Veronica Scott for AMAZING STORIES: Welcome to my periodic series of author profiles. Today I’ve chosen Michelle Diener, who has written some amazing science fiction romance series, as well as fantasy. Her book Dark Horse (Class Five Book 1) is one of my all time favorite SFR novels and I reread it often and recommend it highly to readers looking for classic SFR. When I create Artificial Intelligences for any of my books, I always think back to Sazo, the AI in this book, who is such a distinct character. I was happy to have a chance to interview her and catch up on current events.
VS for ASM.: What was the first scifi romance book you ever read and what did you like about it?
MD: My first science fiction romance was An Accidental Goddess by Linnea Sinclair. I had read many non-romance science fiction books up until then, with books by Iain M. Banks being a particular favorite, but I so enjoyed An Accidental Goddess for the humor, and the fun of the plot. Some science fiction can tend to be a bit dark and gloomy, but this was anything but that, and I loved it.
ASM.: So many people came to SFR from reading Ms. Sinclair! What was the first scifi romance book you wrote?
MD: My first sci-fi romance book was Dark Horse in 2015, and the log line is: Secrets are all she has left . . . Rose may have been forced to leave her old life behind, but with the help of an extremely powerful ally she’s escaped her abductors. Now she’ll have to try to rein him in, or risk destroying her new future.
I took so long to write Dark Horse because it was my first in the sci-fi romance genre and I second-guessed myself over and over again. I was very happy when it was so well received and I still get emails from readers who tell me it is their favorite book.
ASM.: It’s definitely a story that stands the test of time and one of my go-to rereads. How do you go about world building? Do you do elaborate planning, keep a big file, use post its, wing it – what method works for you?
MD: I wing it. And by wing it, I mean I live in the world in my head sometimes for years before I write it, and then if I need to check something from a previous book while I’m writing a new book in the series, I just do a word search to find what I’m looking for. I do have an excellent memory, so that helps.
ASM.: I could definitely tell on the Verdant Strings series for example that you’d certainly immersed yourself in that world. It felt as if I’d stepped into an ongoing series instead of ‘just’ the first book, which was amazing. Do you also write other genres?
MD: I write fantasy and historical romance as well as SFR, and those two genres fit very well with sci-fi as they require similar world-building skills. As soon as you go back in time and place, or invent a new place, you need to orient your reader and immerse them in that world, so the historical and fantasy genres are just like sci-fi in that respect.
ASM.: What’s next for you?
MD: I am about to publish book 3 in my fantasy romance Rising Wave series. Fate’s Arrow is due out at the end of February. (Editor’s Note: The book has now been released.) I am planning another book in my Verdant String series this year, as well as a 1960s London-set mystery (with romance in it, of course), which I’ve been planning for more than six years, so I’m very excited about that.
ASM.: I for one will be happy to see a new story in the Verdant String world! What’s on your To Be Read List?
MD: I am looking forward to reading the new Kate Daniels book that Ilona Andrews has said is coming out later this year. Can’t wait for that!
ASM.:Give us your short author bio and where you can be found on social media.
Michelle Diener is the award-winning author of historical, science fiction and fantasy romance. She lives in Australia with her husband and children.
Website: michellediener.com
Instagram: michelle_diener_author
Facebook: facebook.com/michelle.diener.author
Spoutible: @michellediener
Bookbub: bookbub.com/author/michelle-diener
Amazon: amazon.com/author/michellediener
Goodreads: goodreads.com/michellediener
ASM.: Here’s the latest book from this author, which continues a series I’ve really been enjoying. (Note: I was given an advance review copy.)
FATE’S ARROW (THE RISING WAVE BOOK THREE)
A dark force at work – Ava and Luc are asked to head north to Skäddar, a move necessary to save the alliance they have created with the mountainous country. Something terrible is killing Skäddar villagers and leaving messages behind with their bodies that the deaths will continue as long as the Skäddar are in alliance with the Rising Wave. If Ava and Luc can’t convince the Skäddar Collective to stand up for their new friendship in the face of the tragedy, they will lose a vital ally in the region.
A dark room to cage a prisoner – Massi is deep inside Grimwalt, successful in her mission to find Ava’s incarcerated friends, Tomas and Velda. But the two are not being held alone. Massi finds many others being kept with them, as well as a prisoner kept in darkness whose power shines so bright, Massi can’t imagine how the Speaker imprisoned him to begin with.
A dark cloud that needs to be dispelled – Duncan has been held far from his home on the Skäddar border, and he takes the chance of escape that Massi gives him with both hands. When he and Massi have to part ways, though—Massi to get Ava’s friends to safety, him to return to the forest he was ripped away from—he can’t deny his attraction to the fierce archer, or his reluctance to let her go.
But when he gets home, and finds the power of his domain is being used to commit terrible atrocities, he’ll need Massi’s help, and those of her friends, to rid Grimwalt of the blight that is trying to take hold.
