Please tell us a bit about yourself:
I’m Honey to 1, Mom to 2, and Nana to 2. My
family (especially the grandkiddies) is so important my husband and I just
moved 120 miles to be closer to them. Besides writing, I like to quilt and
enjoy my flower garden. A reader all my life, I also love movies, especially
action adventure, mysteries, science fiction, and romantic comedy. My favorite
TV shows are Castle, Firefly, and NCIS. Is it any wonder I write science
fiction romance and romantic suspense with comedic elements?
Tell us about Switched Resolution:
Switched
Resolution
is the third book in the Switched
series. Twins Marcus and Scott were separated before birth—one raised on Earth
and the other on an alien planet. They switched places and now have to face the
consequences.
What inspired you to write this particular
story?
After I wrote Switched, readers asked when I was going to write Scott’s story. Switched, Too told the story of a NASA
reject who gets to be a starship captain. But what happened to Marcus on Earth?
Did the women Scott and Marcus return their love? To answer those questions I
wrote Switched Resolution.
Please share a favourite snippet from your
book:
With duffle bags
slung over shoulders, banging against hips and each other, Scott Cherella and
Veronese Qilana raced through the Malawea Spaceport terminal. His ship was
gone. Stolen. Not just by the rebels incarcerated on board but by three of his
own crew.
“I still can’t
believe Drakus and Usolde took the Freedom.” Neese panted from running.
Scott was
surprised at how many people either milled around or strolled down the
terminal’s main corridor in the middle of the night. He and Neese attracted
attention. Maybe Serenians didn’t run through public buildings. Too damn bad.
This was an emergency.
“Those two have
a lot to answer for,” he said.
Once they got to
the hangar—or whatever Serenians called the area where various flight vehicles
landed and took off—he let her lead the way. He’d only been through there once,
yesterday, after arriving aboard a shuttle from Space Station Alpha where the Freedom had docked. Where it should
still be docked.
“This way.”
Neese darted down a narrow passageway. “I want to know about the other man.
Both Drakus and Usolde mentioned a he
who tricked them. Any ideas?”
“You know the
crew better than I do. Well, longer anyway.” He had only been aboard the Freedom for three weeks, ever since he
switched places with his twin. And, holy
shit, what a time it had been. Sabotage, capture, rescue, ecstasy,
betrayal.
Yeah, he wanted
to know the other guy’s identity, too. A member of the Freedom’s crew had not only masterminded the recent sabotage but
also the release of war criminals and the theft of Scott’s ship. How the hell
had they gotten it out of spacedock? There had to be controls. Clearance
requirements. On top of that, he wondered why the Freedom. The rebels needed a ship to escape. Surely, other ships
were easier to take out from under Space Fleet Security than an Alliance battle
cruiser. Or maybe that had been the point. A way of thumbing their noses at The
Powers That Be.
“Wait.” He
snagged the strap of Neese’s bag. They’d gotten to the end of a long hall. She
turned to him, questions in her Lake Michigan blue eyes. God, he loved seeing
them without the silver lenses she had worn to pass as Serenian. He couldn’t
wait for her short hair to grow out. Like wearing camouflage lenses, she’d dyed
her hair black to look like a Serenian. He bet if left to nature, her hair
would be a deep auburn like Jessie’s. With waves, too, once it was long enough.
Or maybe it would curl cutely around her face.
Nah. Neese was many
things—striking, intelligent, strong-willed—but never cute.
Edging her into
the corner, he dropped his duffle and pulled her into his arms. “I gotta do
this before we meet up with the others.”
She opened her mouth
in surprise as his came down. He hoped the kiss he planted on her made her
remember what they’d been doing two hours earlier. Finally alone and no longer
worried about non-fraternization rules, they’d made love in a proper bed. It
had been perfect. Perfect until she beat him to the punch and proposed. If the
damn computer hadn’t interrupted with urgent messages, he would have made sure
she understood there were some things a guy just had to do on his own.
Independent little cuss.
