Interview with author Katy Eeton!!

 

 

Today we welcome author Katy Eeton to The Diamond Mine!! We're going to be finding out some things about her, and her romantic suspense novel,"A Stalker to Die For."
Here' a bit to get us started:

Ashley Morris thought the worst part of online dating was awkward small talk. She was wrong.

After one disastrous date with Ashley, Nick won't take no for an answer. His calls and texts escalate into threats, break-ins, and a terror that shadows her every move. Desperate for safety, Ashley hires Jackson Russo—a talented painter with a kind heart and a protective streak—to renovate her home.

But as their friendship deepens into something more, Nick's obsession turns deadly. Caught between a stalkers rage and a love she never expected, Ashley must trust God's protection and her own instincts to survive. With Jackson by her side, she'll fight for her life—and for a future worth living.

Wow, Katy! Sounds like a great read! What else would you like us to know about the book?

This story is relatable for anyone who has dipped their toes into the online dating world or who has ever had a blind date. Ashley is just trying to get her love life back on track after caring for her ailing mother, but Nick has other plans. She calls it quits after their very first date, but Nick doesn't take it well.

As his stalking escalates, Ashley finds love in the form of the painter she hired to spruce up her home. Jackson is cute, caring and endearingly protective. But their growing relationship only fuels the fire of Nick's dangerous infatuation.

How did you get your idea for this story?

This is the first romance I've published that includes a suspense element. I love reading romantic suspense, so I thought it would be fun to try my hand at writing it. The inspiration behind this story was purely imagination, though! Thankfully, I have never had a personal encounter with a stalker, and I have never dated someone I hired to work on my house, lol. I've been married to my husband for 24 years now, and I'm happy to report no stalkers for either of us! :)

Well, that's good to hear!! 
What made you decide to be a writer?

I've always loved writing. It started with poems and short stories as a young girl, but even in high school, I was the oddball who didn't mind cranking out an essay. Later in my adult  life, I found that putting together a full-fledged manuscript was incredibly fulfilling, so I decided to submit one of my books to a publisher years ago, which turned into a publishing contract.

Wow! We have a similar trajectory in how our writing progressed! I'm curious. What was your first story?

My first ever story was probably some magical tale about unicorns I wrote when I was six years old. But my first published book was called Blast From Her Past, an enemies-to-lovers workplace romance set in North Dakota in the middle of winter. It's still available on Amazon.

Great! So, what is your writing style? Do you write from an outline, or just inspiration, or both? 

Definitely both. I start with a general path of where I want things to go, but the story really takes shape on the fly, and new subplots and  specific scenes are inspired as I go. 

Sounds like a very familiar process to me! Do you have any underlying themes  that you want your readers to come away with?

I would say the overarching theme is God's protection and the importance of community. Ashley would not have made it through her ordeal without friends and loved ones by her side. She relied on her faith, her friends, her brother, and her new love interest to help her deal with the monster stalking her. No matter what trials we are facing, God provides what we need to make it through, even if it's not what we would have chosen for ourselves if it was up to us.

That's a wonderful point and a great theme!
Do your characters share any traits with you or someone you know?

Subconsciously, I'm sure the answer is yes. It's hard for me to write a character that's completely opposite to how I think and act, so inevitably there is a part of me or my friends and family in my books. Occasionally, I purposely weave a specific personality trait into a character based on real life, but those people shall remain nameless. Ha!

That's a smart policy! Do your characters ever surprise you?

Oddly, yes. Sometimes I have a vision of where I want the storyline to go, but as I'm writing the dialogue or fleshing out the character's thoughts, I realize it's headed somewhere totally different than I intended. Putting thoughts on paper doesn't always yield the results we anticipate!

Absolutely! It probably sounds odd to people who haven't experienced a character that surprises the writer, but after seeing  many answers to that question, it is a common occurrence!
Do you have a favorite character in your books?

I think my favorite is Sarah from Christmas is Meadow Creek. She's just a friendly, down-to-earth gal—someone you'd want to spend time with in real life. Nothing flashy, but someone you can relate to and who you want to find happiness.

