Dianne C. Braley
Author Interview - Dianne C. Braley
Author of The Summer Before
In the aftermath of a devastating secret revealed by her best friend Summer, Madeline struggles with overwhelming guilt and the fractured remnants of her past. As she battles her demons in Boston, she must confront the figures from her past to reclaim her future or succumb to the darkness threatening to consume her.
Author Interview - Dianne C. Braley
Author I draw inspiration from:
Currently, it is Kate Elizabeth Russell after reading My Dark Vanessa. I write on darker topics and enjoy reading them, although my books are set in the happy vacation place Martha's Vineyard. But dark things still go on in beautiful places.
Author Interview - Dianne C. Braley | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
In a hammock or a cozy chair with a glass of wine or tea. Planes are great too.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
Scarlett O'Hara from Gone with the Wind. I imagine us sizing each other up especially our outfits. I could never compete with her dress made from drapery. After the tension breaks and we start chatting, me breaking the ice telling her I live by her famous line "after all, tomorrow's another day," we bond over ripping on Ashley and then concoct the plan on how to get Rhett back.
Author Interview - Dianne C. Braley | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
I grew up in an alcoholic, dysfunctional home. It wasn't easy, and many things aren't in how some of us are raised. Writing and music I escaped into and still do today. The arts can be our savior and a way to leave it all when the devils are all around us.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
I love a hardcover, but they are pricey for the average reader, and both paperbacks and hardcovers, the physical feel of reading a book awakens your senses. Cracking the spine and smelling the newness or oldness of the pages, there isn't anything like it. But let's face it.... today, it's a lot about time and accessibility. eBooks are super easy to download, and we always have some sort of device on us. Audio books provide the same as we can listen to cleaning or running around doing errands. I love an audiobook when the narrator sounds like the character you envisioned or is an amazing storyteller with depth and tone; Often, fiction books can miss the mark with this. It's tough.
The last book I read:
The Making of Genevieve by Judy Lannon, another Massachusetts author. I absolutely loved it. The main character I connected to and wish that I could of known her. I really got lost in her.
Author Interview - Dianne C. Braley | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
I wish I could write on paper. I do poetry but cannot with my larger works. It is just so easy to edit and use certain tools for spell check and grammar. I guess we are spoiled a little today, but I don't feel bad, as we have to make up for it with marketing! Computer all the way but I also use voice notes a lot. Ideas always come to me at the oddest times, like the middle of the night or walking the dogs. Then I have them transcribed.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
Holden Caulfield in the Catcher and the Rye. That time period of teenage angst, superficiality, and annoyance at everything still resonates with me. It's a crucial time in life when many of us are often misunderstood and not taken seriously. We are no longer the cute kid but not yet an adult living in a limbo where adults seem bothered by us. I'd like to complain with him about it all.
Author Interview - Dianne C. Braley | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
I would absolutely be a cheesy lounge club singer at dive bars around the country—dark, out-of-the-way places where people go to disappear—or a Karaoke DJ—something tacky with singing and you don't have to be that good.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
The 80s—it really wasn't good for the most part. Actually, if you compare them all, it was probably the worst-dressed era. Massive hair, neon, tight rolled or "pegged" pants, depending on where you're from. I don't care how bad it was; it was my time, and it was fabulous!
Place I’d most like to travel:
There are so many, but right now, it's just my backyard by my fire pit. I'm tired, and traveling is work. But when I rest up, I want to go on an extended European vacation with the family. We do better in Europe as vacationers because none of us know what we're doing or the language for the most part. No one can ask me anything because I don't know, and even if I do, I can pretend. It's amazing. I highly recommend this to women. If you can do it, get them to Europe. You'll enjoy it; they bother you less and have to figure it out on their own.
My signature drink:
Champagne is my fave. It has to be a decent one or a French Chardonnay. For non-alcoholic drinks, I live on mineral water and iced coffee, although I need to give that up.
Favorite artist:
Right when I read "Favorite Artist," I had to say Prince.
Number one on my bucket list:
Self-exploration. My kids are getting older, and life has become quieter. A lot of noise has left, and I am looking forward to getting to know me again. Oh, and I am also building a hobby barn to have a small animal rescue, so maybe I can get to know myself again part-time.
And one more.... get Ben Affleck to make my first book into a movie. I try to get him to on social media but he just ignores me, go figure.
Anything else you'd like to add:
I love you to pieces and thank you for all of your platforms, talking about writing and helping us authors. Thank you, and thank you to all the readers. There is nothing like book fans. I could talk to all of you all day,
Find more from the author:
https://twitter.com/CbraleyDianne
https://www.instagram.com/diannecbraley/
https://www.facebook.com/DianneCabelusBraley/
https://www.tiktok.com/@diannecbraley
About Dianne C. Braley:
Author Interview - Dianne C. Braley
A gritty New Englander, Dianne C. Braley found love for the written word
early on, reading and creating stories while trying to escape hers, growing up in the
turbulent world of alcoholism while living in the tough inner city. After putting her pencil
down for a time, she became a registered nurse, finding strength and calm in caring for
those who couldn’t care for themselves. Still, she never lost her drive to write. Seeing a painting and remembering a visit to Martha’s Vineyard as a girl and falling in love when her bare feet first stepped on the sand, she moved there for a time, caring for ailing Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist William Styron until he passed. He not only was her patient but soon became her friend and motivator. He and his books helped her realize she missed crafting stories, and she had some to tell. Dianne and her family live north of Boston but never far enough away to lose her city edge. Her multi-award-winning novel The Silence in the Sound was published in 2022.
