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ST Romance author Eve Asbury, and Sensual Romance writer Gayle Eden are also fiction author B.D. Dillon. They are all alter egos of Dian Addair, an author whose dreams of writing were put on hold in her twenties while she raised a son and daughter and worked several jobs. Romance novels kept her sane during some of those busy years, which took her from West Virginia to living in a suburb of Washington, DC for fifteen more, until finally settling her in East Tennessee, surrounded by the North Holston River, where she can write to her hearts content.
She calls her life as a young grandmother, controlled chaos. Actually it’s quite normal for a woman who was born 9th in line and was an aunt by age five. She sets aside Saturdays for family, cooking, and romping with her 5 grandchildren. The rest of the week, when not stealing an hour with her busy husband, she’s at the computer immersing herself in another good plot.
A writer who believes in story telling, in giving herself the freedom to write whatever story speaks to her heart. This prolific author says she tries not to limit her characters by outline, but has a vague idea, that generally they run away with. She’s found its better to indulge her muse than try and control it. A bit like real life, it happens, and there’s always something new and surprising that makes the experience rewarding.

Author interviews at
loves Romances http://www.loveromances.com/interview_eveasbury.html ©
Romance Junkies
Alinar publishing
Romance at Heart Magazine


FAQ and writing Biz

How long have you been writing?

Full time? About 5 years. You can deduct 3 of those for when I had about 17 critique partners, joined writing groups, and basically threw out everything I thought I knew about writing, to start all over again. (yeah, bought all the books, was a junkie of how to) But I have written in my head since I was 16, and decided it would be the greatest dream. LOL. it came many, many years after living in the real world, working real thankless jobs-hubby was the career oriented one :) I never loved a job enough to want to do it more than 3-4 years, and raising a son and daughter. In fact, I became a grandmother the year I finally decided I was going to take the plunge and just do it. Boy, was I in for some surprises.

What do you read?
Everything. I have always read a lot. I have my old favs, my keeper shelf. But I read fantasy, history, bios, all sorts of books that just seem interesting. I worked in the school library just so I could read for free. I've always visited the bookstore, when the kids were little, we went every Wednesday and bought a book. That's not counting me hunting the used stores and coming home with bags full.)

Group membership.
For many, many years, I was a member of RWA. I never lived close to a group to attend meetings. But I let my membership lapse in 2000. Now I have membership in a G'zillion yahoo groups. Few of which I can find time to stay on top of, and write as often as I do, or attend the biz of writing.


What inspires you?
Everything from memories, to music, to movies and other books, mostly non fiction. I'll read something on parkland's in the northern US and want to write a book about it. Or a history book. I love to read old journals and newspapers and magazines from the 1800's. Readers and fans inspire me, people who are positive and who like my stories. Heck, I've written 2nd books I never intended to, just for readers :) It's not normally the familiar things that get me inspired, but the unusual. In history, it's more that one unique woman, than the typical debutant. There are those who want a historical based on (common knowledge or preconceived notions) not me. I come across a woman who defied the times, or a murder among the aristocrats, I'm digging that fact pile, they're more interesting.

Why three pen names.
Each writes in a different genre or sub genre, and a different voice. I feel that readers have expectation with a certain author. Take Eve, she's a "come sit by me" folksy or straight to the heart writer. She's the me I'd be, actually telling you the story, in my back yard over a cup of coffee. Laid back :). Gayle Eden is that deeply hidden, but passionate woman (wink) probably only my husband knows well. She's whispers and silk, a glass of wine, a scrap of lace and scented candles. She's the part of me who loves anything Regency or romantic. And witty...

B.D. Dillon. That's kind of the tomboy I always was, but the more serious and introspective. Most of those books aren't romance. They may have relationships, love-making, but they are fiction under other sub genres; mystery, fantasy, thrillers. Writing as B.D. I give myself a chance to not focus on romance and make myself plot a bit more in the first stage of writing the story. I have to depend less on the characters and more on twists, turns, bigger issues.
Layla Dane is another pen name I have stories under, that aren't published yet.
You see, I think, if a reader buys Gayle Eden, she or he expects that pace and voice and Gayle Eden tone. Same with Eve, who writes single title, long romance with a wide view, instead of Gayle's very tight focus on the couple. All those pen names allow me to write different stories so that I don't burn out on the same ones. They allow me to write different pace, tone, structure and layers. A reader knows what kind of story they are getting under that name, a tight focused Gayle, wide lens Eve, a mix fiction Dillon.

