Featured Author of the Week – Diana Kinared

This week, we continue our series featuring the authors of Telling Tales and Sharing Secrets in an interview with author, Diana Kinared.

Patty:

First, in your own words tell us a little about you.

Where do you live?

Diana:

Oro Valley, Arizona. In a house next to a nature preserve where I walk daily and listen.

Patty:

Who are the special people in your life?

Diana:

My husband of 59 years, my three children, my grandson, my cats and all my great friends – too many to list.

Patty:

Do you have any pets?

Diana:

Currently we have three cats, Nunney Catch, Oliver and Sadie. We’ve lived with dogs, cats, gerbils, hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs, horses, white mice and have many stories that go with them.

Patty:

What keeps you going? I mean, like what inspires you and keeps you moving forward in your work.

Diana:

I LOVE to write stories, essays, poems. Everything inspires me. Things people say or do, the beautiful nature that surrounds me, my own crazy imagination. I can always find something to write about.

Patty:

What is your favorite song?

Diana:

Depends on the day. Today it is Beatles – Let It Be. It plays over and over in my mind. I have the Elvis channel on my Sirius app in the car and at home. I love many kinds of music – except rap and grunge – haven’t learned to tune my ears to those. I enjoy the romantic period Verdi, Liszt, Debussy, some Classical like Bach and Mozart. I grew up with 40s music and big bands that my parents listened to. I like most country music but not the twangy stuff. I light up to 60s music because that was my teen years.

Patty:

What is your favorite movie? Feel free to list multiple titles.

Diana:

I have over 1,400 movies recorded. My favorites are from the 1930s and 1940s that I watch over and over. Most of my favorites are comedies or musicals.

Patty:

What is your favorite book? Feel free to list multiple titles.

Diana:

OMG! Too many to name. Again, I am a hoarder. I can’t believe you ask a writer about a favorite book. I have over 900 volumes in paperback and hardback in my library plus over 600 Kindle books and 600 Audio books. I read two to three books at a time. My favorite contemporary author is Amor Towles. Currently I’m reading Demon Copperhead (contemporary Best Seller), The Overstory (an ecological novel), This is What America Looks Like (autobiography), and A Noble Radiance (mystery). I also dip into Writing on Both Sides of the Brain and a short story anthology that are on my night table.

Patty:

What is your favorite food? Feel free to elaborate on all your favorites.

Diana:

Most anything with beef. I am a carnivore. My tastes are wide as is my waist. French food is the best – good French food, lots of cream, cheese, butter, and fresh veggies. I love fruit and make a giant smoothy every morning. Chocolate is a necessity. My three food groups are Butter, Bacon, and Chocolate – something in each of those groups every day.

Patty:

What is your favorite quote?

Diana:

“Imagination is more important than knowledge” Einstein. That’s one of them. I have several more that I can’t think of offhand.

What is your favorite affirmation? Does it in some way relate to your work?

Diana:

Let me be of service to someone today. Maybe that’s a prayer but it is something I say every morning. Not sure it relates to my writing. Writing is an out of body experience.

Patty:

What is your biggest pet peeve?

Diana:

Politics, politicians, the uninformed people who believe them and a media that exploits the gullible.

Patty:

What do you think your best strengths are, and how do they help you in your work as a writer?

Diana:

Creativity. That’s what it’s all about. Letting my mind travel to places my body can’t or won’t. Meeting people who expand my world even if they are only in my imagination.

Patty:

What are your weaknesses, do they hinder your work, and how are you making them stronger?

Diana:

Procrastination, disorganization, distraction. Yes, they have always been a hindrance to whatever I do whether in employment or in writing. I’m a much better employee than employee. Hard for me to follow other peoples’ instructions but I do have happy employees (most are still good friends except those I fired – for obvious reasons). Can’t say I’ve done anything to modify my shortcomings really. I try once in a while but boomerang back to old habits. My desk can only stay clear for ten or fifteen minutes before clutter begins to build and I’m distracted from my main purpose. Eventually things get done. My husband says I’m always organizing, never organized and that sums it up. I’m not a worrier.

Patty:

What is your dream for the future, and how does it relate to your work as a writer?

Diana:

I dream that my grandson has a successful life. Success is defined by the individual and I hope he finds happiness in whatever he chooses to pursue. He’s multitalented and clever and only fourteen so he has some time to develop his choices. My future is behind me and I’m very happy with what I’ve done in my life. I’m a content 77-year-old with tons of experiences and memories to enjoy. The only thing I’d like to do again is go to Paris. (But I’m not all that excited to get on these wicky wonky flights that aren’t reliable).

Patty:

What is your preferred way of communicating and how can someone best reach you if they should wish to buy from or work with you in some way?

Diana

: We are a team of three writers each with our own style. We published a book directed at writers called Telling Tales and Sharing Secrets. It is about our writing group and, in addition to our memoir, contains short stories, essays, and poetry.

Our website is A Way with Words.

We take turns posting there on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday each week.

We can be contacted through the emails listed on the website.

Before you go, is there anything you’d like to add about yourself, or your work that I’ve not asked?

Diana:

I write stories and poems that are fiction but, of course, have elements of my life and experience. I have files full of short stories, essays, and poems but no plan to publish a book again. The stories I contributed to our book Telling Tales and Sharing Secrets are the only ones that I have published.

Our family traveled through the forty-eight contiguous states on a 14-month odyssey when our three kids were teens in the early 80s before GPS or cell phones were widely available. We took the kids out of school, sold our house and belongings, and hit the road. We were off the grid in a van and trailer. We experienced geography, history, and the myriad cultures of our great country. It was a highlight of my life. The kids had a better educational experience than they ever could in a classroom – the teachers and administrators agreed.

I love to travel, and Paris is my favorite city.

I coached Odyssey of the Mind for five years starting with kindergarteners to fifth graders. It was a great privilege and one of the best experiences of my life. It truly opened me to a world of possibilities. Young kids are the very best mind explorers.

I love Baseball but don’t follow any team because my favorite players are on different teams. I watch a game every day during the season.

Patty:

My thanks to author Diana Kinared for this glimpse into her life as a writer.

Come back soon to learn about the next author in the series.