The Scoop on Dellani Oaks



It’s a pleasure to have internationally acclaimed author Dellani Oakes as feature author on The Scoop this month. Dellani was one of my first Facebook friends. I sent her a friend request when I first set foot on Facebook. I had less than 100 friends at the time. Dellani had thousands. I was a nobody. She was a well-known author with 5 published novels under her belt. I was surprised she bothered to friend me back. I was soon to discover that this was because Dellani is a people person, which you can tell when you listen to her radio shows, Dellani's Tea Time and What's Write for Me, on which she interviews other authors.


Hi Dellani, great to have you on my blog. Thanks so much for being my guest.

I'm delighted to be here, Joan. I'm always happy to chat with you.

You were born in Tennessee, went to college in Mississippi, and you live in Daytona Beach, Florida. That sounds like you’re a genuine Daughter of Dixie. Is your family originally from the South?

My father's family is from outside Knoxville, Tennessee. My mother is a displaced Yankee, she's from Pennsylvania/ Ohio. That makes me half Dixie Darling and half Damn Yankee.

What took you to Daytona Beach?

I actually live slightly south of Daytona. We moved here in 1988 because we needed to get out of Mississippi. My allergies were horrible there and I needed a different environment. My husband had family down here, so we decided to move.

Do you go to the beach often?

I love the beach! Unfortunately, I have to avoid bright sunshine and heat. Great that I live in Florida! Daytona Beach isn't nearly as pretty as New Smyrna Beach, but watch out! The east coast of Florida is the shark bite capitol of the world.

I just finished reading your novel ‘Ninja Tattoo.’ Steamy story. Getting past the two lead characters who couldn’t keep their hands off each other, your descriptions of Daytona Beach and surrounding areas like the Ocala National Forest really bring that part of northeast Florida to life. How much does Florida feature in your books?

My first book, Indian Summer, is an historical romance set in St. Augustine, Florida in 1739. I started a trend with that book, but I never thought it would be so overwhelming. Florida makes a wonderful setting for books, though I never really set one in my home town before. I've used Florida as a backdrop in a few other novels, but never directly named the towns and used real locations until I wrote The Ninja Tattoo. Now, with Conduct Unbecoming, I pull in some more real spots, but add my own imaginary places too.



St. Augustine legacyvacationresorts.com

Historical fiction is my favorite genre. That the story’s set in St. Augustine is an added incentive to read Indian Summer. St. Augustine lends itself to historical romance, doesn’t it?


I love St. Augustine! I know there are more tales to tell there. In fact, I've set a contemporary romance there and am also working on the sequel to Indian Summer called Savage Heart. I've been working on that for at least five years. Considering it took me almost 10 years to finish Indian Summer, I guess I'm doing okay with it.

I read in an interview someone did with you that you’ve written over 50 novels and something like 20 short stories. Is this correct? If it is, prolific is an understatement – even if you started writing at twenty years old.

Yes, I have, at last count, 53 finished novels and 26 finished short stories. I also have 52 unfinished novels and 14 unfinished short stories.

How old were you when you started writing?

I can't remember a time when I wasn't telling stories. I can remember telling my mother tales of my imaginary friend, Snowy Green and out adventures at Rainbow School when I was three. My sister started school and I was lonely, so I made up my own little world. Once I learned how to write, I created poems and song parodies. From there, I moved on to short stories and humorous essays. By the time I reached college, I had progressed to plays. I didn't start my first novel until 1988 (still unfinished). I started writing full time when my youngest started kindergarten in 2002.
So you became a resident of LaLa Land (that’s what I call the world of stories writers inhabit) at the tender age of three and never looked back. And you still have a phenomenal amount of books in the works. You’re amazing. So many other questions have cropped up now, but I know everyone wants to hear about your new release as much as me. Did you pull it off the back burner or is it a new story?

This one is actually pretty recent. My novel, The Ninja Tattoo, has been very popular and several of my fans asked for me to write another book with Teague. Or should I say, demanded? Since I love him dearly, I decided to give in. With the characters still fresh in my mind, it was easy.

Download at http://tinyurl.com/m92ku8v

Here's the summary:

Teague's back, but this time he's helping a friend. Nadeya Raymund is one of Teague's former Army buddies. When she goes missing, he wants to know why -- especially when a man turns up at the beach, brutally murdered. Teague knows that Nadeya was looking for this man. Could she have caught up with him and killed him? The clock is ticking. Will Teague solve this mystery before it's too late?


Is there anything in particular that inspired Conduct Unbecoming?

All the fan requests certainly gave me the motivation to write Conduct Unbecoming. Inspiration. . . . I don't know if I had any one moment which inspired me. I got the first line stuck in my head and off it went.

Bright afternoon sunshine streaked through the drapes over his bedroom windows. A white hot beam lanced his eyes, making him tear up and flinch away.

"No more tequila," he groaned, rolling away from the assault on his retinas.


Is it possible to share one of your favorite parts of the story without throwing out any spoilers?

Absolutely! This excerpt is from Chapter One. Teague goes to see Isobel. She is Nadeya's therapist and an old flame whom he hasn't seen for several years. Their parting wasn't a particularly easy one.

    Taking a deep breath, he rapped sharply on her door, standing where she could see him through the glass. Isobel barely looked at him. She beckoned with her left hand as she concluded her call. A platinum band with three large, pillow cut sapphires, graced her ring finger. Teague opened the door, waiting for her to hang up and look at him.

    "I need to go. Yes, my next appointment is here. I don't care what you have to do. Take care of it. Bye."

    Her gazed moved from the computer to Teague. It took her a moment, but she recognized him. Anger and happiness warred in her face for a moment. A professional mien descended quickly, replacing the emotional display. She stood, holding out her hand.

    "Sergeant McMurtry. I wasn't expecting you."

    "It's just Mister McMurtry." Teague smiled, but it was somewhat halfhearted. "Isobel. . . . Dr. Carter."

    "It's Quartermain now." She wiggled her finger at him.

    "That was the name of—"

    "The major you hit, yes."

    "So, married the Major."

    "You didn't come here to talk about my wedding. She sent you, didn't she?"

Every woman falls for Teague. :-) Can’t say I blame them. He’s a hunk. If I were Isobel’s husband I wouldn’t be too happy about Teague paying her a visit, though I know Teague is not the kind of guy who would fool around with a married woman and I’m assuming Isobel wouldn’t go there either. Still, I sense she still has more than a soft spot for him. What happened to his girlfriend he was head over heels in love with in Ninja Tattoo?

Teague is dreamy and he's still with Vivica. Wild horses couldn't drag him away from her. Though she isn't as prominant in Conduct Unbecoming as she was in Ninja Tattoo, she's still there, I promise! And you're right, Teague isn't a cheat. He and Isobel had a very bad breakup. The fact they can talk to one another proves how worried they both are about Nadeya.
As to Isobel's husband, Vick is the reason they broke up, so I imagine he does worry. He figures if she played Teague, she's sure to play him. I don't want to give spoilers by accident, but suffice to say that I have no sympathy for Victor Quartermain.

I love the passion with which you say "I have no sympathy for Victor Quartermaine." I bet Teague feels the same way. :-) Readers, you can get acquainted with Dellani's gorgeous hunk of a main character in Ninja Tattoo and her hot, new release Conduct Unbecoming. 

Find all Dellani Oakes books on Amazon here
Visit her Author Page on Amazon too

Also visit Dellani and connect with her on:
IDPA http://www.directory-authors.com/mno.html#.VDarZxa8FhI




 



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