Author Interview ~ Diane Nichols

Diane is a speaker, writes non-fiction, children's books and has over 100 articles and stories in print. After a decade of writing short stories she decided to write a book. Her dream would come true...but it was bittersweet.











What book or project is coming out or has come out that you’d like to tell us about?

“Prison Of My Own” – Cook Communications Ministries
The book is the true story of my family’s journey from devastation to forgiveness after my husband of 13 years murdered his mistress.




Tell us about your journey to publication. How long had you been writing before you got the call you had a contract, how you heard and what went through your head. (Be as specific as possible with this question please)

I had been a freelance writer specializing in women’s magazines for thirteen years. I had written some fiction manuscripts for Harlequin, but none made the cut. When this tragedy happened to our family, I knew I had to share our story with people so they could also find hope and healing in forgiveness. I wrote the book in four months, signed with an agent who shopped it around for a year to numerous publishers, but we were met with constant rejection.

My goal was to self-publish the book if no one offered a contract by the end of that year since I believed in this book so much….right under the wire as I was about to self-publish, Cook Communications Ministries offered a contract and paid me the highest advance of any new writer they’ve ever had.

When my agent e-mailed me with the heading of his e-mail reading, “You’ve got a publisher!” I ran outside to where my daughters were walking our dog and we all laughed, cried and danced in a circle together over the news. They have made this journey with me and had many a frozen pizza while I stayed at my keyboard writing this special book….we truly celebrated together.

Do you still experience self-doubts regarding your work?

I don’t doubt that my work is a gift and I can touch people with my stories….but, I do have moments of doubt when I keep praying I can make a living as a writer and not have to do anything else. So few get to have that honor, so at times, I wonder if I should get a “real” job and quit stressing between contracts. Then God opens another door and shows me I’m meant to do this and I keep hanging in there!

What’s the best advice you’ve heard on writing/publication?

To absolutely not give up no matter how many rejections you may get. It’s hard to take those letters when they pop up in your mailbox and it may tempt you to lose faith in your manuscript, but if I had given up after months of rejection on “Prison Of My Own,” I wouldn’t be receiving mail today from people as far as South America and Australia thanking me for sharing my story because it changed their life. There’s no better feeling than that!

What’s the worst piece of writing advice you’ve heard?

To write what you know. I believe you can draw on emotions that you have experienced and use things you know about in your writing, but the sky is the limit as far as the imagination goes. I’ve written feature stories for women’s magazines on topics such as rape, drunk driving and abortion, which I have had no experience with, yet researched before I began writing and got a feel for the subject. I even wrote one of my Harlequin submissions in a setting in Alaska, which I’ve never been to…..but, with good researching skills and a vivid imagination, you can bring any story to life and not limit yourself.

What’s something you wish you’d known earlier that might have saved you some time/frustration in the publishing business?

That patience is key. Editors are slow to respond in most cases to queries and proposals because they have so many to sort through at a time. When I first became a writer, I thought once the submission was made, I’d sit and wait for the answer keeping my fingers crossed. Now I know to just move on to the next submission and keep up the rhythm and not drive myself crazy waiting on an editor’s answer!

Do you have a scripture or quote that has been speaking to you lately?

My favorite is “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” because that verse has seen me through some pretty tough times. Whenever I feel overwhelmed by being a single mother, frightened over finances, facing health problems, or anything that wears me down, I repeat that verse to myself over and over and it gives me the calm and the strength to weather any storm.

Is there a particularly difficult set back that you’ve gone through in your writing career you are willing to share?

After my husband murdered his mistress, our lives were shattered. I moved myself and our children from Ohio to Florida to be with my family and my writing came to a screeching halt as we dealt with our tragedy. I’ll never forget how my dad set up a typewriter in the guest room of their home where me and the girls stayed at first, knowing that writing would be healing for me and help me to pull myself back up. In less than a month, I was sitting at that typewriter, writing manuscripts again despite my world falling apart. I think when God has truly blessed you with the gift of writing, nothing can stop you from sitting at the keyboard for long!

What are a few of your favorite books? (Not written by you.)

