Diane J. Reed Author Interview + Spring Fling Giveaway! (OPEN INT)

DIANE J. REED 

About the Author 

I write novels that are infused with enchantment, where characters dare to break through boundaries and believe in true love. I have a soft spot for artisans & outlaws of the heart, those of us who burn brightly to live each day as a gift--because it is! I'd love to hear from you, so feel free to visit my website or message me on facebook or twitter to share the whispers of your spirit.

Find the author:

Website | Amazon | Goodreads | Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter

Find Robin in the Hood here:

Goodreads | Amazon | Facebook

Rachel: Hey there, Diane! :)
So, I only have one question about the book and that is...

• What was one of the most surprising things you learned while writing Robin in the Hood? 

You know, as you write and see your characters interact in different situations, you get to know them more deeply. For me, the biggest surprise of Robin in the Hood is how sensitive bad-boy Creek really turned out to be—and that he prayed for help to take care of the people he loves at Turtle Shores. At one time in my life I was a teacher for adolescent youth in a correctional facility, and many of those kids had been committing crimes to help provide for their families. It broke my heart! So I wanted to write a novel that did justice to their experiences and didn't portray all juvenile delinquents as unilaterally bad.

Rachel: So now, why don't we get to know more about you, shall we? :)

• What do you think about the most? The past, the present or the future? Why?

None of the above! I'm a chronic daydreamer ever since I was a child (I used to get in trouble for that in school), so what I think about most is the interactions between my imaginary friends (the term I give my fictional characters : ). When I'm jogging out in the woods near my home, I'm always thinking about the imaginary worlds my characters live in—which is kind of a suspended-in-time, eternal present—and what they're doing there. I swear, I come up with the best scenes for my books while I'm jogging!

• What's your worst/best memory of high school and why?

Oh, I cut class a LOT in high school and was always going on great adventures with my friends. We'd go ride horses or take a bus to a great city (just like the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off). Things were much more relaxed back then—I don't think you could get away with it as easily now. We were also really good at faking excuses for the principal's office. Our tactics would never fly today.

• What do you think is your best asset?

My best asset is by FAR my imagination and creativity. I firmly believe that's what makes life magical—a creative point of view. When you allow your mind to roam freely and treat everything as potent & magical, you can't help but view life as enchanting.

• What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview? And the answer to that is?

I think it would be fun to hear from authors what is the most outrageous thing they've ever done. For me, that probably involves the time I rode a mustang horse from Mexico to Canada and back. I was just out of college and it took me a year. Believe it or not, it was for a job, so I was paid to do it. Yep, I'm a true cowgirl.

...And now for the Spring Fling Giveaway!!

ROBIN IN THE HOOD by Diane J. Reed: Book Review

Author: Diane J. Reed

Title: Robin in the Hood

Published:  by Bandits Ranch October 4th 2012

Format: Paperback

Website: http://www.banditsranch.com/

Source: Received a copy in exchange for honest review

"Is it any wonder I became a bank robber?” said Robin. 

But she never dreamed she’d fall in love…

15-year-old Robin McArthur thinks she has it all figured out when it comes to bilking her wealthy dad for guilt money as a substitute for his genuine affection. Until one day he suffers a stroke, and she learns the brutal truth.

They’re broke.

And everyone from bankers to bookies has come to collect. 

His only saving grace is what he reveals to Robin in between drools: He truly does love her, in spite of all his mistakes.

Panicked and desperate, Robin figures she has two choices. Either surrender to the pestering caseworker and live in a skanky foster home, or take a chance and sneak her dad out of the hospital to make a run for it. Little does she know that stealing a car and hitting the road means that before the day is through, she will rob her first bank. 

Now an outlaw, Robin finds a backwoods trailer park to hide her dad from authorities. There, she encounters Creek, a local bad boy who also commits crimes to provide for their motley neighbors. Realizing she could use Creek’s help, Robin proposes an ingenious plan—they should team up to rob banks together. But when their partnership leads to a romance that turns Robin’s world upside down, she soon begins to discover that people are more precious than pocketbooks, and real love means opening your heart to the kinds of treasures money can’t buy…

My Thoughts

I know Diane J. Reed got me in the first two pages.

