An Interview with #1 Amazon Bestselling Author Diane Capri

Today our blog puts the Spotlight on #1 Amazon Bestselling Author Diane Capri. She is author of The Hunt for Reacher series.

Author Genre:  Mystery & Thrillers
Website:  Diane Capri – Licensed to Thrill
Author’s Blog:  Diane Capri – Behind the Book
Twitter:  @DianeCapri
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Facebook:  Check Out Facebook
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Author Description: #1 Amazon Bestselling Author Diane Capri’s work, #1 worldwide publishing phenomenon Lee Child calls Full of thrills and tension, but smart and human, too.”

Margaret Maron, Edgar, Anthony, Agatha and Macavity Award-winning MWA Past President, says: “Expertise shines on every page.”And Library Journal raves: “….offers tense legal drama with courtroom overtones, twisty plots, and loads of atmosphere. Recommended.”Diane’s new Jess Kimball series kicked off with Fatal Distraction, opening as the #3 Amazon Bestselling Legal Thriller, behind John Grisham. Jess Kimball’s second outing, the short story Fatal Enemy was recently released. Diane’s new Hunt for Jack Reacher series began with Don’t Know Jack, which garnered #1 Amazon Bestseller spots on Mystery, Hard-boiled Mystery, Police Procedural, Women Sleuths, and Legal Thriller lists both in the U.S. and U.K.

Don’t Know Jack was followed by two bestselling short stories in the Hunt for Jack Reacher series, Jack in a Box and Jack and Kill. Diane’s Bestselling Justice Series suspense mysteries were praised by Romantic Times and garnered the coveted “Top Pick.”Diane is the past Executive Vice President of International Thriller Writers, past member of the Board of the Florida Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, and active in Sisters in Crime and other writing organizations. She comes to writing after a successful legal career and is married to her college sweetheart. She loves her nomadic snowbird existence preferring perpetual summer migrating from Florida to Michigan each year.

Diane says she writes mystery, thriller and suspense for the same reason she reads: to find out what happens, why people do what they do, and how to bring justice to an unjust world. Her books are translated in twenty territories. Diane loves to hear from readers.

SPOTLIGHT Questions and Answers with the Author

Let’s start with what’s next. Rumor has it that you have another book on the horizon called Get Back Jack. Can you tell us the timeline for its release and give us a little tease?

We’re working furiously on Get Back Jack. Publishing gods willing, we’ll release later this month. This is the second novel in the Hunt for Jack Reacher series (After “Don’t Know Jack”). We pick up with FBI Special Agents Kim Otto and Carlos Gaspar a few days after their last outing. This time, they go hunting for Reacher’s old Army unit, sure they’ll find out exactly what Reacher’s been up to in the past 15 years. But the know that hunting Jack Reacher is dangerous business and this time, they aren’t the only ones on the hunt. Someone else is always a few steps ahead of them, leaving bodies in his wake. Is it Reacher? Readers have been clamoring for Get Back Jack, so I hope we’ll get it out on time!

You have a good following on twitter. Since you started before the social media buzz, what impact has social media relationships had on your current success? How much has it changed your book launch process?

I enjoy social media. It gives me a chance to connect to readers and writers and other friends. It’s especially nice to meet people who live in far-flung places, like New Zealand and Australia and Orkney (I had to look that one up on a map!). Social media has enhanced and expanded my circle of friends, so I love it. The writers in your audience are probably interested in knowing how I use Twitter, because it’s a bit different from some other authors. I do engage with folks on Twitter daily. But I also share posts from other bloggers who post things that interest me using a program called Triberr. This allows me to post more frequently and gets my face in front of more potential readers much more often than anything I could do on my own. Since in this busy world we know that people need to see us and read our name multiple times before they realize we’re there, the frequency of my posts make a big difference to building my name recognition. The key is that I also interact with the people who share my posts via Triberr. That way, I get exposure to about 3 Million Twitter peeps every time I post on my blog. Which means that 3 Million peeps have a chance, at least, to know I exist. How cool is that???!!!

Do you do book signings, interviews, speaking and personal appearances? If so, when and where is the next place where your readers can see you? Where can they keep up with your personal contacts online?

I don’t do as many public appearances as I once did, partly because there aren’t as many bookstores and libraries and reading festivals. But I attend one or two conferences a year. We post a schedule of appearances on my website. I’d love to meet everyone in person and I used to do dozens of appearances for every new book. But now, those opportunities aren’t there and personal appearances take too much time away from my writing. What I do now is “appear” online as frequently as I can. I get much more mileage out of my appearances this way, too, because I can connect with more people each time.

