Dianne Liuzzi Hagan's Blog, page 3

My Author’s Interview

My Author’s Interview on Rita Lee Chapman’s Website

Rita Lee Chapman invited me to be author of the week on her website

I was so pleased when Rita Lee Chapman invited me to be one of her guest author’s on her website. An author’s interview is the perfect venue to talk about my books, what inspires me to write, and some other tidbits about myself, including my writing process.

My guest author this week is award-winning Dianna L. Hagan who writes mysteries, memoirs and plans, one day, to write a ghost story. 

Rita lee chapman

Here’s the Text; Click on the Link for Full Interview

http://www.ritaleechapman.com/guest-author/

This week it is my pleasure to interview Dianne L. Hagan. Would you please introduce yourself to my readers, Dianne and share something about your life.
I’m an award-winning American author of mystery and memoir. My current home is in North Carolina, but I was born and raised in Albany, New York, and lived my adult life in Syracuse, New York until 2008 when we moved South. I’m white, and my husband, Ronald, is Black. We met freshman year of college, and we’ve been together for five decades. We have grown twin daughters and a granddaughter. Experiences like having to file a discrimination suit to buy our first house because the seller didn’t want to sell to an interracial couple and being stopped by the police to see if I was in the car with my husband voluntarily inform my writing and the topics I write about. All my books deal with race, culture, ethnicity, and gender equality and social justice.
When did you write your first book and how did it come about?
I published my first memoir in 2018 and came out with a second edition in 2019 because there was new information about some of the events in the book. I didn’t plan to write Another Day in Post-Racial America: To the Mothers of the Black Lives Matter Movement, With Love. I was writing a regular blog post about race and culture in America, and then one day Ronald and I went out to lunch. Five women walked into the restaurant after we’d been seated. I had my back to them as the hostess brought them to a table, but one made eye contact with my Ronald, and he said, “I recognize her from TV.” After they were seated, I realized they were the mothers of sons and daughters who had been murdered by a cop or vigilante. They’d come to the city to participate in a campaign rally for Hilary Clinton. I so wanted to go over and give my condolences and thank them for telling their stories so that no other mothers would suffer that kind of tragic loss over a broken taillight or a bag of Skittles. But I was too emotional, and as a white woman, I didn’t want them to have to see my tears and comfort me. I understood a little of what they experienced because, for the last five decades, I have feared for my husband’s life every time he leaves the house. He’s experienced many police stops for DWB—driving while Black—many of which he’s told me about and others that he keeps to himself because they were that terrifying. When I got home from lunch the day I saw the Mothers of BLM, I decided I was going to write a book dedicated to the women who lost sons and daughters and who spoke out and grieved publicly and to those who grieve in the isolation of silence. The book has been used in college classrooms and was named one of the best Black Lives Matter books of all time according to BookAuthority.
Do you always write in the same genre or do you mix it up?
I’ve written two memoirs and I’m in the middle of writing the fourth novel of a mystery series. When I was ten years old, I started writing a ghost story novel over the summer school break but never finished it, so I think at some point, I’d like to tackle a ghost story.
When you write, do you start with an idea and sit down and let it evolve, or do you make notes and collect ideas on paper beforehand?
I’m both a planner and a pantser. I keep a notebook, where I sketch out my ideas, scene progressions, characterization, relationships, and whatever research I am doing for each book. But as I get into the writing process, sometimes the events and characters take me in a different direction, and I’m open to it.
Who is your favourite character and why?
I love so many of the characters in my mystery series, A Cadence Mystery. The series is about a fictional small, multicultural utopian town that has a tragic racial history and big secrets. It was founded in 1789 by the Todadaho of the Six Nations of the Iroquois, a white sea captain, and his fugitive slave wife. The town was governed by the Onondaga principles of equality, respect, and cooperation. When a white mob enters the town in 1921 and kills hundreds of citizens, the town goes into hiding for one hundred years. My books open in 2020, just before the town reveals its true nature to the world. My characters are diverse in culture, ethnicity, age, race, ability, and gender. But, when the secret is revealed, there are bad actors out there, white supremacists, who want to destroy the town that models equality and acceptance and can teach America and the world that we all have more in common than differences and how inclusion and equality make life better for everyone. If I had to choose one character as my favorite, I would choose Chief Enoch Shenandoah of the Onondaga Nation, Wolf clan. He’s witty, self-deprecating, smart, intuitive, and he has a special relationship to nature, animals in particular—some people might call him an animal whisperer, though he doesn’t like that term. He also carries a deep sadness from the losses he suffered in life, but he is generous of spirit.
Which of your books gave you the most pleasure to write?
Every book I’ve written and the one I’m working on now was a pleasure to write. That doesn’t mean any of them were easy to write. Each had its own demands. I shed tears. I laughed. I got angry. But I absolutely enjoyed the journey on which each one took me. And I hope they do the same for my readers.
How would you describe yourself?
I’m a lot like Marian Greene, the narrator of A Cadence Mystery books. Short with silver hair, glasses, and wonky knees, I’m on the high side of sixty and carry a few extra pounds. I was a records manager and archivist during my career. I’m temperamentally shy, but a tigress when it comes to speaking out about social justice. Also, when I get comfortable, I can talk for hours about anything and everything. My hero, love of my life, and best friend is my husband, Ronald. Together we make quite a team navigating through life together like Marian and her husband, Lester. The only difference is that we haven’t found any dead bodies. The next most important people in my life are our twin daughters, Cara and Mackenzie, and our granddaughter, Eben—she’s a delight! I’m an advocate of social justice and equity. Baking and photographing nature, particularly birds, are my meditations. I think I’m funny, well, at least Ronald laughs at all my jokes. I love to play Scrabble and The New York Times Spelling Bee. And I’m a movie fanatic. My favorite era is post-World War II (Hollywood and British films) up through the very early 1960s. Reading is my superpower. I especially enjoy mystery books and police procedurals, but I am a reader of all genres and all things from newspapers to cereal boxes.
If you could holiday anywhere in the world, where would you choose and why?
My mother, Ruth Alison Elliott Liuzzi, was one of the 15,000 Australian war brides who married American soldiers—I wrote about her and my Italian American father in my memoir, American Dreaming: A Memoir of Interracial Love, Estrangement, and Race Equality. She took her first four kids back to Ryde, NSW, to visit family just once, but I was only a year old, and the only memory I have is of kittens in a cardboard box on a porch. My severe arachnophobia was born in Australia when one day I was playing on the floor and spotted a fuzzy spider. I reached out to touch it, and my mother told me that was the only time she ever killed a spider that large by stepping on it. I’d love to go back for a visit, but Ronald worries the spiders would send me screaming back to the airport.
What is the biggest factor for you when selecting a book to read?
The author must be a decent writer and storyteller.
Do you have your own website?
https://diannelhaganauthor.comhttps://www.facebook.com/DianneLiuzziHagan
I’m also a Goodreads author.
My books are available through Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and Kindle unlimited editions. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B54ZMZH2https://www.amazon.com/ebook/dp/B07PFSYHSThttps://www.amazon.com/ebook/dp/B08T8JGY1C
Are you working on a new book at the moment?
I’m working on Stone Coat Man (Book 4, A Cadence Mystery). When Marian Greene discovers a giant kneeling over a dead man in the woods behind the Hill Place resort, the authorities are skeptical about the giant. Soon a second body is discovered, and the authorities come to find out there have been sightings of the monster going back to 1923. The people of Cadence band together to find the killers, a missing police officer, and to uncover yet another secret about the small multicultural town with a tragic racial past.