I’m a major Karen Kingsbury fan. I love her style and her ability to make you feel those characters as if you’re right there with them. Favorites of hers are The Redemption series, Waiting For Morning and Oceans Apart. I needed a Kleenex while reading each and every one of them!

What’s the worst mistake you’ve made in this business?

When I first started writing for magazines, I landed a big contract with Woman’s World for a fiction short story called “Table For Two.” It paid $1,000.00 and at that time, that was the most I’d ever gotten from one short piece, so I was thrilled. My excitement was short lived when the editor called and told me they decided not to run it because the assistant editor felt it wasn’t what they wanted. They canceled my contract and offered a kill fee the day after my family took me out to celebrate my contract. I was so crushed that I lost my temper and let her have a piece of my mind, ruining my chances of ever submitting to them again. I learned that day not to burn your bridges, no matter what happens.

What piece of writing have you done that you’re particularly proud of and why?

“Prison Of My Own” is my pride and joy since it was so difficult to write and relive our family’s tragedy, yet has been hailed by reviewers as “a must read” and “grips your heart and steals your breath…this book will change your life!” But, I have a recent self-published release, which is a child’s storybook. It is called “It Hurts To Have A Daddy In Prison” and was created to help children to deal with the trauma of having a father behind bars. It is beautifully illustrated by award-winning artist, Melissa Hansen, and available exclusively on Lulu.com. Prisons are starting to order it for their visitation rooms, so I’m very proud. Children of prisoners have so little to help them deal with all they are experiencing.

Do you have a pet peeve having to do with this biz?

Chapter outlines…..ugh! I’m the kind of writer who follows the movie in my head while I’m writing, so I often don’t know what is going to happen ahead of time. Mapping out an outline for a book proposal is very confining for me, but I struggle through it since it is required. I just keep my fingers crossed that if the book gets contracted, the publisher won’t mind if the story strays a bit from the outline since my writing takes unexpected twists and turns!

Can you give us a view into a typical day of your writing life?

I’m very fortunate to be able to work full-time out of my home office. I get up by 7:00 a.m. and get my 13-year-old to school, come home and have breakfast with Regis and Kelly, then settle down at my computer for a day of sending queries to magazine editors, writing features and promoting “Prison Of My Own.” When I am working on a book manuscript, I usually write through the week for 6 hours or so a day and save my magazine writing for the weekend.

If you could choose to have one strength of another writer, what would it be and from whom?

Again, I have to say it would be Karen Kingsbury because her ability to write such gripping, warm stories that touch a reader’s heart is amazing!

Do you have a dream for the future of your writing, something you would love to accomplish?

I would love to make the jump to inspirational fiction and write stories that incorporate the message of miracles, forgiveness and faith. I would also like to address prison issues in my stories, making people aware of the trauma prison families go through. I guess my dream would be to have my inspirational novels right along side Karen Kingsbury’s at Barnes And Noble!!!!

Was there ever a time in your writing career you thought of quitting?

When “Prison Of My Own” got a year’s worth of rejections, I grew very weary and questioned my path. I went so far as to visit a technical college to try and choose another career path, but the God roped me back in and pushed me towards my computer again. He reminded me what I’m meant to do and then blessed me with that contract!

What is your favorite and least favorite part of being a writer?


My favorite part is getting feedback from readers and knowing how my story touched their lives. I literally get goosebumps every time I get an e-mail from someone who says they have changed because of my story….that what I wrote made their life better. Wow. That’s the best reward for writing I can think of. My lease favorite part would be the unstable income and not being able to earn a living at it very easily. Even though I’ve been writing for magazines for 13 years for my bread and butter, I still struggle and often pay bills late when a contract is held up or I don’t sell an article.

How much marketing do you do? Any advice in this area?

I have done a lot of my own promotional work and marketing with “Prison Of My Own.” I never knew that was such hard work and a career in itself! But, I have set up my own book signings, sent press kits to TV & radio, e-mailed media sometimes for hours at a time. My efforts have paid off since I have landed a number of national radio interviews, some TV shows and even have Oprah and Dr. Phil interested in my book at the moment. It pays to dedicate yourself to your book and keep making those vital contacts. Another thing that has helped me to find interview opportunities is to ask authors who have a book similar to mine what kind of media they have done. I got three TV shows that way because similar books were featured.