Robin is just hilarious and witty! She knows how to put things in a different kind of light. She described her boarding school as: "It's simply the priciest. Quick translation: it's the swankiest prison for teenage girls that money can buy." 

I loved Robin in the Hood! The characters, the setting, the craziness, the magic. Everything! Oh, and how can we forget the feather... and Bender Lake. :)

Everything about it seems so dreamy, and it makes me want to live in their world, experience what it's like to become a bank robber (crazy right?! Haha) and save the people that I love. Maybe I'll feel guilty, but the reason for doing it is really worth it. The people in Turtle Shores are really worth fighting for.

Robin is the kind of girl who always gets what she wants. Designer clothes, luxurious bags, a cellphone studded with actual diamonds on it. Name it, she can have it. Except for one thing - a family who loves her and friends who care about her. It's definitely hard living a life like Robin. Just thinking about it makes me.. sad. I can't imagine having a filthy rich dad and dealing with my stepmother who goes around screwing guys half her age, I mean, I'd rather be poor and have a whole family than to have a life like that.

That's why I admire Robin so much. Okay, she may be a little pain in the ass sometimes because some of their bank robberies got busted because of her but she surprised me because she didn't act like a little rich girl in Turtle Shores. In fact, she was trying to fit in and not be a burden to them. Her decision to be on missions with Creek is a really big deal because it was definitely not a life that she was used to. Hello, in the first few pages of the book, she said: "Yes, nearer to my heart than Jesus is my most loyal BFF: cold, hard cash." so yea, I know what it feels like to be away from that kind of BFF. We all do, at some point in our lives, right?

Oh, and then here comes Creek. *squeals* And this is how Robin described him: "A tall guy, maybe a year or two older than me, in a black t-shirt and torn, faded jeans. His tangled, sun-bleached hair looked like it had never seen scissors, yet it framed his tan skin and piercing blue eyes like a rugged surfer's."

Creek is still a mystery to me. Yes, I think he is swoon-worthy based on how Robin saw him but I think that it would be better it the author told the readers more about Creek and his past. But nonetheless, he's still the savior of Turtle Shores and I salute him for that.

Okay, so I thought that the development between the protagonists was a little fast, but hey, they're young, they're teenagers, that's what they do. And you can really see the attraction between the two of them. It was undeniable. Also, as what I've mentioned above, I would love to know more about Creek, since I don't think I really got to know him that much in this story. There's so much more I want to find out about him. His mother, a mysterious girl in his past and how he ended up being in Turtle Shores. Also, I think it would be better if the book had a prologue, maybe a little bit about Robin's dad and his past. I have many questions and it keeps me wanting more, especially after I read the ending!

I love adventures and mysteries and so, the bank robberies were my favorite parts because I think I was really holding my breath while reading them! Damn, I'd really love to step into their world right now and go with them just for the fun of it. Haha! Sorry about my over enthusiasm about wanting to be in their world. But you can't really blame me. There are lots of people I want to meet in Turtle Shores and one of them is... *drum roll please* Granny Tinker! (You guys better watch out for her!)

Robin in the Hood is the kind of book that gives hope to other people. It is a story that will teach all of us that while we are living, we have all the chances in this world to make things better, and all the more, our lives better. And come on, who doesn't want to read a fun, light, interesting and magical book like this? ;)

QUOTES THAT I LOVE FROM ROBIN IN THE HOOD:

"Seriously, this guy was public enemy number one, a pure menace to women's health." - Robin

"There simply ought to be a law against anyone that beautiful running around wild and temporarily . . . unkissed." - Robin

"Because it took all of my willpower not to be slayed by his handsome presence in that pastel light." - Robin

"We're partners of the heart, Robin. That's all." - Creek

For my full review, go to my goodreads page here: Rachel's full review of Robin in the Hood

Tell me what you think of the cover, the blurb or my review in the comments. I would love to hear from all of you. :)

My Rating

..wait for our next post to win a copy of Robin in the Hood (yes, a fresh and new paperback) and for the Diane J. Reed's interview!

Stay tuned! ;)