199: Dianne Braley- Author of The Silence in the Sound

This week our guest is Dianne Braley (The Silence in the Sound, Koehler Books, August 2022). Her experience working on Martha's Vineyard as private nurse to William Styron, Pulitzer-prize winning author of Sophie's Choice, provided the framework for Dianne's debut novel as well as her childhood trauma of growing up with an alcoholic parent. We discuss author platform (she runs a popular blog for nurses) as well as the strategy of affiliating with an existing charity that aligns with your novel's theme.  A raw, gritty New Englander, Dianne C. Braley found love for the written word early on, reading and creating stories while trying to escape hers, growing up in the turbulent world of alcoholism while living in the tough inner city. After putting her pencil down for a time, she became a registered nurse finding strength and calm in caring for those who couldn't care for themselves. She soon became the private nurse for an ailing Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist who was not only her patient but became her friend and motivator. He and his books helped her realize she missed crafting stories, and she had some to tell. Dianne and her family—human, furry, and feathered—are firmly planted in a small town north of Boston but not far enough away to lose her city edge. She is earning her degree in creative writing and still reeling from the success of her first novel, The Silence in the Sound, which was inspired by actual events and released in 2022. Part of the proceeds from her book are shared with the Robert F. Kennedy Community Alliance organization that assists children and families affected by addiction. To read more about Dianne, click here.