What made you decide to write this story?

I first attempted to write “Prison Of My Own” after my husband’s arrest for murdering his mistress and I was in therapy to cope. My counselor knew I was a writer and thought it would be healing for me to do a book on my experience, so I tried. At that time, I hated my husband and was filled with anger, so tried to write it as a true crime story, but as I worked on it, I suffered horrible nightmares and stomach aches until I had to stop altogether and give up. As the years passed and God drew our family back together against unimaginable odds and taught us how to forgive, I knew the story I was meant to write. A story of hope, redemption and forgiveness. I finished the manuscript in four months…it practically wrote itself! I wanted people to be changed by this story. To find hope and healing in our journey, as well as see that it is never too late to put the past behind you and find happiness again. I also wanted people to see what happens when a loved one goes to prison and the struggle the children and family go through. That is a side of crime that is seldom addressed and needs to be brought out in the open.

How difficult was it to relive?

It was extremely difficult. I remember sitting at my keyboard, shaking and with tears in my eyes, feeling the old wounds reopening. Even after it was published and “Prison Of My Own” first came out, I was having to tell what happened over and over in interviews and ended up literally in bed for two days ill from reliving it. But, my husband called from prison and reminded me to focus on the beauty of this story…..that God brought us back together against all odds and is using our story to change lives all over the world. That alone makes everything it took to write the book worthwhile.

Did you worry that you would offend family or friends in telling your story?

That was a huge issue for me. I didn’t want to cause any pain to the family of the girl my husband murdered, so I asked my publisher to change her name and protect her identity. I also worried about how my story would effect Bobby, a dear friend I married during our healing process, but later divorced when God led us back to John. He had an drinking problem and we went through a lot of pain, which I was very open about in my book. But, I spoke with him before its release and he promised me that the truth isn’t anything to be afraid of. That he is proud of me for writing the story as it happened and not to worry about offending anyone. I know his mother read it and I worried so much how she would take it, but she still welcomes me with open arms and loves me and the girls. It hasn’t changed anything, which I’m grateful for.


How is writing a memoir like writing a novel?

When I first found my agent, he told me the reason he contracted me after reading my manuscript was because the story was powerful and it read like a novel. I use a lot of description, emotion and dialogue so the reader isn’t hearing about what happened in our lives, they are literally living it with us. In both fiction and nonfiction, it is vital to have the ability to hold your reader’s interest by making your characters real to them, describing scenes so they feel they are there and ending each chapter on a cliffhanger so they can’t wait to read on. So many of my readers said they could not put this book down, so I knew I accomplished that in my writing.

How is it different?

The difference is that in a memoir, you must have your facts correct and not fabricate. The recent scandal with James Frey and “A Million Little Pieces” certainly shook up the literary world and emphasized how wrong it is to fudge on things just to make the story better. In a memoir, you must also worry about protecting identities, which isn’t an issue in novel writing. Also, memoirs are a harder sell than novels. Not many publishers take risks on true life stories, although I believe they are gaining in popularity.

What kind of reader response have your received?

I keep each and every e-mail and letter that I have gotten since the release of “Prison Of My Own” since they are such a gift to me. I have heard from both men and women, saying they could not put the book down and that it was one of the most powerful stories they have ever read. I have heard from people in Australia, South America, New Zealand….even Iraq! I’m constantly amazed to know how far my story is reaching people and thank God for this blessing every day. I also keep a list of reader responses that I use in my press kit to acquire more media attention, which I think is a powerful tool. Still, I keep pinching myself to make sure this is real. Knowing our story is changing lives all over the globe is nothing but a prayer come true! All the glory goes to God for showing us how to turn our tragedy into a gift to help inspire others…..thank you, Jesus!

Parting words?

I think we, as writers, are very blessed to have the ability to take what is in our hearts, our souls and our imaginations and turn it into something that can touch other people’s lives. No matter how hard the journey or how long it takes to reach publication, keep your passion for the craft alive and know that quitting isn’t an option. Remind yourself that all dreams worth achieving never come easily. God will send you your blessings in His time!