The Next Big Thing - A Secret Identity

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Last week Pavarti K. Tyler tagged me in her Next Big Thing blog meme post. The meme happens on Wednesdays. Read all about her terrifying next big thing HERE.

With my typical good nature, I agreed to submit to the tagging with a minimum of fuss, like a tranquilized dolphin or temporarily stunned bird of prey. But I'm awake now, and so, also typical to my nature, I will do this thing my way. So rather than answer the ten questions standard to this meme, I'm just going to tell you what's going on. I'm also going to tag only one person instead of an entire herd of five. She's awesome enough for five, as you will see, but wait a sec on that.

First, I need to tell you about what IS going on. Like the image on many Hermit Tarot cards, I have recently emerged from July's self-imposed semi-exile holding the lit lantern of a BRAND NEW PROJECT.

(This project will not replace any of my current projects. For those of you waiting for The Mumbo Jumbo Circus sequel, titled The Daring Young Man, please be patient. It is coming. Before the end of the year. I will not put out a story before it's ready, and Dante Delgado, my daring young man, has proved a challenge. I concurrently work on both young adult and adult mainstream books and also have a new mainstream adult title coming.)

I am, and have been, beset by challenges in my personal life and in my career. After a good deal of reflection, I've made some changes. I'm setting healthy boundaries, working out almost every day (a life-saver) and adding a work alias to expand my career!

Many of you may not know that I write romance, read romance, am a staunch supporter of the genre  and its merits, and am also a long-time member of RWA. And you may have guessed from some of my references that I am also a pagan. I'm a second degree Alexandrian/eclectic Wiccan. (I don't talk about it too much, not because I'm in the broom closet, but because it really hasn't had much to do with me professionally before and I'm not a person who goes about trumpeting. For anyone who is genuinely interested, I am building an online grimoire It's in its baby stages, so be gentle.)

ANYWAYS, I'm putting all of this influence together under the pen name of Diana Deforrest. Okay, so a pen name is not exactly a secret identity. But having an "also known as" does feel a bit new and strange.

Diana is writing stories of romantic witchery set in a delightful, fictional, small town on the Olympic Peninsula and Puget Sound. I don't want to give away too much too soon, so for now just remember *blare trumpets* Diana DeForrest is the next big thing!

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And now I tag Esri Allbritten!

Esri is a multi-talented, hilarious writer of fun mysteries. I cannot WAIT to find out what is her NEXT BIG THING! Look for her post on next Wednesday, August 29.

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