You have great covers. They carry a theme and your brand with them. How does your book cover creation process work? Do you hand over the basic theme or do you have more of a hands-on approach? Do you get your readers involved in its development?

We have amazing cover designers we work with. They review the book and create something fabulous for us. Sometimes, we collaborate a bit on the final product. We like to work with great people and let them do what they do best and pay them well for their work. Don’t they do a great job?

Several of you novels have been converted into audio books. What has been the impact on your regular sales? Has the audio books gained a new audience?

Many readers love audio books because they’re so portable these days. You can put them on your iPod or your phone or almost any device and take them to the gym or out to do chores or on long commutes. People who don’t have the time to read any other way are especially thrilled with the audio versions. Audiobooks are terrific for authors and for readers. I’m grateful to have them available.

What writer support groups do you belong too? Do they help with the writing, marketing and the publishing process?

I love connecting with writers and I’m involved with quite a few groups. They’re there for encouragement, advice, and guidance, and I reciprocate. But individual writers are busy with their own work. For editing, marketing and publishing, we hire appropriate professionals. That way, when we need a little help from our writer friends, we’re not burdening them too much.

Has the advent of ebooks changed anything in your writing, your marketing and the relationship with your readers and fans?

The biggest change for me and the most exciting one is how widely available ebooks are. My books are now downloaded all over the world. We forget how many people, even in the U.S. and Canada, don’t have a bookstore nearby. With ebooks and audio books, any reader can download any book any time. That’s been terrific for every reader and writer I know. The second best thing is the ability we now have to connect with one another, discuss the books, get to know each other. eBooks and audio books are terrific.

What has been your experience in giving your books away free? Have you been involved in any other type of giveaways and how did that work out? What was your main goal in doing this? Did you run into any obstacles?

I’ve only had one significant experience with giving away free books on a mass scale. A few months ago, Wattpad featured my book Due Justice along with books from several other indie authors in a promotion called “Wattpad Loves A Mystery.” Because Due Justice was free on Wattpad for that month, we also ran it free on KOBO, iTunes, and Amazon. (We weren’t allowed to offer Due Justice free on Nook.) We don’t have numbers available from KOBO or iTunes, but during that time, Due Justice was downloaded 70,000 times on Amazon and read 145,000 times on Wattpad. The number of reader reviews on the book skyrocketed. Readers joined my mailing list and wrote to me and friended me on social media and read more of my books. The experience was astonishing. Since Due Justice has been returned to paid status, it’s been selling well on all outlets. In my case, Due Justice was definitely a “gateway” that led new readers to discover my work.

You have a great blog. You do a great job keeping readers informed, marketing your books and providing useful information to other writers. What is your primary goal? And where in the world do you find the time to create great novels, take care of the social media and maintain your blog?

Thank you for the kind words, James. I have to say that time pressures often put my blog at the bottom of my list of work that needs to be finished, so I don’t post as often as I’d like to. But I enjoy creating the blog posts and it’s fun to find interesting things to blog about to delight readers. My books are filled with eclectic information, which is one of the things readers love about them. So my blog is a bit eclectic, too. I blog about what interests me at the moment if I think it will interest readers as well. I also blog about the research I’m doing for the current book I’m writing. I don’t review books and I usually don’t interview authors and I don’t post book excerpts as blog posts. One recent post readers enjoyed involved a psychological experiment called “The Invisible Gorilla.” Another popular one asked “Who’s Your Favorite Introvert.” It’s fun for me and fun for them. That’s the goal.

What is your method of getting reviews for your novels? Do you seek professional reviews or no you rely on your reading audience to supply them?

Yes, we do seek professional reviews and we’re grateful to get them. We’ve also been blessed with readers who are excited to share their opinions of my books by posting reviews, which potential readers especially like. Professional reviewers are overwhelmed with submissions. I was once a book reviewer for a major newspaper, so I know how many books come in every day. It’s a rare thing when a book actually gets a professional review. The main value those reviews have to me is the additional exposure my book gets to new readers. When that happens, it’s wonderful. But reader reviews are the ultimate goal. So the more readers we reach, the better.

I’m done with all the author stuff. Did you get your love for strawberries from your younger days on the farm? Have you ever had fried chicken for breakfast?

I’ve never lived on a farm, but my mother was a big gardener and I come from a long line of farmers. I’m a total foodie. If it’s edible, I like it!! But no – I’ve never had fried chicken for breakfast. I’m not much of a morning person. Black coffee and a protein bar is about as much as I can manage for breakfast if I eat before noon. All you breakfast eaters amaze me! Thanks for inviting me here, James. This was fun!

