This week’s Author Questions features the bestselling author Diane Marie Brown. She is the writer of the sensational novel Black Candle Women. Brown shares with us what inspired the idea for her debut novel and how her medical background influences her beautiful writing. We also learn some surprising facts about her, so be sure to explore this wonderful author and all she has in store for 2025!
Diane Marie Brown: From Public Health to Author
Diane Marie Brown is a professor at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California, and a Long Beach Health Department public health professional. She lives with her husband, their four daughters, and their dog, Brownie. Brown’s work has appeared in Hear Our Voices, Women Writers, Scary Mommy, the Daily Bruin, and many more outlets! This February, she will be speaking at the 2025 Deep Dive Virtual Retreat.
Black Candle Women
Brown’s popular book, Black Candle Women, is filled with family curses, wondrous magic, and epic love. Set in a cozy California bungalow, a family of women lives quaintly until Nickie, the youngest Montrose, brings home a boy! What her family has kept from her is that if a Montrose falls in love, the romance ends in their partner’s untimely death. This vast story is filled with twists and turns that are generated to keep you on the edge of your seat!
“All of you are cursed, you hear me? An ugly death for the ones with whom you fall in love.”
Black Candle Women
Let’s get an inside scoop on what inspired Diane’s authorship!
What inspired the idea for your debut novel, Black Candle Women?
“I came up with the character Augusta; in my scene, a woman had to tell her grandchildren that they were cursed and would never be able to sustain a loving relationship. This spark evolved over time into several scenes, then my thesis, and eventually the novel Black Candle Women.”
How did your medical background influence your writing?
“Typically, my work in public health doesn’t really influence my content very much. But instead, it is a big driver of me wanting to use the creative side of my brain and make things up.”
What’s one thing readers might be surprised to learn about you?
“After reading Black Candle Women, people always think I have sisters. I am an only child, so no sisters, and I also didn’t know any of my grandparents. I definitely think my portrayal of sisters and grandparents in the book is a manifestation of my imaginary siblings and grandparents.”
The magic truly does not have to end here! More information and updates about the lovely Diane can be found on her social media accounts. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook, and look out for her 2025 Deep Dive Virtual Retreat in February!
Check out another Author’s Question with How to Live Free in a Dangerous World writer, Shayla Lawson!
For other works by female authors, browse our book selection on Bookshop!
