Dianna T. Benson Interview

Q: How long have you been writing and what other careers or jobs have you had?

A. From 1989 to 1999 I was a travel agent. In 2002 I entered medic school. I’ve been an EMT and Haz-Mat and FEMA Operative since 2005.

When my oldest was a newborn in 1993, I started writing my first book. After two more children and completing five books, I signed with my agent in 2007. Six agents offered me representation that spring; it was difficult to choose between them since all six are top-notch agents. Fall 2007, a film agent requested a screenplay of The Hidden Son after reading the book. In early 2009, just days before I finished writing the script, the film agent suddenly retired due to health issues. I never pursued anything further with the screenplay and focused back on novel writing. Later in 2009, I was offered a four-book contract, but had to put forth all my time and effort into my young family of five when my husband was diagnosed with head and neck cancer. In early 2012, for thirteen weeks I had a pending contract offer from B&H. That large traditional publishing house was facing difficulties (less than a year later they permanently discontinued their fiction department), so my pending contract offer was pulled. Less than a month later, Ellechor Publishing House, a small traditional publishing house, contacted me and requested me to submit to them. Within two days of doing so, they offered me a nine-book contract.

Q: Do you write in only one genre and if so which one and why? If not, which ones and why?

A. I write inspirational suspense with emergency medical elements. Suspense is my natural writing voice, and I’ve been an EMT for a decade. Inspirational is a thread I love writing and it fits within my characterizations and plotlines like a key puzzle piece.

Q: Do you base your characters on people you know or are they totally made up?

A.  In Final Trimester the main character, Paramedic Jodi Duncan, is not based on a real person. She’s simply fictional, but she’s also a mix of real-life character traits I’ve found in the numerous EMS partners I’ve worked with throughout the years. This is the case with all my characters in all my books—all of them are fictional.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release, Final Trimester?

A. Final Trimester –   Book One in the Quigley Triplets Series

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.

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for this story?

A.  Being an EMT and a Haz-Mat and FEMA Operative for nearly a decade, I naturally integrate my firsthand medical and rescue knowledge and experience into all my books. The medical and EMS scenes I write are a combination of fiction and a mixture of a ton of real-life EMS scenes I’ve worked throughout the years. The idea for the killer’s character in Final Trimester sprouted to development the first month I worked in EMS due to an actual individual I encountered.

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?

A. In Final Trimester (and in all my books), I want readers to see how my characters don’t just “get through” or try to “get over” the difficult stuff in life; instead, my characters accept the pain difficult events in their lives cause and they move forward with a renewed sense of understanding in themselves, in life, and in God.

Q: Tell us what you like about the main characters of this book.

A.  Rarely is a movie or book about the villain—The Shining and The Omen are two examples of movies that are. Final Trimester is about a serial murderer. The story is about his internal struggle with God and the devil, a struggle that fascinates me. Paramedic Jodi Duncan and Detective Nate Quigley work together to unmask him and bring him down. I developed Jodi and Nate out of respect and gratitude for all full time paramedics, EMTs and law enforcement (I only work in EMS part time) and from my firsthand knowledge and experience working EMS scenes as an EMT. Every day around the globe, EMS personnel work under extreme circumstances, making decisions and giving it their all for a stranger’s life. On scene, sometimes bullets are flying, bystanders attack us, the patient becomes combative, and the environment itself is dangerous. So for full time EMS crews, I dedicate Final Trimester in honor of them and all the hours of devotion and care they graciously give to the public.

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?

A. Persephone’s Fugitive – Book Two in the Cayman Islands Trilogy

When a routine 911 call turns deadly, paramedic Reyann Cooper finds herself held at gunpoint by injured prison inmate, Jason Keegan. The situation spirals out of Reyann’s control when the confrontation becomes a tense standoff between Keegan and the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service.

As her patient’s hostage, Reyann fights to save them both before Keegan blows them up. She realizes his warning to the Cayman police is no empty threat since he’d rather die than spend the rest of his life in a prison cell. Reyann soon discovers Keegan is just as determined to survive as she is—provided he can escape Grand Cayman and disappear forever. As she struggles to trust in God’s protection, help from an atheist turns her struggle into a lure away from her faith.

Q: If money were no object what vacation would you like to take and why?

A. Windjammer is no longer in business, so whatever company is similar to them, with my husband I’d love to sail on a windjammer-type boat around the Mediterranean or scuba dive and climb in Australia and New Zealand. I’m a life-long outdoor enthusiast and high-level athletic competitor. I love spending time in any kind of nature doing something athletic and adventurous, especially with my family and friends.

Q: Where can readers find you on the internet?

A. www.diannatbenson.com

Q: Anything else you’d like to tell or share with us?

A. Thank you to The Suspense Zone for featuring me on their website this week and for highlighting my newest release, Final Trimester.