You don't know how much you've missed a place until you come back to it.

I know I'm not the only author out there who uses pictures as inspiration for my characters. More often than not, I scour Internet images looking for that perfect picture that matches the character I have in my head. When writing it helps me to have a physical, not just a mental image of my characters. I learned a trip from Heather Rainier and I have my inspiration pictures at the top of my document so every time I open it, my characters are there to say hi and remind me who I'm listening too.

I was having a heck of a time finding the perfect image for my hero Luc and his two brothers. They're moose shapeshifters so I wanted a picture of a man with a muscular rugged look to him, outdoorsy, but not too big. Then I came across a picture of the perfect man to match Luc. I had no idea who he was but it was an old black and white photo that looked vintage. (with all the computer tricks and photoshop available these days I wasn't sure if it really was an old picture) Many thanks to Sandra Wilson Sakaitis and Stacy Wilson for providing the name of this mystery man. Clint Walker. He was a big 6'6" actor who fits my mental image of Luc perfectly.

But Clint got me thinking...I spend so much time perusing pictures of  current models and actors, what about older pictures. Actors that we know as silver foxes but were mouthwatering back before they were so well known.

















It didn't take me long to search though some classic movies and find Luc's brothers Georges and Nouel. I know who they are :) Do you recognize them?







I already had my heroine, Clara Fitch, in mind with the beautiful model Denise Bidot.

I have my characters and a tentative title of Bodacious in Fur  (3xtasy Lake 8). The quirky characters of  Ecstasy Lake are perking up and trying their best to meddle in this story. The elderly McGuigan sisters want to buy matching motorcycles and form their own gang, as soon as they can figure out how to knit and ride at the same time. There's a developer trying to buy up the land around Ecstasy Lake to build condos and a nosy blogger is trying to find out if the rumours of a tiger roaming the surrounding woods is true. It's typical craziness that I've missed while I've been away and I'm so enjoying my return home.

Welcome Diane Leyne

deml901@yahoo.ca

WEBSITE | BLOG | FACEBOOK

I'm originally from a small town in Nova Scotia but grew up in Toronto where I still live. In addition to reading (all types of books) and writing, my loves include photography and travel (over 20 countries and counting). And I'd love to hear from my fans!

Libertine Island 3: The Runaway Sub

Available Now From BOOKSTRAND!

Jen Smith's been alone since her Master died five years earlier. Now, she's quit her job and come to Libertine Island to witness a marriage.  She meets Dr. Caleb McKenna, who took a job on the island to get away from the big bad city after getting shot near the clinic where he volunteered, and the breakup of his long-term relationship. They are two lonely people who decide to have a fling, not expecting to fall for each other.

They are still trying to figure things out when Reynaldo Montoya arrives to bring Caleb home after tracking down the man responsible for the shooting. 

Even though they were apart, he's not to happy to find Caleb in Jen's arms and decides to extract revenge, but when he sees how much they need each other, he realizes that maybe he's the one who should step aside unless the three of them can figure out how to make it work.

    

Location, Location, Location.

The setting of a book can be vital to the story line.  It sets the stage for the action and can inform the reader about the main characters before they’ve even started the story.  Does the lead live in a small town or a big city?  Do they own a house, live in an apartment, maybe a condo?

Then there’s the part of the world they live in.  Are the in the US, Canada or maybe Europe?  If they are in the US, do they live in the north, south, Midwest? 

The answers to these questions can tell reader a lot about the character before they even open their mouths. 

My newest location is Libertine Island where the Water is Blue, the Sand is White, the Sun is Hot and the Sex is Hotter!

When I decided to create the spin off series from Club Libertine, I wanted to keep the themes but make some key changes.  Firstly, the books are longer.  The stories are more involved and the sex hotter.  Secondly, I wanted to have a contained environment.  My characters needed to be thrown together in an intense environment for a pivotal part of the story.  Being isolated from the rest of the world in a tropical paradise gives people a chance to explore their sensual sides without having the real world intrude.

I thought about using real venues.  The Club Libertine books are set in Seattle Washington, a hip city in the Northwest.  The Libertine Island books are set on a fictional island off the coast of a real one. 

I decided to place Libertine Island off the coast of St. Maarten in part because I visited that tropical paradise and loved every minute of it.  It’s beautiful and the people are great and it gave me a lot of real detail to work with.  I even considered setting the stories there but then I decided that I needed to create my own island paradise where the denizens of Club Libertine and now Libertine Island can express themselves freely and in public without worrying about strangers seeing something they shouldn’t.

Besides, I like the idea of designing my own personal island paradise.  If only I could do that in real life.

So far, there are four Libertine Island Books:

Book 1, Sex on the Beach - Rebecca’s working on her thesis and takes a job on Libertine to have a little sexual adventure before settling into academia.  She didn’t count on meeting Mal and Mike Reynolds. She also didn’t expect her nemesis to show up and threaten all their jobs.  On Sale Now

Book 2, Sun, Sand and Submission – Aly’s worried when she finds out that her friend is working at a BDSM resort and living with not one but two Doms.  She can only get to the island in the company of a Dom, so she calls her Ex Max, the man she’s never stopped loving, to help her out.  On Sale Now

Book 3, The Runaway Sub – Jen comes to Libertine Island to attend Aly and Max’s wedding.  She didn’t count on meeting Caleb, the island Doctor.  Neither was looking for love or even a fling, but they are drawn together.  Enter Rey, who’s come looking for his Runaway Sub.  On PreSale now.  On sale now.

Book 4, The Picture of Submission – Maggie enjoyed visiting Libertine Island for her brother Max’s wedding.  She sees BDSM as a game, but the Hayes brothers don’t especially the oldest Chris.  And if Maggie wants to get the job of taken the photos for Jillian Madison’s (Club Libertine book 6) book on submission, she needs to learn what it really means and the Hayes brothers are just the men to teach her.  On sale in October.

 Enjoy.

 Diane Leyne