Meet Diane Yates

Today, I want to introduce you to a wonderful Christian author. Diane writes to be read. She wants her readers to laugh, cry, and rally for her heroes and heroines of her Christian fiction. And she will release book three of her Faith series called “Love’s Faith.” I hope you enjoy getting to know her and feel inspired to check out her works. You won’t regret it.

Interview with Diane Yates

How long have you been writing or when did you start?

In 1993, I started writing my first novel. In the car while traveling home from vacation, a news story aired and sparked an idea in my mind. I outlined the entire book on paper in the car and when I returned home; I started writing. Now I had written lots of stories, skits, and even plays, but this was the first full novel. I finished about a year later and the title was Melissa’s Fate, the first book in the fate series.

What is the most difficult part of your writing process?

I love research and character development, and getting into a character’s head. I love the fact that when I write, it’s like I enter that world and when I stop, I reenter reality. Only I’ve lost a few hours, but it was exciting! Editing once the book is finished is by far the most difficult. You have to distance yourself from the work so that you notice errors you missed before.

How many books have you written, and which is your favorite?

I have written 6 books; two biography/memoirs which are the story of my mother, and four fiction books. In the fiction genre, Impossible Fate is my favorite.

What inspired the idea for your book?

Our niece blessed us with a trip to Israel. It was a life-changing experience. Twenty-five years after finishing Melissa’s Fate, it was finally published with a sequel requested. I determined it would be about David, the son of the main characters from the first book. With Impossible Fate being set in New York City and Connecticut, I thought about the single most significant date for New York City—9-1-1. So, on that same tragic day for so many, David, a second grader, meets a little girl on the school bus who instantly becomes his friend. Before I knew it, she was Jewish, but David and his family were Christians. As the two grow older, their friendship becomes love, but her parents refuse for them to even be friends and do everything in their power to separate them. Even though her father moves the family to Israel, David and Aliyah learn that nothing is impossible for God.

What characters in your book are most similar to you or to people you know?

David’s character reminds me a lot of my grandson, Jace. In the eighth grade, he met his girlfriend, Jennifer, and throughout high school and college, she has been the only girl for him. Now, at twenty-three, they have both graduated from college and are planning their wedding. Aliyah reminds me of the spunky young girl that used to live next door to me. Although she was not Jewish; she came to Christ while she lived next door and became like a member of our family.

How did your faith influence your writing?

It is at the heart of all that I write because it’s at the heart of my life. The most important decision I ever made was to follow Jesus and His teaching. I pray about my writing and trust that God is leading me. I fully believe that people can be influenced by what they read or hear or watch. So, every writer is responsible for what they write. E.B. White, the author of Charlotte’s Web, once said regarding the responsibility of the writer, “A writer has the duty to be good, not lousy; true, not false; lively, not dull; accurate, not full of error. He should tend to lift people up, not lower them down. Writers do not merely reflect and interpret life; they inform and shape life.” I sincerely hope that my books encourage and inspire those who read them.

What do you hope readers take away from reading your book?

I hope they laugh, cry, and truly experience the story; that it would touch their hearts and inspire them even that much more to live a life molded by faith.

Do you plan on writing more books?

As Love’s Fate, the final book of the Fate Series releases, I’m thrilled to share the messages in it. Five years have passed since Aliyah, Deborah’s sister, left the family in Israel to go back to the states with David. Deborah is bitter and clings to her Jewish upbringing. Amir, who has been banished from his Israeli-Arab family for converting from Islam to Christianity, falls in love with Deborah at first sight, but to her, the only thing worse than a Christian is an Arab one.

As I have already started on the next series, My Brother’s Eyes, a common theme, is emerging, just with different plots and difficulties. My Brother’s Eyes is set in the Minnesota territory of 1857 as congress is considering its statehood. Maggie, the daughter of the local doctor, falls in love with Nahkeetah, the son of an Ojibwe tribal chief, but their love is surrounded by danger and misunderstanding. There is not only the fear for the survival of their love, but their very lives are in danger.

What was the most challenging part of writing this book?

The most challenging part of Love’s Fate was indeed the editing, but with this book, the research ran a close second. Just when I thought I understood Israeli laws, I’d find out something else and had to research further and, in many cases, rewrite whole sections. I will add that I wrote this during a very difficult emotional time for myself. Within eighteen to twenty-four months, not only did I contract Covid twice, but I lost my brother-in-law, mother-in-law, and sister, my last living sibling.

How can people connect with you on social media?

I love to interact with my readers, answering questions or just responding in some way. They can follow me at the links below.

Website www.DianeYates.com
Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Diane-Yates/e/B00FH1IDH4
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/author.dianeyates/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/booksbyDiane
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DianeDyates
Blog: www.dianesponderings.blog
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4557439.Diane_Yates
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/diane-yates-3a88289e-c079-4a79-8720-165bcdd74235

Grace and Peace to you,

Do you need prayer? I would love to pray for you. Submit your prayer request on my website at https://yvonne-morgan.com/submit-your-prayer-request-here/