Mwandishi Spotlight: Author Interview

Hi friends, 

I'd like to introduce you to Keta Diablo. 

She is an award winning, bestselling author, whose books always seem to have ghosts involved including her new book- Comes A Specter.

Is there a reason for this?

Read on to find out. 

I seriously dare you to not want to read one of her books after reading this.

Enjoy! 

Keta: First of all, thank you so much for hosting my latest Western Romance Ghost story, Comes A Specter. Your generosity is much appreciated. 

You are very welcome.

So tell us a little about yourself.

Keta: I live in the Midwest part of the United States on six acres of gorgeous woodland. When I'm not writing or gardening I love to commune with nature. A pair of barn owls returns to the property every year to birth their young and show them off in the high branches of the oak trees. 

Nothing more adorable than these white fluffy babies with heart-shaped faces. A lifelong animal lover, I devote my time and support to the local animal shelter. Emma LaPounce, a rescued feline, has been my furry companion for the last ten years. 

I'm an award-winning and best-selling author who writes in several genres: Western Romance, Historical Romance, Paranormal Romance and Contemporary Romance. In a past life, I wrote Gay Romance. My books have received numerous accolades, including RWA contest finalist, Authors After Dark finalist, Top Pick of the Month and Recommended Review from top review sites, and Best Romance Finalist from The Independent Author Network.  

Ps: For some strange reason, ghosts often show up in my stories, no matter the genre.

Book Contest  : Click to take part in a contest where you get to win one of Ketas's ebooks! More information at the end of the post⬇️

Have you always wanted to be an author?

Keta: Oh, no. My mother, now 91 years young, reminds me that I always wanted to be number 1) a boy (I had four brothers), number 2) professional equestrian (course I called it a cowgirl).

Tell us a little about the last/latest book you’ve written

Keta: For some strange reason, ghosts always show up in my stories. No different in Comes A Specter, Book 2, Ghostland Series. Several reviewers said they loved the book, but the ghost scared the bejeebers out of them. 

Gee, I wasn't scared. 

Anyway, I didn't even know I was writing about all these ghosts. One day, as I was going through my back list of books, I said, "Oh. My. Gosh. Keta!! You write about ghosts all the time." Read some of my blurbs and you'll see what I mean. No matter what genre I choose, somehow a ghost shows up. I used to see them—ghosts—when I was a toddler, but that's another story for another day. Maybe subconsciously, that's why they keep showing up in my stories.

 Amazon

This book is currently available on Amazon, but it will be available everywhere else from November 1st.

Where did you get the inspiration for this particular book?

Keta: Let's see, where were we? Oh, yeah…inspiration for Comes A Specter. I love Western Romance, and since I have such a penchant for dead people, er, I mean those who have crossed over, I created sort of a new sub-genre, Western Romance Ghost Stories. I love writing about cowboys, cowgirls, horses, ranches, rodeos, and…did I mention translucent spirits?

On average how long does it take it for you to write a book?

Keta: That depends on many factors. First, a writer has to be at the top of her/his game physically and mentally to pull this off. Second, she/he has to create a great plot and well-developed characters (no cookie-cutter walk-ons). 

Third, he/she must plant their butt in the chair and write, write every day, even if you have to pull the words out of the air. Better to have gibberish at times than a blank page, right? Fourth, it depends on whether one is writing a novella or a novel. A novella, two months; a full-length novel 4-5 months. Caveat: Keta is a slow writer compared to many others. 

Do you have any unpublished/unfinished scripts?

Keta: Yes, we all have those. Some I keep under the bed, never to see the light of day. Others are sitting on my computer, and flash me now and then to finish them.

What types of books do you read?

Keta: Across many genres, but never romance when I'm writing romance. Thrillers, suspense, angels/demons, Native American fiction, and small town contemporary (serious stuff). I hardly ever read Humor. I bet that doesn't surprise you coming from a person who saw ghosts as a child, huh?

 What books are you reading right now?

Freefall (Kristen Heitzmann)

The Dead Game (Suzanne Leist)

and…1,697 waiting for me on my Paperwhite Kindle (sad)

Which are your three favorite books of all time?

Keta: To Kill A Mockingbird, Man On Fire, Gone With the Wind, Legends of the Fall.

Do you/have you ever read a copy of your book after it has been published?

Keta: Gosh, no. I read it so many times while writing it; I'd get bored to death with the same old, same old. LOL.

Book Contest : Click to take part in a contest where you get to win one of Ketas's ebooks! More information at the end of the post⬇️

What advice would you give to an aspiring author who is just starting out?

Keta: Well, I'm really no one to be giving advice to other writers. I made plenty of mistakes starting out myself, so maybe that's it – study the craft of writing. Know the basic rules at least, and then get good enough at writing so you feel comfortable breaking some. I mean, there are some you should never break, but breaking one now and then won't cause the earth to stop spinning. I have a lot of books on my Kindle (see above).

 I can't tell you how many times I read one chapter and delete the book. If it doesn't grab me right away with lots of questions, then I'm outta there. Take for example Harper Lee's opening line in To Kill A Mockingbird: Scout: When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.

I mean, she hooked me. Completely. I was in the sixth grade the first time I read that line, and from that moment on, I wanted to know who Jem was and how the heck did he break his arm? That book really opened my eyes to reading, gave me an appreciation for love of the written word.  

I hope all your reads are good ones; I hope you fall in love all over again with the written word every time you sit down to read a book.

Contest Details

~(5) Winners will receive an ebook of their choice from Keta's book list (Comes A Specter excluded). To do this, you need to visit her website or Amazon.

To take part in the contest you need to follow Keta:

~On Twitter

~Amazon Author Page

~Sign up for her Newsletter

~ Facebook Page

You will also have to leave a comment, and your email address on my blog.

So that's it. I hope you loved the interview. Let me know what you think on the comments section, and if you've read any of her books.