Today we have the privilege of visiting with distinguished author Dianna Torscher Benson. She is a 2014 Selah Award winner, a 2011 Genesis Winner, a 2011 Genesis double Semi-Finalist, a 2010 Daphne de Maurier Finalist, and a 2007 Golden Palm Finalist. In 2012, she signed a nine-book contract with Ellechor Publishing House. She’s the author of The Hidden Son, her debut novel. Final Trimester is her second release.
After majoring in communications and a ten-year career as a travel agent, Dianna left the travel industry to earn her EMS degree. An EMT and a Haz-Mat and FEMA Operative since 2005, she loves the adrenaline rush of responding to medical emergencies and helping people in need.
Dianna lives in North Carolina with her husband and their three children.
Hi, Dianna. Thank you for visiting with us at The Borrowed Book. Can you tell us how long you were writing before your first publication? How
many manuscripts had you written by that time? Have you published any of your
early works since? Do you plan to?
I started writing my first book in 1993. After completing
five mainstream suspense novels, I signed with my first agent in 2007. Six
agents offered me representation that spring; it was a difficult choice between
them since all six are top-notch. In the fall of 2007, a film agent requested a
screenplay of The Hidden Son after
reading the book. In early 2009, just before I completed the script, the film
agent suddenly retired due to health issues; I never pursued anything further
with the script.
Later in 2009, I received a four-book mainstream contract
offer, but turned it down to focus on my family since my husband was just
diagnosed with head and neck cancer. During his surgeries and radiation
treatments, I took care of our young family of five and read Christian fiction
for comfort and support. While reading, I recognized various elements within my
own writing that would be an ideal fit for the inspirational suspense genre.
So, I continued to read a ton of Christian fiction. Then I wrote my first inspirational
suspense.
In 2011, I won the Genesis in the
mystery/suspense/thriller category. In
2012, I signed with a new agent; within days, I had a contract offer from
B&H, a large traditional Christian publisher. That contract was pending for
thirteen weeks due to the publishing house facing difficulties (less than a
year later they discontinued their fiction department). During those thirteen
weeks, my new agent let go of all the other interest in my writing. At that
point, I decided to put my writing career on hold. Since EMS is a part time
career for me (too intense for full time), I decided to earn my Masters in
psychology to become a social worker in the field (not clinical) – Think: 911 EMS
without the medical aspects.
But…due to my Genesis win, Ellechor Publishing House, a
small traditional Christian publishing house, contacted me, requesting me to
submit to them. Within days, they offered me a nine-book contract.
For details on what led me to
start writing that first book in 1993, read my WRITING page on my website:
www.diannatbenson.com
What’s your favorite setting for writing -- at home, in a
coffee shop, on the front porch, sitting cross-legged on the living room couch,
etc? Do you have a picture you’d like to share?
My favorite way to write is with paper and a pencil in a
natural setting, like a forest, lake, the mountains or the beach. If a setting
of nature isn’t feasible, I write in our bonus room (the room over our garage).
This large space is my office. After I write scenes out on paper, I input it
all into my laptop.
When working on a manuscript, what do you do when you get
stuck?
When a scene just isn’t flowing, I hop on my bicycle, I
go for a run or I go hiking. After that invigorating time in nature, typically
my muse is eager to play and I find my flow again. If not, I don’t push it and
I let it go for the day.
How did you come up with the idea for your latest release?
As an EMT and a Haz-Mat and FEMA Operative for a decade,
I naturally integrate my firsthand medical and rescue experience and knowledge
into my stories. The medical and EMS aspects I write are a combination of
fiction and various elements I’ve handled working 911 scenes throughout the
years. The idea for the killer’s character in Final Trimester brewed in my head the first month I worked in EMS
based on an individual I encountered.
What do you wish you could do that you’ve never learned?
In addition to English, I wish I knew at least two other
languages fluently. I know a little Spanish, enough to communicate at the basic
level in a Spanish-speaking environment.
But, I’d love to speak and read both Spanish and French fluently and add
other languages, like German and Chinese.
Can you tell us a little bit about your new release? What's it about?
Paramedic Jodi Duncan recognizes the work of a serial killer before the Myrtle Beach PD even suspects a connection between the deaths of two pregnant women. Despite the vast differences in the two cases, Jodi urges Detective Nate Quigley to think outside the box. After digging deep into the separate investigations, Nate finds no evidence to support a serial killer theory, and he warns Jodi to back off police business, which only fuels her passion for the cases.
When a third pregnant woman is murdered, Nate is named lead detective on the case and works to link the deaths in order to unmask and stop the serial murderer, a disturbed man who believes God and the devil battle inside his head to bend him according to their wills. As he fights both voices, his interest fixates on Jodi when he discovers her obsession with ending his rampage.
Where can we go to buy your books?
They're available wherever books are sold. Here are the links to Final Trimester at the three largest booksellers:
Thank you for stopping by to chat with us, Dianna!
Readers, you can learn more about Dianna on her website.
AND, don't forget to stop by tomorrow, when you can enter to win a free copy of Final Trimester!
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