Why did you start in e books?
Because they were different. I couldn't write formula, nor did I want to be (Branded) as a certain kind of writer. I had 24 novels written and in the NY biz, you might spend a year submitting, a year finding an agent, another year waiting for one book to come out. I was 40 when I got the chance to write full time, (empty nest) I didn't have all of that time. My writer friends were writing e books while they submitted to NY. All I knew was about the NY writing Industry, my contacts were all those kinds of authors.(and I am thankful to those who helped me understand that complex world and the craft)
But I had so many books I just dived right into e books. (Don't follow that lead lol, do your research )
It was a new format with possibilities. I contracted with 5-8 e publishers, learned a lot- the hard way- and got the good, bad and ugly of the industry. I often debated going back to my roots and groups- with the NY ambitions, but I'd established some loyal readers and I decided to stick with it.
Now, when many of those contracts are nearing their end. I have joined an INDY co-op Alinar publishing. We're writers who have the e industry experience and have learned about it. We wanted more control over what we wrote, quality covers, decent edits (don't get me started, and no, you won't find perfection now either lol) ...and the ability to control price ( keeping it low). Though I must say, paying an editor, buying covers, you cross your fingers you'll earn out in e books what you've sunk into it. In Indy publishing, you still have to pay people, you still pay 50% or more to retail sites for listings, and that's aside from marketing and all sorts of fees on the side. Think about it, if an average NY published author (S.King and Nora Roberts aside), but the typical writer, lives on $5,000 a year, and their books have a 53,000 plus readership, thanks to being in bookstores, you can imagine how little an e author makes and how small his or her audience is.

I once had a lawyer say to me ( "26 or more % royalties, do you realize in NY they might make 6%") and my answer was, yeah, but we aren't on your bookstore shelf, we aren't in libraries, and if you don't go on line, you'll never hear of us. We don't have a smidgen of that exposure to the readers who read what we write. And you can take that x% down after everyone in the middle gets their cut. It ain't pretty lol.

In e books, You have to write often and hopefully, you'll break even with each book. I have no idea how those who don't have a husband who brings home the bread do it... but then, I love writing, and I think e books are still new enough to go somewhere in the future. Everyone in this biz has to love it, else you'd be crazy to do all you do, and still work a day job.

Print copies. What is POD?
K- I see all kinds of skewed, misinformed statements about what POD is. I can't speak for every publisher or author. But, I can say-- that in my case, POD is the printer (co)used to print out the e book. It is the paperback version of an e book. That isn't the same thing as (print rights) in a contract. Many authors like me have kept their print rights so if NY wants one of my books, those rights are avail. I contract on a limited time basis only for e rights, and that is any type of media in the digi area- Most of those include a right to POD. that is, making that e book avail on paper.

In the case where I still have all rights, I'm still doing the same thing. I'm making an e book avail in print. I find a printer who prints and ships the books (not like I have a warehouse lol) as they are ordered. I have to pay that printer, per page, also a printing fee and a %. so, no. the higher price isn't dough I'm making, it's less than a 2 dollar royalty, and that's before I pay other fees, so my cut would be 1.00 or less. I cant speak for publishers who have my print books on sale. They contract through mysterious ways lol. I can and do, only speak for the books not under contract anywhere -or- through Alinar (the co-op)

The whole concept of making stories avail in paperback, is so the reader has the option to buy it that way. Many readers can't sit at the computer that long and don't want to buy a hand held e reader, so they can get the book in print. I wish I could make it a cheaper process, but I have nothing to do with that end. The reason Alinar books are Not sold through wider distributors yet (Amazon and so on) is because I want to keep the price low, and avoid fees that would make them higher- for necessity (middle men get paid) -so selling direct from my store, you're paying the bare min, rock bottom as they say in the south. The e books are listed through fictionwise and thier stores, the print purchase links are on Alinar, this site, my main website, where the reader can exercise that option when buying. Later on we might contract with wider distribution. But since an e book is an e book, even printed out, we're looking at print as an alternative way to read the story. E-books are still our main focus.

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What are you writing now?
Now, I'm editing. I'm always editing. But see the WIP page for details on specific stories.

I'd like to thank readers who buy my books, those who made the leap into e books a great experience. Reviewers, who have been generous and fair, and behind the scenes people who go through the highs and lows with me. I hope to keep writing in this venue--, format rather. I believe e books and this kind of alternative is great for authors who write often and who want to provide all types of books for readers. Without readers, even the dream of writing isn't as bright. All that biz and all the distractions aside, when I sit down to write, I'm just thinking of the person reading it. since I love reading too, I want to keep that connection strong.
I know, I'm so busy with a thousand things that I don't get to socialize with readers the way I did on line, say 2-3 years ago. But I hope I'm bringing them stories they enjoy, and the story is the part of all this, that will matter to us both.
All the hats I have to wear, some I suck at, like tech stuff on the site rofl, but everything that I (have) to do, in order to make the books avail, is nothing like the joy I feel writing, and the satisfaction I get, when readers are happy with it. In life, work, family, we get caught up in things that distract and drain us. It's the same with writing, with the cynics and the neg types and the grind of having to think of it as a biz instead of your dream. There's always a buzz, industry, gossip, opinions- that can't derail you. But the way you feel when you enjoy one of my books, is the way I feel when writing it. At that moment, that's really all we care about.:)

Happy reading.:)
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