Stone Coat Man Will Be Released Just Before Thanksgiving!

Catch up on the first three books of A Cadence Mystery series, all available on Amazon. Two are Literary Titan Award-winning books. I’m so excited about Stone Coat Man (Book 4). It’s a fast-paced thriller based on the mythical monster, the Genoskwa, of Seneca legend. Stay tuned!

Multicultural Mystery@Literary Titan, #WritingCommunity, African American literature, Award-winning Author, BIPOC literature, Black Lives Matter literature, cozy mystery, cozy mystery author, Diversity, Equality, female sleuth, Interracial couple, interracial marriage, Interracial relationships, Multicultural, multicultural mystery, Murder Mystery, Native American Literature, thriller, utopia

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Stony Place Named Literary Titan Book Award Winner

“…an essential read for those in pursuit of a stimulating and captivating literary experience.”

literary titan

Five gold star review!

Reviews of Stony Place (A Cadence Mystery, Book 3) are starting to post! And then this one arrived in my email!

★★★★★ Literary Titan Review excerpts:

[Stony Place] is a novel that courageously confronts the seldom-addressed concerns of racism in our contemporized world. From the onset, Hagan expertly enthralls readers with the ideological struggle between supremacy and equality, leading them on an illuminating journey into these opposing worldviews. The narrative serves as a poignant echo of the persistent racial inequalities that persist even in our progressive era, reminding us that societal drawbacks may evolve in tandem with advancement. This riveting tale delivers a stark warning of the potential repercussions of allowing prejudiced ideologies to proliferate unhindered, advocating vigilance to prevent such circumstances from materializing.

[T]he author’s unique style, heavily emphasizing dialogue on weighty subjects, ensnares the reader’s interest, propelling them to read on with anticipation. The narrative’s finale delivers a fitting resolution for all its characters, deftly interweaving threads of history spanning decades.

