Today, my blog post is an interview with my friend and Indie Author, Connie Di-Pietro. First a little about Connie.
Connie Di-Pietro lives the small village life in Brooklin, Ontario, Canada with her husband and four amazing children. An award winning Author, who takes great pleasure in editing non-fiction while writing fiction. For more information on Connie, please follow her on Facebook, Instagram or join her mailing list.
What genre do you write?
I write like I read, in multiple genre. However, I do prefer there to be a magickal or dark side to what I am writing. I believe this reflects reality and relationships. Nothing is all good nor all bad but life is shades of both as is my writing. My most recently published debut novel, In the Shadow of the Stones, is historical/romance/PNR
Why did you choose this genre?
I never know if I choose the genre or if the genre chooses me. In the Shadow of the Stones seemed to have been dropped into my head from the beginning to the end of the trilogy.
What is your latest book?
My latest book is the first in a trilogy, In the Shadow of the Stones. The second book, In the Shadow of Death, will be released early October 2021.
When did it release?
Release date was August 28th, 2021
Who is your target audience?
A target audience always feels as if you are leaving someone who might enjoy the book out. Yes, there are some who would be more inclined to read a certain genre, but maybe this targeting prevents others from even trying to read something they might love. With that said, if you like your historical with a dash of magickal paranormal mixed with a good dose of romance and a hint of the dark side then this would be right there for you.
What do you hope they learn from/like about your work?
I have added a heavy dose of my own beliefs in this book, from the power of intention and manifestation, to my strong belief in reincarnation. It also shows my main character, a strong willed but flawed woman, fighting for diversity and inclusion and acceptance, which is a world worth fighting for.
Tell us a bit about yourself?
I am a married, mother of four amazing children (who doesn’t think their own kids are the best?). I love yoga and running, good food, tea, and wine. Most of my day is spent in my craft surrounded by
my Old English Sheepdog, Odin and my daughter’s Goldendoodle, Poppy. I started writing after my son was born, 21 years ago now. I wrote children’s stories, for my kids, until one day my son bragged about my stories to his preschool teacher, who invited me in to read them to the class. They were a huge success with the kids. At the time I didn’t want to write anything but children’s stories, funny to think that now.
Do you belong to a writing circle/group?
Pre-Covid I facilitat
ed two writer’s circles and as the pandemic did with everything we disbanded and kept our distance. I’m unsure whether life and the circles will resume as it had before.
If so, what do you like about being in the group?
There are so many benefits of a writer’s circle aside from belonging in a social unit with similar interests. I enjoyed the banter of books and the industry as a whole. You knew you weren’t alone in your frustrations when things weren’t falling on the page as easily as they had two chapters ago. With a circle you can hash out the struggle and together work out the plot hole or character that isn’t playing the way you thought they would. From a writer’s circle, life-long friendships are formed and yo
u know that in a solitary industry, you are not alone.
Do you have any
new stories on the go?
I do have a few things on the go at the moment. I’ll be publishing book 2 of the Shadow Witches in Time trilogy, In the Shadow of Death, next month and working on the edits of book 3, In the Shadow of the Descendants for its rapid release in November. This is all happening while writing two separate books one under a pen name and the other in a whole modern world.
Thanks, Connie for joining me today and if any of you would like to purchase Connie's book, please click the link below.