Interview - Diana Holquist, author of Sexiest Man Alive

Today's 5 Q&A is with Diana Holquist, author of Sexiest Man Alive.











1.) Who are you?
I love to write. That's pretty much all I do. Ask my family about the undone laundry, the un-bought groceries, and the fact that I rarely find time to get dressed in the morning. Actually, if you train your family right, they won't notice any of these things. "Popcorn for dinner again, mom! Cool," say my filthy children. God bless them, they don't know what panty hose are.

Oh, my poor husband.What else do you want to know about me? I love kids. I love cats. I love chocolate. (Not necessarily in that order.) I live outside of Philadelphia now with my husband, two kids, and one cat.

2.) The main character of Sexiest Man Alive is cripplingly shy, at least when it comes to breathtakingly handsome men. Are you shy?
I can be shy, but not around sexy men. I do have a bit of a phobic shyness around a certain kind of person just like Jasmine does, so I understand the panic. I won’t tell you who or what, though; it’s too personal. But if you know me, and you’re that kind of person, you think I’m INSANE. If you’re not that kind of person, you think I’m completely normal. (Hah!) It’s a kind of phobia—like of snakes or heights…only for Jasmine, it’s sexy men. It’s actually surprisingly common.

3.) How did you come to write romances?
I lived in New York City with a great job and wild life…and then my husband got a job in Ithaca, New York. Well, I wept when I saw the place—a tiny town. No work. But after a while (and two kids), I grew to love Ithaca. The town is packed with writers, so writing a novel seemed like something that was no big deal, everyone was doing it. Then, by chance, I picked up Susan Elizabeth Phillips’s First Lady, and that was it. I knew what I wanted to do: write something as fun as that. I’m still working on it!

4.) Who is your sexiest man alive?
Oh, that’s easy, Sexiest Man Alive was inspired by my husband. Hi, Honey!

Okay, is he gone?

Right then. Sexiest Man Alive was really inspired by a famous guy whose name I will not mention. I used to work for his father. Famous guy would show up in the office every now and then and stroll about and we’d all swoon and try to catch him bending over the water fountain in the hall….

5.) What's next?
Hungry for More will be out next fall. It’s Amy’s story, the Gypsy psychic who has been messing up everyone else’s lives with her soul mate prophecies in Make Me a Match and Sexiest Man Alive. She loses her power and has to take a job in a restaurant to support herself. Wouldn’t you know, the chef is one sexy dude….

Thank you so much, Diana!