Author’s Book List

Jack In A Box
– Hunt For Jack Reacher Mystery Thriller Series

FBI Special Agents Kim Otto and Carlos Gaspar have received a special off-the-books assignment: build a secret file on Jack Reacher. In this short story, Otto and Gaspar reveal a bit of themselves as they make every effort to put Jack in a Box using legal means John Grisham fans admire. Lee Child and Jack Reacher fans know that no one boxes with Jack and lives to tell about it. Will Otto and Gaspar be the first to succeed where so many have failed?

Order the Book From: Amazon   – Barnes and Noble

Fatal Enemy
– Jess Kimball Mystery Thriller

Jess Kimball hadn’t been in the same room with Richard Martin for more than a dozen years. Worse things than Richard had happened to her since she’d seen him last. He’d find out soon enough that she wasn’t a gullible sixteen-year-old anymore. She was his enemy now and he was hers, whether he knew it or not.

Jess decided long ago she would never yield to him again. Richard Martin would make his choice tonight. Would they become fatal enemies? In this tense battle of nerve and guile, who will survive?

Advance Readers love Fatal Enemy and Jess Kimball!

Order the Book From: Amazon   – Barnes and Noble

Fatal Distraction
– Jess Kimball Mystery Thriller

Three years ago, beloved Florida Governor Helen Sullivan’s world shattered when her only son died in a senseless car crash, killing his best friend, too. Helen quickly discovered Eric’s crash was no accident and lured the killer to her son’s funeral to be caught. When the shooting ceased in the small country church, Helen believed her nightmare was over. Instead, she’d unwittingly escalated her duel with a cunning and patient assassin.

Now, investigative journalist Jess Kimball is driven to find the horrifying truth. Is the Central Florida Child Killer guilty? Or is the real killer still out there?

Helen and Jess together face the determined killer in a pitched battle of wit and nerve while Helen’s husband struggles to live. Who will survive?

Readers love Fatal Distraction and Jess Kimball!

“I finished reading your new book and it is fantastic! Kept me on the edge of my seat. You have another winner! I left a review on Amazon, too. A Jess sequel gets my vote! I’m now reading your Judge Wilhelmina series. 🙂 Thanks!” B.W.

“I’m in the final stages of Fatal Distraction and am on the brink of skipping any obligations I have so I can find out how it ends. Great Book so far– continues to keep me totally involved– hope you’ll be continuing a series with Jess–” E. F.

Order the Book From: Amazon

Jack and Kill
– Hunt For Jack Reacher Thriller Series

Suspenseful Thrillers with More Justice, Less System

“Diane writes like the maestro of the jigsaw puzzle. Sit back in your favorite easy chair, pour a glass of crisp white wine, and enter her devilishly clever world of high skullduggery.”

David Hagberg, New York Times Bestselling Author of Kirk McGarvey Thrillers

Jack Reacher: Friend or Enemy?

FBI Agents Kim Otto and Carlos Gaspar get a lead on Jack Reacher. New Hope, Virginia, welcomed him yesterday. Is he there now? Will Otto and Gaspar stand face-to-face with Reacher? Is Reacher a wanted man?

Readers love Bestselling Author Diane Capri and the Hunt for Reacher Series!

“I ‘stumbled’ on this title and was attracted to it as I am a Jack Reacher fan. Loved the story and the author’s writing style. Couldn’t wait for more so I purchased Annabelle’s Attack and want more Jennifer Lane – please?!Fatal Distraction is also on my Kindle to read list!”

“I have been a Reacher fan for years and was excited when I heard of Diane Capri’s take on “Finding Reacher”. “Don’t Know Jack” is a good companion to Child’s Reacher books and recaptures the flavor of the Reacher mystique. I am waiting anxiously for the next book in the series and the next and the next, and so on.”

Order the Book From: Amazon

Raw Justice
– Justice Series Mystery Thriller #5

Where Justice Rules!

Three unlikely events explode thrusting young lawyer Jennifer Lane into the abyss of her family’s secret history. Family records search, DNA, and more reveal stolen lives and a stolen cure for deadly hepatitis C. A bewildering maze of betrayal, intrigue, and murder, put Jennifer’s license to practice law, her heart, and her very life on the line. Judge Willa Carson watches while Jennifer rescues herself from Denton’s Raw Justice. Who will survive?

“Well plotted suspense, richly drawn characters and a strong-willed heroine make Jennifer Lane’s debut a winner! We readers certainly hope Jennifer will be back!”

