Photos Courtesy of Diane Chamberlain

 

 

There is no doubt that Topsail Island is special.  It's always been a fabulous place to live and vacation, and over the years, it's also proven to be a lovely setting for novels.  The latest author to use Topsail as a backdrop in her newest book, Before the Storm, is former North Carolina resident Diane Chamberlain.

"I've always been drawn to beach settings for my books," says Diane.  "It's a bit strange, since I don't do sun and don't swim, but my family had a summer home on the New Jersey shore when I was growing up and I think I have the Atlantic Ocean running in my veins."

 

Diane Chamberlain (left) and
Mary Alice Monroe both picked Topsail Island
to do research for their novels.
Photo by John Pagliuca

Multi-published author Diane Chamberlain had already written four books set in the Outer Banks where she used to have a cottage when she decided she was ready to explore a new area.  It was providence when she first came to the island in April of 2005 at the request of Quartermoon Books and Gifts' owner Lori Fisher to participate in their annual Moveable Feast of Authors along with her good friend and fellow author Mary Alice Monroe.

 

This is how Diane outlines her novels!
"I cut and paste and use note cards
and then string them all together in
the order of the story and then
type up the outline," says Diane.
Photo by John Pagliuca

 

"We were put up in a charming oceanfront B&B.  I hated to leave, and knew I wanted Topsail to be the setting of my next novel," says Diane.  "I told Mary Alice, 'I love this island.  May I have it?' and she replied, 'Yes, but you can't have the turtles.'  This is a typical author-to-author exchange; we're always cutting deals on settings and situations," explains Diane.

Of course, many fans of Topsail already know that Mary Alice authored a couple of novels and a lovely children's book in which our turtle hospital and the turtles of Topsail were used as background and research.  "So, that is the reason you won't read much about the turtles in Before the Storm," says Diane.

The focus of her book may not be turtles, but readers will certainly recognize many of our local landmarks and of course, the beautiful landscapes of Topsail.  Diane does a grand job of capturing the flavor of our island home which was accomplished by doing her homework and making an effort to truly check out the area.

This is the round house that Diane
stayed in long ago in the Outer Banks
that inspired the round house called
The Sea Tender in Before the Storm.
Unfortunately the house is
no longer there.

Her introduction to Topsail came about the time she moved to North Carolina.  Since her visit in 2005, she made several off-season trips here to do research.  "My next-door neighbors in Raleigh have a condo in Villa Capriani and they've been very generous about sharing it with me," she says.  "Another friend, Susan Rouse, whose family has long had a cottage in Surf City, encouraged me to use her cottage for my 'base' in the area, and I've taken her up on that invitation several times.  I'm lucky to have such generous friends!" she adds.

And after all her research and months of writing, her "Topsail" book, Before the Storm, has finally arrived in bookstores all over the country.  It opens in a small (fictional) church in Surf City with a teen lock-in and a devastating fire.  Two of the characters are firefighters, so naturally Diane contacted the Surf City Fire Department and was put in touch with former Fire Marshall Ken Bogan.

Surf City Fire Marshal Ken Bogan
and his wife Angie were happy to
help Diane with her research.
"He answered at least two hundred
questions for me," Diane says, "since
there's a big fire in Surf City in chapter one."

 

"That was my lucky day!" she says.  "Ken was incredibly generous with his time and information.  We communicated by email for a while, and then, on one of my research trips, I took him and his wife Angie out to dinner at Sears Landing.  I arrived with several sheets of yellow-lined paper covered with questions.    "They were both very patient with me as I asked things like 'How would other firefighters treat one of their own who panicked in a fire?'

After dinner, Ken took me back to the station where I photographed equipment and uniforms.  Of course, all that research didn't make it into the book, but it's important for the author to know the details behind her story, whether those details are actually used or not."   

But the book is much more than a story about a fire.  It's about family and secrets and loyalty and heroes, in particular the fifteen-year-old Andy who saves many of the teens at the lock-in.  It would be heroic enough to save someone from a burning fire, but it's even more amazing due to the fact that Andy was born with fetal alcohol syndrome because his mother drank heavily while she was pregnant with him.

"Although Andy looks 'normal' and has an IQ in the normal range, he's a simplistic, concrete thinker .  .  . and a very endearing character, if I do say so myself.  He's a very unlikely hero who is thrilled by the sudden positive attention he receives," says Diane.

Through her complex, credible characters, Diane delves gracefully into some strong topics-fetal alcohol syndrome, alcoholism, betrayal, and devastating secrets.  Her gripping plot is filled with twists and turns that constantly pull us into the lives of flawed, but caring people.   

"In Before the Storm, Andy is clearly a hero for saving people.  But there are other characters in the story who are heroic in smaller, more poignant, ways:  a Mom who fights to find sobriety for the sake of her family; a man who keeps a secret to avoid hurting people he cares about; a girl who would do anything to protect her younger brother.  They're the everyday heroes who often inspire my stories," says Diane.

