Dianna T. Benson visits

I'm so happy to introduce you to my friend, Dianna T. Benson. She has taken a few minutes to join us and share about her new book.

Dianna is the award-winning and international bestselling author of The Hidden Son and Final Trimester. Persephone’s Fugitive is her third release. An EMT and a HazMat and FEMA Operative since 2005, Dianna authentically implements her medical and rescue experience and knowledge into all her suspense novels. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and their three children. www.diannatbenson.com

1) Have you always lived in NC?
My husband and I have lived in North Carolina since 1999 so it’s definitely home now, especially after raising our three children here.

2) Have you always wanted to write?
The day President Reagan was shot I was in fifth grade. From that real event that day I developed fictional scenes and dialogue in my head, something I did on a daily basis throughout each day. When I asked friends, classmates and teachers what scenes and stories they created because of the attempted assassination, none of them had a clue what I was talking about. I realized I’m the only person I knew who did this sort of thing every day. As time passed I recognized my passion to write suspense novels, and like breathing, it’s something I do automatically. Being an EMT, being a mom, and being blessed with this writer brain, the stories never stop flowing.

3) Deep down I always wanted to write, but I chose the practical career where I could bring home a steady pay check. I enjoy being a pharmacist, so it's all good. What about your work as an EMT? How do you balance that with your writing career and family?
I started my professional life as a travel agent and loved it. After the birth of my first child, I worked from home as a travel agent while writing my first book. After my third child was born, I entered medic school. EMS has always been a part-time career for me (too intense for full time). When the kids were little, I wrote when they napped or while they were in school. I work EMS shifts around my children’s schedules and my writing deadlines. Now that my youngest is in high school, I have the time to devote to my writing career and all that it entails to be multi-published with a traditional print publisher.

4) Tell us about your books. You've got a new one coming out.
Persephone’s Fugitive released March 16, 2015. It’s Book Two in the Cayman Islands Trilogy. Spoiler Alert: Reading this book (including the book blurb) before The Hidden Son (Book One in the trilogy) will ruin the ending of The Hidden Son. However, both books are standalones.
When a routine 911 call turns deadly, Paramedic Sara Dyer finds herself held at gunpoint by Jason Keegan, an injured psych-ward patient charged with murder. The situation spirals out of Sara’s control when the confrontation becomes a tense standoff between Keegan and the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service.
As Keegan’s hostage, Sara fights to save them both before he 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. Sara 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.
5) Are you interested in sports?
Sports are a huge part of my daily life and have been since I was a toddler and my dad (who was a tri-athlete before he died in a bicycle accident when I was a junior in high school) taught me how to play tennis, ski, and climb Colorado 14ers (mountains over 14,000 feet in elevation). In my younger years, I played tennis at the National level, and I was an equestrian who competed in three-day eventing (dressage, cross-country, and stadium jumping). Nowadays I’m an active runner, cyclist, climber and scuba diver with my husband. Our oldest daughter swam for Virginia Tech under a full scholarship and is an ACC Champion and competed at NCAA Championships and US Olympic Swim Team Trials. Scoliosis surgery seven weeks prior to the 2012 Trials prevented her from doing anywhere near her best at trials and then ended her swim career due to nerve damage. Our son was a Jr. Hurricanes goalie at the AAA level and was drafted into Junior Hockey but post-concussion syndrome ended his career before it had the chance to begin. Our youngest daughter plays soccer and strives to play in college at the D1 level.

Thank you, Jackie, for featuring me and my newest release on your blog. I enjoyed our time together.

You're welcome. It's been great getting to know you better.

Dianna sent me a copy of Persephone Fugitive. It's a great story that draws you in from page one. The actions starts, and there's never a dull moment. You'll find yourself quickly flipping through the pages to discover what happens next. Your heart will race and you'll be on the edge of your seat as you continue on Sara's journey.

Here are some links where you can find Dianna. Hyperlinks for Persephone’s Fugitive


www.diannatbenson.com


Books-A-Million


Barnes and Noble


Amazon