Interview with Vivienne Diane Neal
Published 2013-08-31.
Please tell our readers something about yourself.
I was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1946, and moved to Manhattan in 1964. In 1977, I received my AA degree from the Borough of Manhattan Community College and went on to complete my BS degree in Home Economics from New York University in 1979. For over sixteen years, I was a consultant to various home care agencies training their home health aides, housekeepers and homemakers in nutrition, meal planning, special diets, budgeting and home management. In 2007, I started to write fictional short stories and decided to self-publish those stories into books.
What type of characters do you enjoy creating?
Having a twisted sense of humor, I love creating characters that are vulnerable, callous, cunning, greedy, and scandalous.
Who or what inspired you to become an author.
It was never my intention to become an author, but because of an incident that occurred while I was starting my second online dating site, I wrote an article about the experience and decided to expand that piece into my first book Making Dollar$ And Cent$ Out Of Online Dating. It is a humorous account as to why and how I got into the dating business and the trials and tribulations that I have faced in the past.
What were some important writing lessons that you have learned?
No matter how great you think your book is or how great of a writer you think you are, not everyone will feel the same way. If you self-publish your book, make certain you apply correct grammar, and check for spelling and sentence clarity. Do not be embarrassed if your final work has a couple of bloopers. Some of the greatest books, published by major publishing houses, have had big and small blunders. As the saying goes, “Some of the greatest masterpieces have flaws.”
Have you ever had writer’s block, and if so, how did you overcome it.
Yes, I have. When this happens, I will concentrate on my other projects that do not involve writing.
From where do you get your story ideas?
I get my story ideas from watching people, places and objects, listening in on people conversations and from real TV court cases. Receiving letters and emails from people claiming to have inherited millions of dollars, and are willing to share their windfall for a fee, have been some of my greatest inspirations. :)
Are you planning to write any more books in the near future?
I just finished my fourth book, Wicked Intent. This is the first single short story that I have written.
Describe the book Wicked Intent?
Wicked Intent is a fictional short story, which centers on four main characters. Two of those protagonists are Lance Chew, a successful real estate investor, and his fiancée, Alia Wells, the owner of a flourishing public relations firm. While on his way to meet his fiancée and the wedding planner, a mysterious woman taps him on the shoulder and asks for directions to Avenue of the Americas. When he turns to answer her, he believes this beautiful woman is meant to be his lifetime partner. She will bring lust, desire and eroticism into his life, but will ultimately destroy his relationship with the one person who has always stood by him.
Your stories deal with romance leading to disastrous conclusions. Do you think you will ever write a happily ever after romance book?
I should never say never, but presently, I do not see myself writing a happily ever and into the sunset romance novel. Do not get me wrong, happily ever after is fine, but on the other hand many romantic relationships do not end on a good note, and these are the stories that I enjoy writing.
What do you read for pleasure?
I enjoy reading psychological and political thrillers, espionage, murder mysteries, happily never after and eerie stories.
What advice would you give to an aspiring author?
If you have a story to tell, tell it. If a traditional publishing house turns down your manuscript, think about self-publishing. Many sites provide the necessary tools to publish your book without costing you an arm and a leg. Avoid vanity press and subsidy publishers, unless you are a trust fund baby. :)
Smashwords Interviews are created by the profiled author or publisher.
Books by This Author
Café Mocha
by Vivienne Diane Neal
Café Mocha is the author’s first and only sensual romance short story, focusing on a woman who decides to change her way of thinking when it comes to meeting men.
Cinnamon Jones is a divorcée, who has decided to change her way of thinking when it comes to meeting men. No more will she settle for someone who does not measure up to her high standards, which she did when she first met her husband,
Deception in Plain Sight
by Vivienne Diane Neal
Price:
$4.99 USD.
Words: 57,400.
Language:
American English.
Published: April 6, 2017
.
Categories:
Fiction »
Urban
What happens when a young woman from an affluent family, believes she has met the man of her dreams, only to discover she has been living in a fool’s paradise? The handsome, charming, and cunning stranger will not only awaken her sexual inhibitions but will draw her into his sinister plot, leaving her asking, “What type of monster did his parents create?”
The Man with the White Handkerchief
by Vivienne Diane Neal
Imagine being approached by a stranger, asking for directions to a specific street, but you have no recollection as to what took place after that encounter. This is Mia Stone's story, as to what happened on that day. Based on a true story.
Malicious Acts
by Vivienne Diane Neal
An anthology of five fictional short stories, focusing on men and women who will stop at nothing to get what they want. If it means disguising themselves as benevolent individuals and destroying lives along the way, they are up for the thrill. They will use romance, lust, sex, greed, manipulation, and deceit as preludes to suck unsuspecting people out of their nest egg.
Shades of Deception
by Vivienne Diane Neal
A collection of ten fictional short stories centering on diverse men and women who in their speedy search for love, romance, and bliss, become the targets and victims of deceit, betrayal, fraud, revenge, and scandal.
Making Dollar$ and Cent$ out of Online Dating
by Vivienne Diane Neal
The author provides a humorous and honest approach to explain the difficulties of starting and running an online dating Website on half a shoestring budget. It is a personal journey into the trials and tribulations, which she has encountered. Whether you plan to start an online dating site or any online enterprise, this book will provide you with priceless information.