Diana Rodriguez Wallach

I bought this used copy of Stephen King‘s Misery years ago, and I haven’t gotten around to reading it until now. Sacrilege, I know. I had never read the book, only seen the movie. Spoiler alert: the book is obviously better. 🖤 I get to pages 162 and 163, a dark night of the soul scene, and I find this leaf pressed between the pages. It’s autumn and my yard is full of similar leaves. Not sure how this fragile memento made it past the bookstore, or how long it’s been there, but I love finding treasures like this. It made my day. ❤️ #stephenking #misery #autumnvibes #autumnleaves #pressedleaves #bookaholic #horrornovel #horrorbooks #horrorstories #horrorbookstagram #booklovers #authorsofinstragram #usedbooks #bibliophile #bookstagrammer #booknerd #authorlife #bookaddict #booknerdigan #readersofinstagram #amreading #read #reading #read https://www.instagram.com/p/CkycphQLvx-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Pictured is my haul from my favorite used bookstore, The Title Page in Rosemont. It’s owned by a little old married couple and they know where everything is, even though the shop’s stuffed like an attic. I love listening to them chat about baseball while I shop. They’re adorable. 🖤 In #HatchetGirls news, my WME film agents officially sent out the manuscript to TV/film producers. There are actual celebrities on this list that make me feel very Hollywood. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. 🖤 The latest round of copyedits has been turned in and I’m just waiting for an official release date and some cover sketches. I can’t wait for the fun parts to begin! 🖤 . . . . . . . . . . . . #usedbooks #usedbookstore bookaholic #yaauthor #YAnovel #horrorstories #Latinx #booklovers #authorsofinstragram #horrornovel #YAhorrornovel #ireadYA #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #writing #instawriters #writinglife @instagram #scaryreads #scarybooks #spookybooks #spookytales #ghoststory #booknerd #bookaddict #horrornovel #booknerdigan #horrorstories https://www.instagram.com/p/CjoHhtWL64N/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

What’s better than cuddling under a blanket with a spooky book in October with a fire going and a great drink? Listening to the author of that spooky book, right in your living room and getting to directly ask questions! 🖤 Join me this Thursday, Oct. 6, at 7pm EST with fellow YA thriller and horror authors for a virtual Pajama Party! Yes, I will be wearing flannel pjs! 🖤 Sign up in advance using this link: https://writersatelier.com/save-the-date-spooky-pajama-party-with-victoria-fulton-eva-gibson-faith-mcclaren-amy-christine-parker-and-diana-rodriguez-wallach/ 🖤 Hope to see you there! . . . . . . . . . . . #bookaholic #yaauthor #YAnovel #horrorstories #Latinx #booklovers #authorsofinstragram #horrornovel #YAhorrornovel #ireadYA #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #writing #instawriters #writinglife @instagram #scaryreads #scarybooks #spookybooks #spookytales #ghoststory #booknerd #bookaddict #horrornovel #booknerdigan #horrorstories https://www.instagram.com/p/CjSuP67r0V7/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

I recently had a wonderful experience at the Latin American Book Fair in Philly. I met cool authors, sold lots of books, and—even better as a mom—I sold 23 of my daughter’s handmade bracelets! 🖤 But of course, at every lovely event, there always has to be a Debbie Downer. Here’s the story of my confrontation with a woman who believed writing horror novels would damn my cursed soul. 🖤 Lots of commenters on “the clock app” wanted to see my daughter’s bracelets, which feature heavily in this story. Slide to see them! And order via DM! (Always. Be. Closing.) 🖤 And to the lady so worried about my soul, “Bless your heart. Have the day you deserve.” 💀💀 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #bookaholic #yaauthor #YAnovel #horrorstories #Latinx #booklovers #authorsofinstragram #horrornovel #YAhorrornovel #ireadYA #bookstagram #bibliophile #latinxbooks #bookaholic #yahorror #instawriters #writinglife @instagram #scaryreads #scarybooks #spookybooks #horrorwriter #ghoststory #booknerd #horrorauthor #horrornovel #booknerdigan #horrorstories #writingreel #writingreels https://www.instagram.com/p/CjDlc3ULQt6/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