One more question: What are you working on now?

I have been working on a women's fiction that alternates points of view between  four former college friends who are united four years after graduation. It's written from a first person, present tense perspective. Although it involves romantic subplots, it's definitely the most unique manuscript to my name. Writing is a slow process for me though, as I have a full-time job and a family, but I do enjoy it so I will continue working on this one until hopefully one day it gets published.

I hope it does, too. I really enjoy writing stories with the first person present tense perspective. 
Thanks so much for the interview, Katy! I really enjoyed it!

Now readers, here is a short bio, and some links from Katy:

Bio: Katy Eeten lives with her husband and two teenage sons in southeast Wisconsin. She writes contemporary Christian romance, including several Christmas novellas. A Stalker to Die For is her first romantic suspense. When she's not writing or working at her day job as an Office Administrator, you can find her taking walks, playing board games, baking, dreaming of her next vacation, and spending time with her family.

Social media links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KatyEeten/ 

X: http://www.x.com/KatyEeten 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/KatyEeten/ 

Website: https://katyeeten.wordpress.com 

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Katy-Eeten/author/B0796L1CVK 

Purchase links:

https://www.amazon.com/Stalker-Die-Katy-Eeten-ebook/dp/B0GS7ND8LC/

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-stalker-to-die-for

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-stalker-to-die-for-katy-eeten/1149674389?ean=9781522305477

A Stalker to Die For - Illuminating books from Pelican Book Group

Deena Adams Inspires with her Book Stronger Than the Storm

 Join me in welcoming friend and award-winning Christian fiction author, Deena Adams, to the Diamond Mine! Deena's debut novel is an amazing testimony of God working in the struggles within a family. If you haven't had a chance to read it, treat yourself! You won't be disappointed. Without further ado, here's Deena! 

 As a Jesus girl for over thirty years, and a pastor’s wife for most of those, Deena Adams understands how important hope is to daily life. This belief fuels her passion to inspire others through hope-filled fiction based on true-life stories. She is a Certified Mental Health Coach, a multi-award-winning author, an active ACFW member, and a six-year ACFW Virginia board member.

First let’s learn a little bit about you. Can you share a few things about yourself that have nothing to do with writing?

Thank you so much for having me on your blog. I appreciate the opportunity to share about my debut novel. I grew up in Northwest Georgia, near Chattanooga, TN and met my husband in eighth grade. We married six months after high school graduation, and we'll celebrate our forty-fifth anniversary this December. We have three grown children and seven grandchildren.

In 1999, God called my husband to plant a church in Chesapeake, VA, two years before he retired from his twenty-year Navy career, and he still pastors that church. I've served as a ministry assistant there since the church started. I love it and I'm blessed to be part of a ministry that makes a difference for eternity.

What an amazing story! How blessed you are to have found each other so young. What drew you to write?

God planted a love for writing inside me many years ago, but it didn't blossom until 2018, after a two-year battle with grief and depression over a painful break my husband and I went through with our best friends and ministry partners. My counselor encouraged me to find something I enjoyed doing and pour my energy into that, so that's when I pursued writing novels. What started as therapy became a passion.

Isn't it amazing how that can happen? What’s your writing process?

To save myself from an extremely messy first draft, I've tried to become a plotter, but that hasn't worked out for me yet. My characters refused to follow my outline, and they always take over. I try to have a couple ideas for some major turning points in the story before I start writing, but even those change sometimes. So to answer your question . . . I'm ninety-five percent panster and five percent plotter. It's actually quite fun to find out where the story goes as I'm writing, but also a little scary.

I've had a very similar experience! I've almost given up and just let the characters do what they will (they're going to anyway ha!). How do you come up with your story ideas?

I've always been a fan of books, movies and television shows based on or inspired by true events, so that's what I write. The three manuscripts I've completed so far all have personal elements from my life within them.

