Diana Kirk 

Diana Kirk agreed to be interviewed via e-mail by C. T. Atherton.

CA: You were voted best author on the Internet in 1999, in the Preditors and Editors poll. How did your involvement with this event come about? Were you surprised by the results?

DK: Well, actually, I notified my set of loyal readers that I had been nominated and they pretty much did the rest. Of course, I work at a University with lots of people there and they are very supportive. My partner, Pam Hart, and co-author of our Diana Hart books also notified our set of loyal readers at her University, yes she teaches at a different University, so we pretty much had all our bases covered. Then, my publisher put a link from my books (and all the other Hard Shell authors) on her website with a click through to Preditors and Editors. So, I think it was pretty much word of mouth.

Yes, I was shocked at the results. I couldn't believe it. I'm still trying to figure out what this means.

CA: How long have you been writing? What is your favorite type of novel?

DK: I've been writing for 15 years and I have many favorite types of novels. I began reading science fiction in high school, switched to horror as I grew older and began writing horror short stories. But, I realized there is no money in writing short stories of any kind (unless on the Net) so I had an idea for a medical thriller in my head and began to write A Caduceus is for Killing. Not knowing anything about writing, I started to educate myself through writing books, college courses, and critique groups.

CA: What authors have inspired you?

DK: I have been inspired by authors such as James Joyce, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Ed Gorman, Sara Paretsky, Elizabeth Peters, Merline Lovelace, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Theresa Weir, Edgar Allen Poe, Jane Austin, H. Ryder Haggard, William Shakespeare, Elizabeth Lowell, Linda Turner, Phillip K. Dick, and so many others. I really do love all types of fiction.

My favorite type of novel is one that grabs me, doesn't let me go, and surprises me in the end. I don't care if it is horror, mystery, or romance as long as it does that.

CA: Do you meet any of your fans on the Web? Have you ever been influenced by their comments?

DK: I've met a few, mostly through teaching mystery writing at Word Museum and many of my readers end up taking my courses. Many times I meet people who have read my books and like them at various conferences and I'm so surprised that they know who I am. I've never had anyone say they didn't like something, so I don't really know how to answer that one. But, I guess it would depend upon what they said whether or not I would be influenced by it.

CA: Do you network with other e-published authors on the Web?

DK: Yes, as much as I'm able given the small amount of time I have to interact. I'm on just about every listserve there is with the exception of the RWA listserve. I've never gotten on that one. But most of the listserves I'm on are about e-publishing. I've also been secretary for the Electronically Published Internet Connection (EPIC) for the last two years. My term ends in April and although I'll miss corresponding with the many people and new members who post to EPIC with questions, I'll be happy to be able to devote more time to writing.

CA: I've always been fascinated by Ancient Egypt. Your Egyptian time travel, Song Of Isis, received a 4 star review in the April edition of Romantic Times. How do you research that time period? Do you conduct any of your research on the Web? Any favorite research sites?

DK: Research sites, not really found any of value--although I did end up in an unprotected zone in Egypt once and was warned that I could be in serious trouble if I went farther, so I backed out. Most of my research books are just that--books. I think I probably have one of the most extensive (and expensive) libraries on Ancient Egypt, which means I'm going to have to write another book to justify all those purchases.

One of the strange things about that book is that I felt very comfortable writing about that era. So much so, that I wonder if one of my past lives was as an Egyptian. I really don't believe in reincarnation, although I haven't closed the door to that idea, but writing the book was almost too easy. And the research I did was so enjoyable that I had to purchase the books so that I could read them at my leisure and read them over and over again. Given the little amount of time I have to write, I just couldn't spend it in the library and wanted to be able to access the research, as I needed it. I am thinking about doing another book with the premise that what would happen if someone began stealing the treasures and returning them to where they belong in ancient Egypt? Just an idea, a kernel, a thread, but that's how the first book began. It was a what if a physician was transported back to Ancient Egypt and the person who found her was a physician also? How would these two physicians, separated by four thousand years, interact? I just love being able to answer those what if questions.

CA: You are one of the few original royalty published authors having signed your first contract in 1996. What gave you the foresight to publish a work electronically back then? How did you discover e-publishing?

DK: In October of 1996, I answered an ad that had been placed in the Romance Writer's Report which is a monthly journal put out by Romance Writers of America. I faxed my query, they faxed a request for the manuscript, and the rest is history. I began talking about electronic publishing to people who would give me stares and ask me, "When was I going to write a real book?"

Slowly, the word got out and at one of the conferences I met Mary Wolf, then an author, before she purchased Hard Shell Word Factory. I was impressed by her business sense and when I discovered she was now a publisher, I offered her Song of Isis, which at that time, was being considered by Leisure. She immediately offered a contract and so I decided to take a chance on electronic publishing. Although the money isn't quite there yet, I have never been sorry that I offered her what I think is my best work.

