Diane Whiteside's day job is developing and designing computer systems for the government.

But at night she escapes into a world of alpha males and the unique women who turn their lives upside down. The author of over ten erotic romances, Diane is also the proud owner of a German Shepherd mix who keeps her on her toes.  Visit Diane at: http://dianewhiteside.com

What was the first Western historical novel you remember reading?

It was a novel by Zane Grey, probably Knights of the Range. (I think I was five at the time.) My grandmother had everything he’d written and we read them all together, mixed with stories of her upbringing on the Oklahoma frontier. She hooked me on westerns as soon as she could.

What part of the writing process do you enjoy most when you write-the research? creating the characters? developing the plot? providing the historical content?

Creating the characters is probably the most important for me. They must be strong, with dynamic emotions. They also must have needs and desires that the reader will fight and cheer for as if they were their own. But the characters must be completely believable in the historical context. It’s my job as an author to make them understandable; it’s not the characters’ job to take modern problems back in time, at least not in my books. I need a lot of research to pull that trick off which is fun, too. Plus, I love being able to bring little details of past worlds alive, to make the equivalent of Starbucks or Prada vitally important to the twenty-first century reader.

The “Devil” series was re-released in 2007. Can you tell us a little about the latest one, The Irish Devil?

The Irish Devil is set in an 1872 Arizona mining town during the height of the Apache Wars, where Viola Ross is being courted by a murderer. Since he’s the local mine owner and controls everything in town, her choices are marriage to him, starvation, or becoming an Apache squaw. Instead she strikes a deal with William Donovan, the freight company owner who’s the only man not dependent on the mine – and the most unacceptable fellow around for a woman of her birth. The terms of their bargain? Viola will be William’s mistress for three months, doing anything he wants in the bedroom, if he’ll keep her safe. But soon Viola must choose between two equally dangerous threats – the one to her heart from William if she stays and one to her life from the mine owner if she leaves.

You’ve recently released another book in your erotica Texas Vampire series. Tell us a little bit about Bond of Fire?

In Bond of Fire, Jean-Marie and Hélène have loved each other before, only to be parted by duty and honor’s unforgiving demands. Now they’re in modern Texas, hoping to finally be happy. Then Hélène’s sister attacks Jean-Marie’s family to gain revenge for her lover’s death, and only Jean-Marie can stop her before she destroys them all. Now both Jean-Marie and Hélène must each make the oldest, most bitter choice known on the Texas frontier: family or love? Who will they save when the chips are down – their soul mate or their family? Because they only get to choose once and the answer is written in fire.

Bond of Darkness is its sequel, scheduled to be published in October 2008. It’s about Ethan Templeton, former Civil War guerrilla, gunslinger and now the Texas vampire military commander, and Stephanie Amanda “Steve” Reynolds, a Texas Ranger. When a serial killer hits Texas, Steve realizes she’ll need the help of her spurned lover, Ethan, to solve the crimes. But Ethan knows the only way to protect her will be to turn her into a vampire, a deed that will get him killed even if she accepted him again.

It sounds like you have a demanding day job. What’s your secret to balancing a full-time job with the demands of writing, i.e., how do you do it.

In many ways, my writing is my vacation from my day job and vice versa. They’re so different that each one gives me strength and pleasure to go back to the other. On a daily basis, I work hard on my time management. I fight for every half hour of writing time. There are very, very few TV shows I watch regularly. Catching a new movie is an unusual event. I pay as much as I can for the highest Internet speed available because every minute counts. I count chat groups and blogs in terms of minutes, not lists or posts. Family always comes first but I go for quality time, rather than casual time. In other words, I’d rather have a fabulous Christmas vacation than a half-dozen so-so weeknight dinners, when I tried not to fret about slipping deadlines or a phone call from my boss at the day job. Mercifully, I come from a family of writers so they back me all the way. I combine things whenever possible, such as making a research trips into a vacation or a writers’ conference with a family reunion. I do a lot of meditation, plus aromatherapy, to reduce stress. I love to read and I treasure recommendations because they save time.

 And, finally, what are some of your favorite western romances by other authors?

Light of the Western Stars by Zane Grey

Sackett by Louis L’Amour

Calico Palace by Gwen Bristow

The Bounty by Beth Williamson – okay, all of the Malloy Family books!

Elizabeth Lowell – mostly the contemporaries, but also Only His, Only Mine, Only You, Only Love

Thank you, Diane, for being in our spotlight!

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