Martha Powers, award winning author of Conspiracy of Silence and Death Angel

*formerly titled Annabelle’s Attack

Order the Book From: Amazon  – Barnes and Noble  – Smashwords

Wasted Justice
– Justice Series Mystery Thriller #4

Judge Willa Carson – Where Justice Rules!

“A welcome surprise. It works from the first page to ‘The End’.”

Larry King

“Fast-paced legal thriller…energetic prose…an appealing heroine…clever and capable supporting cast…[that will] keep readers waiting for the next Willa Carson mystery.”

Publisher’s Weekly

“…offers tense legal drama with courtroom overtones, twisty plot, and loads of Florida atmosphere. Recommended.”

Library Journal

“Swift pacing and ongoing suspense are always present…Willa is a likable protagonist who uses her political connections for a good cause…Readers should eagerly anticipate the next installment in this series.”

Top Pick, Romantic Times (refers to prior out of print edition)

The author of Don’t Know Jack and the Hunt for Jack Reacher series does it again!

Trey Steam believes his mother was wrongfully convicted of murdering his father in 1972. When no-nonsense Federal Judge Willa Carson is presented with the true facts, she’s convinced Billie Jo Steam is innocent.

Determined to right the wrongs of a justice system that is too often about the system and too seldom about justice, Willa pulls out all the stops, including the use of genetic testing and her most distinguished political connections, to give Bille Jo back her family and her freedom. But Willa’s road to hell is paved with her good intentions and wasted justice.

The deeper Willa delves into this old crime and the complex relationships that surround it, the more she uncovers pillars of the community, old hippies now in power, friends and coworkers who will do whatever it takes to keep the past buried — even if they bury Willa, too.

Order the Book From: Amazon   – Barnes and Noble

Secret Justice
– Justice Series Mystery Thriller #3

Judge Willa Carson – Where Justice Rules!

During Tampa’s annual Gasparilla Pirate Festival, murder chases Judge Willa Carson’s beloved secretary into a world of secrets, corruption, bank fraud, and art theft.

Margaret Wheaton becomes mysteriously involved with a smarmy jeweler. When Margaret’s husband is killed in Willa’s home and the jeweler ends up dead, too, Margaret is the number one suspect. Judge Willa sets out to prove Margaret innocent, dodging killers throughout Tampa’s month-long pirate attack until she discovers secret justice.

“I have started putting your [Secret Justice] near the cash wrap and tell people if they want bodies found locally they should read your stories!”

Cindy Bell, Waldenbooks

Order the Book From: Amazon  – Barnes and Noble  – Smashwords

Twisted Justice
– Justice Series Mystery Thriller #2

Suspenseful Thrillers with More Justice, Less System

War hero General Randall Andrews has been nominated to the U.S. Supreme Count and George Carson leads the fight to defeat him. Before the final Senate vote on his nomination, Andrews is found shot to death in his Tampa home and George is arrested for murder. Judge Willa Carson believes with all her heart that her husband is the victim of twisted justice, but why won’t he defend himself? George Carson could kill a man. But he didn’t kill Andrews. Or did he?

Realistic twists and turns keep readers engaged and guessing until the finale of this tense political thriller!

“In a time when our own justice system often blurs the lines between right and wrong, Judge Willa Carson is a heroine we can all salute. [Twisted Justice] is a taut and thought-provoking mystery that leaves readers both satisfied and looking forward to the next Willa Carson adventure.”

P. J. Nunn, The Charlotte Austin Review

*formerly titled George’s Game

Order the Book From: Amazon  – Barnes and Noble  – Smashwords

Due Justice
– Justice Mystery Thriller Series #1

Introducing Judge Willa Carson – Where Justice Rules

The Tampa Tribune says: “Beneath this Judge’s robes is a riveting character – she’s quick, witty and stubborn. Willa Carson finds out the rich are different, and takes the reader on a roller coaster ride that leaves you wanting more!”

When a famous plastic surgeon’s decomposed body surfaces in Tampa Bay with a bullet in its head, Federal Judge Willa Carson’s “little sister” is caught in a high-stakes game of greedy lawyers, blackmail and deceit. Fiercely independent Carly is the number one suspect. When Carly asks Willa for due justice, Willa has everything to lose. But she risks it all to uncover the conspiracy and keep Carly alive. Can Willa possibly win?

**formerly titled Carly’s Conspiracy

Order the Book From: Amazon  – Barnes and Noble

Don’t Know Jack
– Hunt For Jack Reacher Mystery Thriller

“Diane writes like the maestro of the jigsaw puzzle. Sit back in your favorite easy chair, pour a glass of crisp white wine, and enter her devilishly clever world of high skullduggery.”

