Author Guest Post - Dianne Castell (& a Giveaway - closed)

Today I'm pleased to welcome Dianne Castell, author of Hot and Irresistible. Her guest post here today is part of this book's virtual tour, courtesy Pump Up Your Book Promotion. And I received a copy of this book for hosting this tour.

Southern Speak

Or...you’re not in Kansas anymore.

My November release, Hot and Irresistible, is set in Savannah. I love Savannah. I don’t live there but my daughter goes to school there and we vacationed in the area long before that and I knew some day I wanted set a book among the big moss draped oaks, magnolias the size of dinner plates, azaleas as big as a bus and Paula Deen’s. ‘course that Savannah is the most haunted city in the US made the city even more intriguing.

But there was this one teeny problem, I don’t talk like Scarlett O’Hara. I live in Ohio, the land of flat A’s and folks who say “please” when they mean “excuse me.” I have no idea where that come from but it’s better than “huh?”

I had to do a lot of research to make sure I had Lady and Sons on the right street and to make sure what streets are one-way and which way they go. But you have to do that when you write any book. The big challenge was how to write Southern-eeze?

I do live in Cincinnati and married a guy from Kentucky. He truly does say things like “fine as frog’s hair” and causin’ a ruckus and we do have fried chicken with white gravy once a week. But how do you write real Savannah?

Such things as Miss Emily and Miss Gloria are proper addresses as is asking how someone’s mama and daddy are but what else? I got a lot of flavor from Southern movies. Of course there’s Gone With the Wind, which was a far better book than move but still it helped to hear them talk. And Something to Talk About that was set in Savannah so that helped a ton, and my favorite Southern movie, The Client. This one just happened to be a better movie than a book, in my opinion.

So, I’m here to ask you... What is your favorite book set in the South and do you have any Southern-isms or words of wisdom from the South to pass on?

For you efforts, I have an ARC of Hot and Bothered to give away from the responses. Ya’ll have a nice day now, ya’ hear.

About

USA Today best selling author Dianne Castell writes for Kensington BRAVA. She also writes a monthly editor interview column for Romance Writers Report. Her books have won Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award, been on the cover of Romantic Times Magazine and included in Rhapsody Book Club, Doubleday Book Club and have made the Waldenbooks Bestseller list. The second book in her Savannah Sizzles series for the BRAVA line, Hot and Irresistible, hits the shelves Nov‘09. Hot Summer Nights is out May ’10.

Dianne lives in Cincinnati with her two cats and will do just about anything to get out of housework. You can visit her website at www.DianneCastell.com.

** Edited to Add ** My mistake. I forgot to add - the giveaway ends Midnight CST of November 21, 2009. Giveaway open to US only.
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