And even though this is her "first" Topsail novel, she has eighteen books to her credit, many award winning and all definitely what I like to call "good reads."  It's no wonder fans line up to get her new books as fast as she finishes them.

As one avid reader put it, "When I see a new Chamberlain book, I know I've got a keeper for my shelves!"

"Absolutely one of my favorite authors," says Lacey Booth, a visitor from Ohio who vows that she can "never put down one of Diane's books once I get set up on the beach and start reading!"

When asked what keeps her writing after so many wonderful books, Diane answered, "As a child, I had the sort of imagination that always got me into trouble.  I convinced kids that bears were loose in our neighborhood and caused panic on the playground when I planted evidence that a killer was stalking us.  For the last twenty years, though, my overactive imagination has finally paid off."

Patsy Jordan and Lottie Koenig also
helped  Diane learn more about
Topsail Island.  "I stumbled across Lottie
on my first research trip and she set up
this lunch with Patsy so I could pepper
them with questions."

 

None of her readers will argue with that.  "I fell in love with Keeper of the Light and now I've read every Chamberlain book written," says Donna, vacationing here from Virginia.  "I can't wait for the sequel!  I only wish she could write faster."

"Writing the sort of complex stories that I do, especially on tight deadlines, is extraordinarily difficult," says Diane.  "I often feel a bit panicky, overwhelmed, and confused, as my family can tell you.  But I love the challenge of puzzling out what's going to happen to my characters and how to make the elements of a story work together.  I love finding ways to keep my readers guessing about what's really going on, and I love surprising them."

Diane accomplishes her goals beautifully.  Before the Storm is definitely chock full of surprises-from the younger teen characters to the struggling adults.

"Most of all, I love hearing that a reader stayed up all night to finish one of my books," says Diane.  "It's an amazing feeling to know I can touch thousands of people in a positive way with my words."

      "I heard one of my favorite authors was writing a book set on Topsail and I can't wait to read it," says Emmy, a recent shopper on the island looking for the perfect beach read.  "I hear there's a round house in it."

      There is.

      "I'll bet she writes about the towers," Emmy's friend Joe adds.

      She does.

      "Wouldn't be about the island unless the ol' swing bridge is in it," pipes up a nearby shopper.

      It is.

      "Gotta be a storm since it's in the title," says another.

      Good guess.

Lovers of Topsail will scan the pages for all those charming tidbits of lore that make us special and unique.  And then we'll fall in love with the characters and get caught up in the suspense.

"I'd like to stress that Before the Storm is fiction.  So while I've used some settings that truly exist (the Assembly Building, Sears Landing), I've also invented some settings to suit the needs of the story-most notably, a line of old, condemned homes at the north end of the island.  I've also made up some weather events to work to my advantage," says Diane.  "And of course, none of the characters truly exist, on Topsail or anywhere else!"

Well, maybe they started out as fictional characters, but through the magic of Diane's talent and considerable skill as a writer, they're as real as the family next door.  For the perfect beach read-on the beach or anywhere-check out Before the Storm.  But beware, the sequel isn't out for another year!

Visit Diane's website and blog at www.dianechamberlain.com for a peek at her new video trailer for Before the Storm and read an excerpt.

Upcoming signings at Quartermoon

July 3 at 3:00 - Diane Chamberlain
July 31 at 3:00 - Katrina Kittle (Traveling Light, The Kindness of Strangers, Two Truths &  A Lie)
August 7 at 3:00 - Lyle Estill (Small is Possible, Life in a Local Economy, Biodiesel Power)

 

 

Photo by John Pagliuca

Getting to Know Diane

Favorite book?  Charlotte's Web

Favorite song?  Layla by Eric Clapton

Favorite movie?  A Beautiful Mind

Most exotic place you've ever visited?  Tortola in the British Virgin Islands

Who (someone alive you've never met) would you like to have dessert with?  Oprah

Longest time you've taken to write a book?  My first book, Private Relations, took four years because I didn't know what I was doing.

Shortest time you've taken to write a book?  Six months for After the Storm, which is the sequel to Before the Storm and which will be out early next year.

Time it took to write the Topsail book?  About eight months, which is fast for me.  I usually take a year to write a book.

 

The Making of a Publicity Photo

John Pagliuca is Diane's "significant other," a professional photographer who took her latest publicity shots.  Here's a peek into the process!

"Our house is large and he uses the downstairs for his studio and digital room, while I write upstairs," says Diane.  "It's wonderful sharing a house and a life with another creative person, although we can drive each other nuts with our strong opinions about each other's work.  I let him direct me in the studio, because that's the one place in the house where he's definitely the boss.  I'm one of those people whose eyes disappear when she smiles, so he's constantly after me to 'open your eyes wide, then smile while keeping them open.'  Try it.  It's not easy.  A typical session lasts about an hour and a half, during which we take breaks to pop the pictures into the computer to see how we're progressing.  That's when I say 'ewwww!' and he says I look great.  The truth is usually somewhere in between.  I feel very luck to have a photographer-in-residence!"