Hagan’s work sparks profound dialogues that test readers’ ethical perspectives and convictions, establishing it as an essential read for those in pursuit of a stimulating and captivating literary experience.  ~ Literary Titan

Read the full review here:

Winner of a Literary Titan Award

Enjoy the full series of A Cadence Mystery! Purchase Stony Place, The Rightful Future, and The Eagle Speaks on Amazon.com.

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Goodreads Giveaway (May 22-June 01) of Newest Multicultural Mystery: Stony Place

…with each book [Ms Hagan’s] communion with the nuances of her profoundly human characters reaches a new level.

Goodreads reader review

A Difficult Book to Write… But the End Result was Rewarding

The opening chapters of this book were difficult to imagine and write. I shed tears. Then, I cried more as the scenes I wrote played out across America over and over.
Enoch appeared in dreams. Madison did, too. And George. He’s complicated, but I like him. He’s a good man who is willing to go as far as he must go to solve a case, even when he believes there is no way back. Lester, Marian, Enoch, Craig, Irma, Delores, Rufus, Izzy, Bryan, and Phil—I’ve come to love them all. They feel real as if they might knock on my door and pull up a stool at my kitchen island. If they show up, I hope it’s on one of the days when I just finished baking a batch of cookies. The electric kettle is always at the ready for a good cup of tea. The closing scene of the book? Case solved and secrets and connections revealed that will surprise and confound!
I hope you stop by for a visit to Cadence, an inclusive and diverse microcosm of America where everyone is equal and treated with respect and dignity. All are welcome in this mysterious town with a secret past, except, as Izzy is quick to say, “the bad guys.” Enter to win and enjoy the read!

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Giveaway ends June 01, 2023.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter GiveawayRead All the Books in A Cadence Mystery SeriesCadence: The small town with big secrets

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Stony Place: Book 3 of A Cadence Mystery Series

I am so excited to announce the release of Stony Place! It’s book 3 of A Cadence Mystery series about a multicultural town that lives by the Onondaga governing principles of equality, respect, and cooperation and is besieged by white supremacist attacks.

Stony Place opens with two brothers who steal a vintage car, load it with assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and drive two hours to Cadence, New York, to start a race war. Their fantasy of mayhem and notoriety brings anguish and loss to the multicultural, inclusive community. Seneca Lake, known for millennia as Assiniki, or Stony Place, by the Seneca tribe, dredges up a shameful history of Cadence. Or perhaps it is the Great Serpent who orchestrates the shocking revelation. Once again, Marian and Lester Greene, Enoch Shenandoah, and their family, friends, and neighbors must rise to the challenge or lose everyone they love and the town they’ve committed to keeping safe.

“‘…the mob certainly didn’t destroy Cadence,” I said. ‘We’re still here.'”

Marian Greene, ever hopeful that peace will come to Cadence, never gives up, even when there’s a gun pointed at her. Her husband, Lester, tempers her optimism with the truth. Enoch Shenandoah and George Powless risk their lives to uncover town secrets. And even in crisis, love abounds. Will Cadence prevail?

Available on Amazon

You can purchase Stony Place in paperback and Kindle on Amazon. It’s also a Kindle Unlimited book.

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The Eagle Speaks Wins Literary Award

I’m proud to announce my latest novel, The Eagle Speaks (A Cadence Mystery Book #2) won a literary award from Literary Titan! Literary Titan had this to say about the multicultural mystery: “…Hagan tackles a volatile and pressing conflict in America today through this riveting story.”

This story is relevant to current event in the news and for Black History month. A great pick for your book club!

Titus Mann, a popular young Black man in the community of Cadence, New York, is shot and killed by a deputy sheriff who responds to a 911 call even though it is outside his jurisdiction. People go missing after Black Lives Matter protesters descend on the small town that is splintering with blame and accusations. It is up to Lester and Marian Greene, Enoch Shenandoah, and three Black Lives Matter protesters to sift through the chaos and danger. They endure crises of faith and threats to their lives and safety as their beliefs and resilience are tested. Listening to the messages from the eagle and the Great Spirit, they assist the beleaguered police chief and the “just-the-facts” SBI agents to find out who is behind the plot to destroy Cadence.

Available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and Kindle Unlimited.

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Goodreads Giveaway of Suspenseful, Multicultural Mystery

Goodreads Giveaway! 100 Kindle copies of The Eagle Speaks!

Enter to Win

I am giving away 100 Kindle copies of The Eagle Speaks (A Cadence Mystery, Book #2), a multicultural mystery. The giveaway starts on, Saturday, January 7, 2023 and ends on Thursday, January 19, 2023. Click here to enter: Goodreads Giveaway of The Eagle Speaks.

