The Caves

The heavy feeling of being under a mountain made Ian’s heart beat faster. He wasn’t used to close quarters like this. The sound of men breathing hard from the absence of oxygen, and the hissing of burning wicks as flames flickered were the only noises. The cave itself harbored an eerie quiet that took on a life of its own.-Ian's Realm, Deception Peak


Ape Cave in Washington is a lava tube that takes it's visitors deep into the hollow of the mountain. The experience is both exciting and awesome.

 The deep of a cave. Turn off the light and breathe the womb of the earth.

Frightening if you think there might be a dragon nearby...

Goodreads Giveaway!!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Deception Peak

by Dianne Lynn Gardner

Giveaway ends September 26, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Illustrated paperback edition of Deception Peak LIVE

I am thrilled to announce that the paperback illustrated version of  

Deception Peak 

 is now live on Amazon and will be available on Barnes and Nobles and other online stores as well as bookstores soon.

Crazy Lady of 4th Street and Bay Street  

will have them available 
Sept 14, 2012
at my first booksigning.

Rubies and Robbers Work in Progress

"They peered out at the bay from behind the boulders. Well protected by the towering cliffs that formed the concave inlet, and where Aspen Creek trickled into the salty water, moored the Galliot. It’s mast and mizzenmast poked at the night in rhythm to the gentle rocking of the waters. The taste of salty air settled on his tongue as Ian listened to the night sounds; the creek splashing into the bay, the waves rolling gently on the sand, and the creaking of the ship, groaning as though in agony."
 -Rubies and Robbers, Book 3 The Ian's Realm Saga

Rubies and Robbers won't be published until next year, but that's not to say it isn't in production. It's already been written and is in the process of rewrites and edits. What's so exciting is that I was recently invited to chaperone an Educational trip for my granddaughter's class on the Hawaiian Chieftain, a gorgeous tall ship berthed at Gray's Harbor, WA, that does Educational Voyages for schools and other organizations. The wealth of information I learned on the trip is going to be slipped into Ian's voyage on The Bounty Hunter, a Galliot owned by the unscrupulous seafaring mercenaries in the third and final book of the Trilogy.

Realm in Reality: the horses

“Dad, look! Horses!” 

Past the pasture where the hue of the meadow turned from green to gold there they grazed. Peaceful, their beautiful coats shone in the sun sparkling against the bright green of the field: fat, healthy horses, carefree and serene.
A dapple-gray lifted her head and stood motionless when it caught scent of them. She tossed her head when Ian neared, sniffed him, blowing warm air on his shoulder." -Ian's Realm Deception Peak.

I love horses. I always have. I dreamed about them when I was a child, and wrangled them when I was a young adult. We lived next to the Navajo Reservation and traded often for reservation ponies, purchasing them wild and green-breaking them. We'd keep a horse in the corral overnight and herd the 25 others the next day as they grazed on BLM land that was adjacent to ours. 

I had a 3/4 Arabian that I herded cows with too.

Ian gets a horse in his Realm. One that he grows fond of, one that comforts him in his lonely time. One that's faithful, obediently carrying his master to the tasks at hand. I think you'll grow fond of Sparkles, the dapple mare he meets in Elysian Fields. 

Especially if you love horses like I do!

Reviews!

A Sneak Peak Review from Virgina Lori Jennings! Thank you!!
An Awesome review by Eric. Thanks!!

Deception Peak Live

Publication is ahead of schedule and I'm happy to announce that Deception Peak is now Live on Amazon as an E-Book! The printed version (with the illustrations) will be available in about a week or so.

I want to thank all of you who have been supporting me from day one! From WriteOnCon, NaNoWritMo, my local critique group, my fantastic beta readers and editors, bloggers, and friends. I LOVE YOU!!!

Thanks for everything.

If you want to read the story without the pictures, go shoot on over to Amazon and grab a copy (it's only $3.99) Link is in the gadget to the right.

Thanks!

Dianne

The Realm in Reality

"The maple leaves were huge.  Their points laced the landscape like calligraphy; painting a backdrop of oranges, reds and greens, the hues so bright they stung Ian’s eyes. Bark on the paper birch that dotted the forest was white as snow, and blue shadows hugged their trunks."-Ian's Realm: Deception Peak.

I've been asked where exactly am I getting the countryside that is described in the Realm? There have been lots of landscape that has inspired Ian's Realm and from time to time I'd like to talk about these places.

I've been an avid  lover of the country ever since I was small. In fact, growing up in L.A., I used to ask for a horse on every first star I saw at night, for Christmas and my birthday. I used to wish I lived on a farm, or had been a pioneer. My mind was always somewhere else away from the city.

Now that I live in beautiful Washington I have the answer to all those dreams at my fingertips .

The land of inspiration for Alcove Forest, the woods that Ian first walks through, the forest the little man is keeper of, and the entrance to the wonderous Realm, is only a few miles from my home. In the middle of Port Orchard there's a park named Jackson Park with many wonderful trails that lead so deep into a forest that I forget I'm around civilzation.

It's amazing how you can walk for less than a mile and the landscape changes.

I think it's also amazing how easily that landscape can turn into a story.

The Trailer

Deception Peak from Dianne Gardner on Vimeo.

Looking for Blog reviews for my first book Deception Peak which will come out in Sept. You'll get an ARC and access to a private illustration blog page. Comment here if you are interested! Thanks!!