She broke off
the kiss, her eyes huge. “We—We shouldn’t do this. Someone might—”
“Relax, Neese.
Nobody’s around.”
“There could
be.” When she scooted past him, her bag swung out and caught him in the side.
Uttering a quick apology, she opened the door to a spacious hangar. “Chief
Luqett and Mr. Glaxpher said they’d be waiting for us in Area 72.” She pointed
overhead.
Up in the
rafters, large white lettering designated areas. Naturally, he couldn’t read
them. He didn’t think his link, which
she’d programmed to translate Serenian symbols, would be able to “read” that
far away.
“Where are we
now?” he asked softly as he followed her.
“Area 51.”
That stopped
him. “You have got to be joking.”
She turned to
him and shook her head. “I do not understand.”
“Area 51.
Aliens. Roswell, New Mexico.”
“Oh, that fiasco
when the Cardijian ship crashed. We need to hurry.”
“You mean that
was real?” He started grinning. “Hot damn.”
Which comes first for you – a character's
looks, personality or name?:
I’ve never thought about that before. I think
the name. The character’s personality reveals itself as I write the story. As
for looks, that depends on the character.
Any tips for aspiring authors?:
Protect your dream. Listen to constructive
criticism then do what feels right for your story. Persevere.
Questions for fun:
If you had the power of time travel, is there
anything you would go back and change? Why/why not?:
No. I like the life I have. If I went back and
changed one thing, I might not have met the fabulous guy I’m married to or have
my terrific children or those delightful grandkiddies.
What super-power would you choose?:
LOL I answered this one on a Facebook quiz. My
first thought was to be able to move things with my mind so I could empty all
the boxes from our move and put things away without my back hurting. Then I
thought I shouldn’t be so selfish and chose the ability to heal anyone. Maybe
that was a little self-serving, too, since I could heal my aching back.
If you could have three wishes, what would
they be?:
World peace. Congressional representatives who
would put the welfare of the country before their political agendas. Be the
same size I was when I got married. How’s that for a weird set of wishes?
Coffee, tea or wine?: Definitely coffee.
What is your favourite book? (aside from one
of your own!):
There are so many. Rebecca by Daphne
DuMaurier. I wish I could write gothic romance the way she did—the atmosphere,
the suspense, the character development.
Favourite genre and why?:
Science Fiction Romance. Science fiction says that
life will go on. Humans may be stupid enough to destroy our own planet, but our
sci-fi books and movies indicate we have hope that as a species we will
survive. I believe in happy ever after so a romance is an essential part of the
books I read—and write.
Favourite colour?: blue
Upcoming news and plans for the future?:
I’m writing the second book in the Outer Rim
series about strong women on the frontier of space. My first romantic suspense One
Red Shoe was released in September for Kindle. In January, it will be
available in all e-formats and in print.
Thank you so much for taking the time to talk
to us!
Blurb for Switched Resolution:
Actions have consequences as Space Fleet
Captain Marcus Viator and NASA reject Scott Cherella discover when they
switched places. Does the reserved Marcus have what it takes to imitate his
smart-aleck twin? Despite help from his love, Veronese, Scott’s already been
outed by two of Marcus’ best friends.
When rebels steal the ship with part of the
crew aboard, Scott has to rescue them and retrieve the Freedom. The stakes increase when he discovers the rebels are
heading for Earth. They know he’s a fraud and they want Marcus. The safety of
the Alliance of Planets depends on Scott and his allies.
Switched
Resolution, which wraps up the Switched series, takes the reader from Earth—where Marcus adjusts
to a pregnant Jessie—to the starship Freedom commandeered by rebels, to the
chase ship with Scott and Veronese aboard.
Switched
Resolution buy links:
Kindle: http://amzn.com/B00CNJEO1C
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/313093
Readers can find me
around the internet:
Website:
www.dianeburton.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/dmburton72
Facebook: http://facebook.com/dianeburtonauthor
Goodreads:
Diane Burton Author
Pinterest:
http://pinterest.com/dmburton72/
Amazon
author page: http://amzn.com/e/B00683MH5E