That's awesome! I hope we get to hear a bit of the "story behind the story." I loved reading an early copy of “Stronger than the Storm” and I know a lot of readers are excited for it. Tell us about your new release.

This story is Christian Women's Fiction inspired by a personal experience we went through with a prodigal child twenty years ago. I didn't set out to write a book with so many hard topics, but as I wrote, the characters kept digging themselves deeper into a hole. I ended up with a novel that tackles family secrets, betrayal, domestic violence, crisis pregnancy, a teen runaway, marital strife, an a distressing DNA element.

Although I didn't originally intend for my book to be so weighty, the issues addressed are important to talk about, because life is messy and people deal with lots of hard stuff—even in the church.

Those in the trenches need to know they're not alone, and I think my book offers

encouragement and hope for readers who feel like they might not survive the

storm they're facing.

The topics are heavy, but you handle them well. Are there certain themes explored in the story?

Oh, yes. As I mentioned in the previous question, this story delves into a lot of hard

topics, so there are naturally quite a few themes that rise to the surface.

A huge one running through the book is how God is with us through every messy

situation. He’s working for good, even when the characters can't possibly see how

they will survive the chaos. 

Another is our identity in Christ. Beth and Leesa both struggle with self-worth and

must learn to see themselves as God does and know they're accepted by Him just

as they are.

One last theme I’ll mention is forgiveness. We have all faced, or will face, a situation

where forgiving a deep wound is challenging. Stronger than the Storm shows how

it's possible—with God, time, and counseling—to forgive the unforgivable and move

forward in love. I believe the combination of hard issues and God’s redemptive love

make this a great book club read.

make this a great book club read. There would definitely be no shortage of topics to

discuss!

So good!! And I'm sure that's why this story is touching so many hearts. Do you have any favorite characters in your books?

One of my favorites is Leesa’s friend, Jackson. He’s such a sweet, godly young man.

The kind of guy every mother hopes their daughter will bring home.

Jackson is a sweetie for sure! What are you working on now?

I’m currently editing book two in The Holbrook Family series, which revolves

around Keven and Beth's son, Tyler, and his new bride, Shelby. The heroine’s

dream is to purchase the music studio where she works as a dance and vocal

instructor and to offer lessons to underprivileged children. 

instructor and to offer lessons to underprivileged children. While participating

in a nationwide talent show to try and win the prize money, she contracts a horrific,

rare skin disease. My personal experience with this disease in 2022 inspired this

story, and the book will launch in June 2027.

Oh, I can't wait for that one! When you’re not writing, what do you enjoy doing?

I love to read, watch movies, and play cards and board games with my husband,

family, and friends. I also love being outside, so when the weather’s nice, I enjoy

taking walks, sitting on the swing reading, or heading to the beach. The last two

on my list don’t happen nearly as often as I’d like since I started writing!

Thanks for joining us, Deena!

A runaway teen. A wife’s devastating secret. A family’s reckoning.

Beth Holbrook has spent years building a life centered on faith and family. As a pastor’s wife, mother of three, and respected parenting coach, she’s devoted herself to helping families raise godly children. Now, with a publishing contract within reach, Beth stands on the verge of realizing a lifelong dream.

Then her daughter runs away.

Eighteen-year-old Leesa is tired of living under expectations she feels she can never meet. One impulsive decision sends her fleeing to Myrtle Beach, determined to take control of her life. But when she returns home weeks later with shocking news, the fragile peace inside the Holbrook family fractures.

As tensions rise, Beth struggles with growing conflict in her marriage, painful criticism from her mother, and the crushing realization that the advice she’s given other parents may not save her own family. Worse still, the secret she’s hidden for nearly two decades threatens to destroy the very foundation of her life.

When a powerful hurricane barrels toward their Virginia Beach home, the Holbrooks must confront the storm raging inside their hearts.

Can grace and forgiveness rebuild what secrets and betrayal have broken—or will the truth tear their family apart?

Purchase your copy: https://tinyurl.com/96kps246

Connect with Deena through her website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, BookBub, Pinterest, and LinkedIn