Today we welcome Diane Burton back to our blog to share with us something she treasures....
What
I Treasure
When
Pam asked me to write about something I treasure, the first thing that popped
in my head was my family, especially my three grandchildren. As I write in the
dedications to my books, they always make me smile. Holding a baby is a great
de-stressor. For the past three weeks, I’ve been getting in a lot of holding with
the eight-month-old and losing a lot of stress. When her mama brings her
downstairs and she sees me, her eyes light up and she grins broadly. Then she
holds her arms out to me. That just makes my heart swell. In a little over two
weeks, we’ll have to leave, so I’m treasuring every moment.
But
when we leave this little one, we have two older grandkids waiting for
us—especially, to celebrate Christmas with them. The almost-six-year-old always
races across the room to greet me with such enthusiasm I have to make sure I’m
holding on to something, or I’ll get bowled over. Meanwhile, the eight-year-old
patiently waits her turn. Since she’s getting so tall, I don’t have to bend
over too far for her hugs and kisses.
One
thing I enjoy sharing with the grandchildren is my love of reading and writing.
With the baby, we’re still at the reading stage. Holding her in the rocker and
reading Dr. Seuss reminds me of times when the older grandchildren and my own
kids were young. While I love reading to the older ones, they enjoy writing
their own stories with the help of myStoryMaker from The
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, a fun interactive computer program. They tell
the story and I type—a good division of labor. After they finish the story, we
always print it out so they can show their parents. We play card games with
them, too, like my grandmother did with me and my siblings. No matter what we
do, it’s time well spent. Time when I put aside my own writing, household
chores, reading or television shows and just enjoy being together.
Without
our children and their spouses, I wouldn’t have my three treasures. More
importantly, the love of my life for the past forty-three years made all this
possible. That’s why I say my family is my dearest treasure.
My
latest release is a cozy mystery featuring a female private investigator. The
Case of the Fabulous Fiancé is the second Alex O’Hara novel.
Blurb
She’s
at it again. Alex O’Hara just can’t say no to a new investigation. What do a
45-year-old boyfriend, a deadbeat dad, and a teenage runaway have in common?
All new cases. With phone and internet problems, no receptionist, and her own
boyfriend in the wind, Alex has no idea how she’ll manage. But the question for
the past three months is why did Nick disappear. Is this the end of O’Hara &
Palzetti?
Excerpt
I picked up the
pen before looking at Nora Finley. Even though I was in the middle of a major
case, I never turned down a prospective client. At least, not right away. I’d
hear her out and then decide.
“What can I do
for you?”
Her expression
completely changed. The high-powered exec disappeared. In its place, caution
and . . . vulnerability. “Ellen VanderVeen said I could trust you.”
I smiled. Ellen
and I had been friends since college. That girl had more fashion sense in her
baby finger than I did in my entire body.
“Yes, I know
Ellen.”
“She said you
helped her investigate her fiancé.”
I nodded.
She hesitated
and appeared to rethink what she was doing in a private investigator’s office.
Quickly, she came to a conclusion. “I’d like you to do the same.”
“You want me to
vet your fiancé?”
“He’s not my
fiancé. Yet.”
She didn’t
explain any further, so I asked, “Why? Do you suspect something?”
“No. Oh,
goodness, no.” She pursed her lips before continuing. “My father left me a
prosperous financial firm plus a sizeable inheritance. I am not saying that to
brag but to explain my concerns. In my younger days, I was, uhm, taken
advantage of. I need to be sure this man truly loves me—me, not my money.”
Although nobody
would ever mistake me for an heiress, I understood her caution.
“I am almost
forty years old,” she said. “I want to have children before I’m too old.”
Again, I
understood. I’d recently passed a landmark birthday. The big Three-Oh. Rather
than worry about kids, though, I devoted myself to my business. After a rocky
start, I was on a pretty even keel. Plenty of work. Not enough time. But I did
have plenty of time before settling down with kids. And a husband, of course.
I’m kind of old-fashioned like that. I’d thought Nick might— Don’t go there.
“Ma’am, if you’d
called for an appointment, I could have saved you a trip. I do not have time to
devote to your case.”
A crestfallen
Nora Finley stared at me, her mouth slightly open. I guess nobody ever turned
her down. While hers might be interesting, I didn’t have a good feeling about
this case. A client might want the lowdown on a prospective mate—as I’d
discovered before—but they often resented the bearer of bad news. Of course,
the client could be grateful if the news was good, like my friend Ellen.
“I will double
your usual retainer.”
“It isn’t a
matter of money—” Although money never hurt. “—I’m in the middle of a large
case that is taking up all of my time.”
“How soon will
you finish?” No longer disappointed, she looked calculating.
God save me from
rich people who think everyone should drop what they’re doing to attend to
them.
“Three weeks,
minimum.”
“Good. I will be
out of the country for the next four weeks. You may finish your present case
then check into Clyde Wilson.”
Well, shit. I
mean, shoot. I was trying to break my bad habit of swearing. I had misgivings
about this woman. Demanding, she was going to be difficult to work with. She
exuded the power that came from old money. Power that expected everyone to drop
everything and do her bidding.
But then I’d had
difficult clients before and managed them. I could probably wrap up the fraud
investigation in a couple of weeks. I’d given myself a cushion when I’d told
her three.
Were my
misgivings about her enough to turn down double my retainer?
I drew the pad
closer to me. “Tell me about this man. Clyde Wilson?”
That better not
be a smug look on her face.
The
Case of the Fabulous Fiancé: An Alex O’Hara Novel is available at:
Diane Burton combines her love of
mystery, adventure, science fiction and romance into writing romantic fiction.
Besides the science fiction romance
Switched and Outer Rim series,
she is the author of One Red Shoe, a
romantic suspense, and The Alex O’Hara PI mysteries. She is also a contributor
to the anthology How I Met My Husband.
Diane and her husband live in Michigan. They have two children and three
grandchildren.
Connect with Diane
Burton online