David Hagberg, New York Times Bestselling Author of Kirk McGarvey Thrillers

Jack Reacher: Friend or Enemy?

It’s been a while since we first met Lee Child’s Jack Reacher in Killing Floor. Fifteen years and sixteen novels later, Reacher still lives off the grid, until trouble finds him, and then he does whatever it takes, much to the delight of readers and the dismay of villains. Now someone big is looking for him. Who? And why? Hunting Jack Reacher is a dangerous business, as FBI Special Agents Kim Otto and Carlos Gaspar are about to find out. Otto and Gaspar are by-the-book hunters who know when it’s necessary to break the rules, but they Don’t Know Jack. Reacher is a stone cold killer. Is he their friend or their enemy? Only the secrets hidden in Margrave, Georgia will tell them. Is Reacher a wanted man?

Order the Book From: Amazon  – Barnes and Noble

Mistaken Justice
– Justice Series Mystery Thriller #6

Where Justice Rules!

“Suspenseful, surprising, and heart-wrenching story. Five stars!”

Larry Thornberry, book reviewer and columnist.

On a rainy night, Darla Nixon drives home alone makes a mistake changing three lives in an instant. A twisty tale worthy of John Grisham unravels between the laws. Darla keeps her fatal secret until it’s too late for Jennifer Lane to fix — or is it?

*formerly titled Darla’s Deceit

Order the Book From: Amazon  – Barnes and Noble

Licensed to Thrill
– A Diane Capri Mystery Thriller Sampler

#1 Bestselling Author DIANE CAPRI Presents Licensed to Thrill!

Open this collection of hefty samples and enjoy great characters, mystery, suspense, thrills, a few laughs, and loads of atmosphere that will have you Thrilled to read more!

Dear Friends,

It might be better if I didn’t confess this right up front. But I thought you should know….

WARNING: Licensed to Thrill is a nefarious plot.

How so? We want to entice you to read more of my books the way chocolatiers ply me with irresistible morsels and wineries waft swoon-worthy samples under my nose. Like the famous potato chips, we hope you won’t be able to stop after reading this collection of special gems not gathered anywhere else.

Fiendishly clever, isn’t it? Exactly.

We need to give you enough to whet your appetite and draw you in, but not so much that you’ll no longer be hungry for more. A fine line. Tricky. Challenging. Fun!

Here’s what we selected for your reading pleasure in Licensed to Thrill: A Diane Capri Sampler

Fatal Enemy, featuring the new heroine I really love–Jess Kimball. A fiery woman, driven by her own past to fight for crime victims the justice system failed. Jess reminds me of Jack Reacher, only female, smaller, and nicer. Jess is alone in the world wherever she goes. But unlike Reacher, Jess’s mission is one only she believes in and only she can complete. In Jess’s shoes, could you do what she’s done? I wonder….

Jess Kimball’s story continues in the sample of Fatal Distraction, which opened as the Amazon #3 Bestselling Legal Thriller, behind John Grisham. What a thrill that was for me. (Why? Hang on — I’m getting to that.)

Behind the Book scoop on my friendship with #1 worldwide publishing phenomenon Lee Child who calls my work, “Full of thrills and tension, but smart and human, too.” Lee gave the Hunt for Reacher series an enthusiastic two thumbs up: “Kim Otto is a great, great character. I love her!”

Don’t Know Jack garnered #1 Amazon Bestseller spots on the Mystery, Hard-boiled Mystery, Police Procedural, Women Sleuths, and Legal Thriller lists both in the U.S. and U.K. The sample here should whet your appetite to find out what happens when two F.B.I. agents are tasked with the mysterious and confounding task of hunting Jack Reacher.

What does law have to do with justice? We lawyers are an odd bunch and the law is a very strange mixture of the best and the worst of times for heroes and villains alike in my Justice Series of witty legal suspense mysteries. All six of these are set in Florida, so if it’s a bit cold where you are right now, take a little trip with me to the Sunshine State where things are a whole lot warmer. Readers and reviewers alike love this series, but when the mystery reviewers at Romantic Times awarded Wasted Justice their coveted “Top Pick” — well, all I can say is what a rush!

Licensed to Thrill also includes an excerpt from Lee Child’s Reacher Report sharing his views on Don’t Know Jack; a humorous piece titled “Diane Capri Reveals Lee Child (not Jack Reacher?)”; and finally–remember what I said earlier about John Grisham?

Order the Book From: Amazon  – Barnes and Noble

Author Recommended by:  HBSystems Publications

Publisher of ebooks, writing industry blogger and the sponsor of the following blogs:

eBook Author’s Corner and
HBS Mystery Reader’s Circle