Actually, it wasn't the number of books that caused me to realize that writing could be a full-time career. It was the call of God to write for Him. At the age of 30, I began to have a strong desire to write. This was unusual for me, as I was already established in a satisfying career as a college professor of Italian and French.
As the desire to write increased, I asked the Lord to confirm whether the desire was from Him or not. Through a series of what I call "providential circumstances," He clearly confirmed that the desire was from Him and that He had called me to write. And so began my writing journey. :)
How do you keep the writing fresh and create new characters that your readers can relate to after so many books?
I pray continually, asking the Holy Spirit to guide me and to give me the stories of His heart. When I write, I picture myself holding the Holy Spirit's hand with my right hand and holding the reader's hand with my left. I want to be a conduit of grace, hope, and encouragement between God and my reader. Through my characters, I want to remind my readers that in the midst of every trial, God is faithful and loves them.
Again, I pray and listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit. He tells me what He wants me to write next. Twice in my writing career, I had planned to begin a new novel when the Holy Spirit said He wanted me to write a short nonfiction book first. So I did. The first one was The Iron Saint and the second one was Prayer Power. The will of God is my guide in what I write next, and I discern His will through prayer, reading His Word, seeking counsel from fellow believers, and paying attention to circumstances.
Several of your books are historical fiction. What type of research do you do to make them believable? Can you share an "aha" moment when something surprised you in doing your story research?
I do various types of research to make my stories believable. I often center my stories around a major historical event--such as a blizzard or a major economic problem. This historical event provides the backdrop of the story, and the plot plays into the historical event.
To research I use books from my personal library, and I do extensive online research. My husband is a great asset in my research. For example, he loves to research if a certain item was used or was available during the time period of my story. As a retired physician, he took his medical gift for attention to detail and transferred it to helping me with research. I tease him that he's found a new career as my research assistant. :)
What's the best encouragement you've had in your writing?
The best encouragement, without a doubt, has been reader feedback. When I receive comments from readers that a book I wrote drew them back to Christ or brought them closer to Christ, or gave them hope to go on, I rejoice and thank God for the great privilege of being used by Him to bless another human being. This is the reason I write. Life is hard, but beautiful. I want to show my readers that in Christ, we always have hope, no matter how ugly or messy or painful life gets. In Christ, we can see the beautiful side of life and know that the best is yet to be in Jesus!
What do you know now about writing you wished you had known sooner?
I wish I had known early on that there are timeless principles involved in structuring a good story and that I could learn and apply them. For a long while, I floundered because I thought that stories would spontaneously and effortlessly fall from my mind to the computer screen. A naïve belief, for sure! :) Not that God does not give us ideas. But I know now that adhering to these timeless principles of story structure results in strong, powerful stories that resonate with readers
What is the best writing advice you've received or could give?
Pray continually as you surrender your writing to God. He gave you the gift of writing in the first place, and He will bring it to maturity. Write with God and for God. As in all of life, everything begins and ends with God. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.
Are there any other points about writing you would like to add?
Yes. Have fun in the process! The journey of writing is more important than the destination. It is in the journey that we learn who God is and who we are in Him. And this, I believe, is the chief reason God has called us to write. To know Him more so that we can love Him more.
I am currently working on the first book of a new romantic suspense series called The South Philly Italians. Book 1 is titled VINNY. While it is still in the very early stages, the working premise so far is this: A young man sabotages his dream in order to follow in his father's footsteps. I am still fine-tuning this premise.
Thanks for sharing how your faith and family heritage shapes your writing. If you'd like to learn more about MaryAnn's books, here are some links to get you started.
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/MaryAnn-L.-Diorio/author/B005FU4IAS
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6592603.MaryAnn_Diorio
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/maryanndioriobooks
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BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/maryann-diorio
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