could just rip the page
out. Though I loved writing and my
teachers often complimented me on my talents, I was too insecure then to trust
in myself. So when it came time to pick
a major for college, I took the safe route and chose accounting. I enjoyed my undergraduate government class
and decided why not go to law school?
My first job was working as an
assistant state attorney general. What
a naïve thing I was back then! Fifteen
pounds lighter, too, but let’s not go there.
Because of my accounting background, my boss assigned me to represent
the board of accountancy in disciplinary actions against CPAs. What an eye opener it was to face CPAs who
had assisted clients in defrauding investors, lenders, or the IRS. My innocence was already in jeopardy when
the attorney general was arrested for illegally diverting settlement funds from
the tobacco company lawsuits to his cronies’ law firms. The person who was supposed to be the
ultimate symbol of justice for the state couldn’t be trusted. Sheesh!
I then took a job with an international accounting firm and worked with
a partner who appeared squeaky clean on the surface. To my shock, he was arrested for tax shelter fraud.
If I didn’t learn to better
choose employers, I feared I’d get swept up in a scandal and end up in an
orange jumpsuit awaiting a conjugal visit.
Self employment seemed like a good idea. At the same time, my muse kept nagging me to get my butt in a
chair and write something, dammit! My brushes with white-collar crime had not
only led me to be intrigued by these complicated offenses and the untrustworthy
people who commit them, but also provided perfect fodder for a novel. I’d matured by this point, had some
successes that gave me confidence, and figured what did I have to lose?
When I finished the
manuscript, I was thrilled when an agent presented me with a contract for
representation. Some of the revisions the agent suggested
didn’t ring true to me, but I figured she knew better than me so I did
everything she asked rather than trusting my instincts. After two rounds of revisions, she said my
manuscript still needed more work than she had time for. I’d been dumped! I later worked with another agent who led me through a round of
helpful revisions but didn’t offer representation because she didn’t believe my
work was marketable yet.
As difficult as these
experiences were, they taught me a valuable lesson – that I needed to trust myself more. Frankly, at that point, the only person I still trusted was myself. I hustled, entering contests, attending conferences, anything to
get my work in front of editors. It
paid off. I sold to a major publisher
on my own, a coup that is pretty much unheard of.
Now? Things are awesome! I have wonderful people on my team, whom I
trust completely. My critique partners
have my back, catching unintended blunders in my drafts and offering valuable
suggestions. My agent is a straight
shooter and works incredibly hard for me.
I couldn’t ask for a better editor, either. She believes in my work.
There’s no better feeling than that!
In return, my agent and editor trust me to work diligently and write the
best books I can.
- Has someone you trusted let you down?
- Have you had an experience when you should have trusted yourself more?
Share your thoughts!
Death, Taxes, and a Skinny No-Whip Latte AVAILABLE IN PRINT AND EBOOK.
IRS Special Agent Tara Holloway is at work again. This
time, she and her partner, Eddie, are after Marcos Mendoza, a financial expert
and suspected loan shark with cross-border ties to questionable businesses and
people in Mexico. Mendoza hasn’t just cheated the U.S and Mexican governments,
he may have left a trail of bodies, too. Neither the Texas Rangers nor the FBI
could prove a link between Mendoza and the suspicious deaths of his employees
and associates, but the sheer number of bodies indicates the deaths aren’t mere
coincidence. What’s more, Mendoza bought off Special Agent Nick
Pratt, who’d earlier been assigned to the investigation, and set the traitor up
in a luxury condominium in Cancún, Mexico.
He must be stopped.
Unfortunately, Mendoza is as elusive as his activities are
illegal. Tracking down this tax cheat proves much more difficult, and more
dangerous, than Tara anticipated. Given the highly sensitive nature
of the case, Tara is forbidden to disclose the details to anyone, including her
boyfriend, Brett Ellington. Secrets nearly tore the two apart in the past and
history seems destined to repeat itself.
As Tara and Eddie delve deeper into Mendoza’s business
enterprises, they realize his illegal activities extend far beyond
high-interest finance. They also learn Mendoza will do anything to protect the
profitable illegal empire he has created.
When Tara receives an unexpected call from a surprising source,
she must decide whether to follow orders or follow through. Tara must risk it
all—her relationship with Brett, her job, and her life itself—to put Mendoza
out of business for good. Excerpt
“PREPARE TO LAUGH YOUR ASSETS OFF.”—Jana DeLeon, author of the Ghost-in-Law mysteries
A CPA and tax attorney, Diane spent several years at an international accounting firm where she had the pleasure of working with a partner later indicted for tax shelter fraud. She also served a stint as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Texas under an AG who pled guilty to criminal charges related to the tobacco company lawsuits. Given this work history, Diane decided self-employment might be a good idea. She also realized her experiences with white-collar crime made excellent fodder for a novel. Her fingers hit the keyboard and thus began her "Death and Taxes" mystery series.
Diane won the prestigious Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® Award in 2009 and has earned over two dozen RWA chapter awards.
Diane lives in Texas with her very own sexy leading man, two talented teenage kids, and enough cats and dogs to violate several city ordinances.
Diane loves to hear from readers! Visit Diane at www.dianekelly.com. While you're there, sign up for her quarterly newsletter.
Diane loves to hear from readers! Visit Diane at www.dianekelly.com. While you're there, sign up for her quarterly newsletter.