It’s Hispanic Heritage Month! And if you’d like to celebrate by reading a good book, come see me tomorrow at the Latin American Book Fair in Love Park in Philly! I will be signing copies of SMALL TOWN MONSTERS from 11am - 4pm with dozens of other local Latinx authors. There will be music, speakers, and food. It’s a great way to spend your lunch hour. 🖤 I participated in this event last year, and it was a packed and so much fun! So if you live or work in the area, come by and celebrate Latinx culture. You can even get into the Spooky Season with some scary reads (ehem, like my books). 🖤 And for an extra dose of adorable, I will also be selling beaded bracelets handmade by my 11-year-old daughter. So support a budding female entrepreneur! 🖤 Hope to see you tomorrow! @latinbookfair 🖤 . . . . . . . . . . . . #bookaholic #yaauthor #YAnovel #horrorstories #Latinx #booklovers #authorsofinstragram #horrornovel #YAhorrornovel #ireadYA #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #latinx #puertorican #instawriters #writinglife @instagram #scaryreads #scarybooks #spookybooks #spookytales #ghoststory #booknerd #bookaddict #horrornovel #hispanicheritagemonth #horrorstories #smalltownmonstersbook #latinxheritagemonth (at LOVE Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ci0p80UrQcz/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Sometimes the Universe brings you full circle. My parents grew up in Chester, PA; it’s a low-income city south of Philly. And in the past couple years, in about a half dozen different ways, one particular school in Chester has been put in my path. My college roommate’s husband is on their board. My brother-in-law is doing outreach with the school through the @philaunion. People I went to high school with are connected to it, my brother is on the board of a local university down the street, and my mom literally grew up five blocks away from it. ✨ It's called the Chester Charter Scholars Academy. It has a 98% graduation rate, with nearly 90% of graduates enrolled in post-secondary school after graduation. And it’s a city with a poverty rate of 36%. ✨ Today I visited this beautiful new-construction K-12 campus, built and run on donations and grants. It delivers an arts-based education with a dance studio and science labs that are state of the art. @randomhouse was generous enough to donate boxes of books, from picture books to YA novels, to coordinate with my visit. And next year, I’ll be doing some author events here. ✨ I visited my mom’s house after I left (It’s in my @instagram stories). But most of the low-income housing my dad lived in has since been torn down. I grew up only a couple minutes away. And I’m a big believer in ‘signs.’ I followed a sign that led me to becoming an author. And there have been plenty of signs telling me I’m supposed to be involved with this school. I’m not sure how or why, but let’s see what happens. ✨ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #bookaholic #yaauthor #YA #youngadultbooks #youngadultfiction #youngadultbook #YAnovel #booklovers #authorsofinstragram #horrornovel #YAhorrornovel #ireadYA #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #writing #instawriters #writinglife #authorsofig #publishedauthor #authorvisit #authorvisits #chestercharterscholarsacademy (at Chester Charter Scholars Academy) https://www.instagram.com/p/CcjN8ocLJu4/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Big week for Hatchet Girls!! I turned in the first draft to my agent last week; he read it within days and said he LOVED it! Yay! Thanks, Lane! 🪓 The only person who beta read the novel was my husband (who actually had some decent notes). But to get that confirmation from my agent after months of writing and researching was such a relief. It’s now already off to film agents! 🪓 And yesterday I officially sent it to my editor. So Hatchet Girls is out in the world (albeit to a very limited audience). 🪓 This means I get to go on vacation and simply read other author’s words. I’ve got two @audible books queued for the drive (a Stephen King and Karen McManus) and my #Kindle is full—I might even treat myself with a romcom. #hatchetgirls 🪓 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #bookaholic #yaauthor #YA #youngadult #YAnovel #horrorstories #publishedauthor #booklovers #authorsofinstragram #horrornovel #YAhorrornovel #ireadYA #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookstagrammer #workspace #bookaholic #writing #instawriters #writinglife #authorsofig #writingtips #bookshelfie #authorphoto #aspiringauthor #author #amreading #read #reading https://www.instagram.com/p/CcBq957LCkm/?utm_medium=tumblr