Here’s what readers are saying

Ms Hagan is so skilled at portraying the members of this utopic town that by the end of the first book they already feel like friends. When I started to read the second book, it was like I was a Cadence townsperson working alongside old friends to find the culprit. ~ Mark Mobley, on the series, A Cadence Mystery

I laughed, I cried, I was filled with suspense and dread at times and I thoroughly enjoyed the story. Dianne is a fine author and knows how to tell a good tale. I look forward to the next book. ~ Anita on Goodreads

Ms. Hagan is a writer of exquisite sensitivity to the racial injustices toward Black people in the US as well as toward Native Americans. This book opens with no less than a police shooting of a young Black man who was an integral member of the community of Cadence, the would-be utopia of people of all races striving to live with harmony and justice…
Not only was this a compelling read, the end is both heartbreaking and inspiring. ~ Amardeep Singh on Goodreads

Don’t forget to enter!

Goodreads Giveaway of The Eagle Speaks.

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New Multicultural Mystery Release

Hot off the press!

I’m happy to announce The Eagle Speaks, Book 2 of A Cadence Mystery series, is now available on Amazon! A multicultural mystery, this book will make a great gift for your mystery-loving friends and family or your favorite advocate for equality and multiculturalism. Of course, you can gift yourself, too, if you love a good mystery or dream of a place where equality and respect matter.

What is the Book About?

When Titus Mann, a popular young Black man in the multicultural community of Cadence, New York, is shot and killed by a deputy sheriff who responds to a 911 call even though it is outside his jurisdiction, Lester and Marian Greene wonder if the town will ever recover. People go missing after Black Lives Matter protesters descend on the small town that is splintering with blame and accusations. It is up to Lester and Marian, Enoch Shenandoah, and three Black Lives Matter protesters to sift through the chaos and danger. They endure crises of faith and threats to their lives and safety as their beliefs and resilience are tested. Listening to the messages from the eagle and the Great Spirit, they assist the beleaguered police chief and the “just-the-facts” SBI agents to find out who is behind the plot to destroy Cadence.

In a Nutshell

A police shooting of an unarmed Black man causes mistrust, divisiveness, and chaos in the community of Cadence. Will the townspeople reconcile the loss of one of their beloved sons and heal together, or will the events following the shooting take more lives and rip the town apart?

Author’s Notes

Writing this book was an emotional journey. As a lifelong advocate of equality, I wrote about police shootings in both my memoirs. Those passages documenting how Black lives are not valued in our country were painful to write because each shooting I wrote about felt personal and close to home. But entering the hearts and minds of Titus Mann’s family, Lester and Marian Greene, Enoch Shenandoah, three of the Black Lives Matter protesters who become integral to solving the mystery, Irma Mack, and police chief George Powless left me in tears on many days as I worked on this book. Plus, figuring out who the bad guy was during all the chaos unfolding in the town proved interesting and surprising. But it was all worth it. I wanted to honor the story as it was meant to be told.

Where Can I Buy a Copy?

The Eagle Speaks is available on Amazon in paperback ($15.95), Kindle ($7.99), and Kindle Unlimited. You can purchase the book here:

The Eagle Speaks

COver art by bradley Jimerson, seneca nation artist, illustrator, and graphic designer

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Interracial Couple Finds Danger in Debut Mystery

Hi, I’m Dianne L. Hagan, an award-winning author. Thanks for visiting my blog. The Rightful Future (A Cadence Mystery, Book 1), my debut mystery novel that follows Marian and Lester Greene, an interracial couple, is now available.

Available on AmazonWhat’s the book about?

Interracially married Marian and Lester Greene retire to the small, sleepy town of Cadence, New York. On day one, as they walk down Main Street, they hear racist comments. Married for almost five decades, that doesn’t surprise them. But when Marian, who accepts the job as the local librarian, finds a dead body in the library stacks, the couple suspects Cadence might have a surprise or two in store for them. Within a day, despite the authorities’ disbelief, the Greenes figure out there are no coincidences. Their lives are in danger. When they meet Enoch Shenandoah, who tells them he is there to protect them, the trio seeks the truth and almost dies in the process. The racially tragic history of the town and a covenant agreed upon 100 years before inextricably tie all three of them to the town, its founders, the past, and its redemptive future. This fast-paced thriller will scare you, make you laugh at unexpected moments, keep you entrenched in the past and wondering about the future, and show you that, occasionally, the improbable is possible. All in eight days. 

In a nutshell

The Rightful Future is a multicultural mystery story that tantalizes with a mystery inside a mystery. The book is a parable of an America that still struggles with its past and is divided about its future. I hope you’ll add it to your reading list. I’d love to hear your comments and see your reviews. 

Where can I find it?

The book is available in paperback, Kindle, and Kindle Unlimited on Amazon. Click below to purchase:

The Rightful Future

Till next month!

Dianne L. Hagan

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Content Coming Soon!

Hi, Dianne here! More information on my books and other adventures coming soon!

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