CA: You, like many authors who write for e-publication, are prolific. You have six novels available from Hard Shell Word Factory, audio and paper books from Books In Motion and Ulverscroft Press, Ltd. England, and several novellas and short stories to be published by Hard Shell and DiskUs. How do you schedule time to write, manage your Web site, research, and promote your work while maintaining some kind of personal life?

DK: Well, I gave up having a personal life. For the last twenty-one years, I have been married to a wonderful man (also a police officer) who is so supportive that he does the housework and cooking so that I can write. By day, I also have a very demanding full time job in that I teach professional coding to the employees of Creighton University Medical Center. When I'm not studying medicine, I'm writing or promoting or answering e-mail. My social life consists of my critique group on Friday nights and Sunday church with my mother. But, I still do not feel I'm prolific enough. I have way more ideas than time and I'm praying that the wave of e-publishing will take off enough so that I can quit my day job. Unfortunately, when you're at the bottom of a fledgling industry, you have to work harder and smarter than anyone else.

CA: How closely do you work with editors and cover artists where you sell your books? Do you feel you have more input about your final product with an e-publisher than you would working with a print publishing business?

DK: I know I have great input. I have a wonderful editor, Christine Gee, who is an editor a writer prays for, and besides being brilliant, she lets my cry on her shoulder when I'm feeling low. Artists Dirk and Mary Wolf have always managed to capture the feel of all my books to create covers worthy of framing and I feel like the luckiest person on this earth every time I look at my Song of Isis cover.

CA: Do you have an agent? Why or why not?

DK: Yes. She is interested in selling my existing works to the paper market. And there is some interest from Hollywood, which she is handling, but it is too early to talk about anything in that respect.

CA: You spoke on e-publishing at the Orlando Romance Writers of America in 1997, when e-publishing was in its infancy. How much has the industry grown since then?

DK: There's only one word to describe industry growth that explains everything and it is--exponentially!

I knew this thing would go, but I didn't realize it would be so fast. Just think, four years ago, no one had ever heard of electronic publishing. Now, it's front page news. What else can one say, other than I wish every Stephen King fan would buy a copy of my book! :-)

CA: What did you tell writers who were interested in the new technology, but were wary?

DK: I told them this was the wave of the future. I told them how wonderful the publishers were to work with. How fast they would hear about their submission. How fast the time from acceptance to publication would be. How much input they would have in the publication of their book. How fast they would get paid after publication compared to traditional publication. How much better the royalties were compared to traditional publication. And how much fun they would have being a published author.

CA: What was the audience's general reaction at that time?

DK: Reactions ranged from hope to skepticism. Many authors who were in the audience took my advice and went on to become electronically published and even win awards. I will always be proud of that accomplishment. Many traditionally published authors in the back of the room approached me with guarded interest, some with derision, and some wouldn't even speak to me. But that's okay, I'm sure they felt that I was cutting corners and not paying my dues by becoming electronically published. But after fifteen years of writing outside the boundaries of traditional publication, I think I've paid my dues and then some.

CA: Get into your time travel vehicle of choice, and tell us what you see in our future? Where do you imagine e-publishing will lead us in this new Millennium?

DK: I see much success for many people and some anger and heartache for others. Especially if the big names trample some of us who created the market for this medium. Take Stephen King for example. I'm very happy he chose to e-publish. But the media is acting like he was the first person ever to take a chance on the Web.

Well, what about those of us who have spent thousands of dollars in advertising and travel to give talks to people who give us blank stares? Am I angry? No, I'm a realist and understand that Diana Kirk is not a household name. At least not yet!

What will happen? Some pioneers will become mega stars and go on to be published in many mediums. Others will populate the midlist and others will stay on the bottom. I am hoping, however, that our small publishers survive and continue with the innovations only these true pioneers could have envisioned.

There are many new and exciting things that can be done with electronic books. Reading a book will someday be an event, vastly different from television or the computer. They will become interactive; they will have audio and video within the text of a book. There will be animation and color. A book will be a sensory experience that will pull the reader so deeply into the story that they will experience the work in a way that mere words cannot do. An electronic book will also be choreographed with soundtracks and readers will be able to make to determine different types of endings by making certain choices: if a mystery, the reader will actually solve the crime. If a romance, the reader will be invited to the wedding or participate as a character in the story. If a science fiction, the reader will travel visually to other worlds. A child's story will educate and stimulate as well as entertain.

Bottom line here, the possibilities of electronic publishing are limitless and I'm so happy and proud that I've been a part of it. No matter what happens in the future, I can always say, I was one of the first.

About the Author:

• Author's Web site
• E-mail
   

Add a Link
Disclaimer
Credits
Site founded 1996.
Copyright © 2001 C.T. Atherton.
All rights reserved.
Some images copyright © ArtToday.