A ghost may have followed us home from the Lizzie Borden House. Or the Freetown Forest. Not sure which one, but some odd stuff has been happening. 👻 The biggest issue is the Ring doorbell. It’s been going off in the middle of the night, multiple times, yet when we check the footage in the morning—nothing is there. Or no person is there. But there is a shift of light—a movement from the dark of night to something a little brighter. Coincidence? Tech issue? Poltergeist? 👻 Also my computer mouse has been acting funky, darting all over my screen for no reason. I got so frustrated the other day, I said, “Hey, if this is a ghost, I’m really busy, so can you please stop.” 👻 Then it stopped.😱 👻 So give me your thoughts! Did I bring a ghost home? Am I tempting dark forces by writing murdery horror? Or am I just spending too much time writing obsessively that my mind is overreacting? 🖤 . . . . . . . . . . . . #lizziebordenhouse #lizziebordentookanaxe #lizziebordenbedandbreakfast #bookaholic #youngadult #YAnovel #horrorstories #Latinx #booklovers #authorsofinstragram #horrornovel #YAhorrornovel #ireadYA #bibliophile #bookstagrammer #booknerd #storyteller #authorlife #bookaddict #booknerdigan #readersofinstagram #amreading #read #reading #read #bookresearch #freetown #freetownforest #fallriver (at Lizzie Borden House) https://www.instagram.com/p/CbdnxlXrqUh/?utm_medium=tumblr

It’s Lizzie Borden time! Enjoy this last picture of me before I spend the night in one of the most haunted murder houses in America! 🖤 If you see eerie dark shadows clinging to my back in future pictures, you’ll know why. 🖤 Expect lots of photo and video dumps in the coming week. I’ve been binging all things Lizzie. I watched the Christina Ricci movie, I rewatched a Shock Docs ghost-hunter episode “the Curse of Lizzie Borden”, I watched the Supernatural episode set at the B&B where I’m staying, and today I interviewed the curator of the Fall River Historical Society. 🖤 I. Am. Ready.🪓 🖤 Bonus—I will also be meeting my agent in person for the first time while I’m in Massachusetts! 🖤 So stay tuned for lots of exciting stuff! 🖤 QOTD: Have you met you agent/editor/critique partners in person? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #bookaholic #yaauthor #YA #youngadult #YAnovel #horrorstories #publishedauthor #booklovers #authorsofinstragram #horrornovel #YAhorrornovel #ireadYA #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookstagrammer #workspace #bookaholic #writing #instawriters #writinglife #authorsofig #writingtips #bookshelfie #authorphoto #aspiringauthor #selfie #author #authorselfie #photoshoot https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca5si3UrTev/?utm_medium=tumblr

Signed, sealed, delivered! Last night I celebrated with a chocolate martini as I inked the contract for HATCHET GIRLS! 🖤 This will be my 8th published novel, but it’s actually the 11th novel I’ve written. Three books sadly never made it to the shelf. 🖤 So #aspiringauthors, remember that—for every success you see posted online, there are lots of no’s and disappointments behind it. But you know what, if I hadn’t written those three unpublished books, my writing wouldn’t be where it is now. 🖤 I just wish I could go back and tell the me drowning in rejection that it would eventually all work out and validation is coming for the hard work. Instead, I will tell that to all of you—keep at it. I believe in you! Don’t give up, whatever your goal. #hatchetgirls 🖤 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #YAlit #horrornovel, #publishedauthor #bookstagram #booknerd #authortube #authorlife #bookaddict #IreadYA , #bookstagrammer, #horrorstories #mysterybooks #readersofinstagram #readersofinstagram #amreading #read #reading #readingtime #storyteller #authorlife #amwriting #writing #instawriters #writinglife #writingcommunity https://www.instagram.com/p/CZfjb9erogI/?utm_medium=tumblr

Let me tell you a little story. Back in 2006, when I was a baby author (yes, that long ago), I signed with my first #literaryagent. (I’ve had 4 agents in my career.) She sent the very first book I ever wrote out on submission. Two days later, she called super excited–an editor at Delacorte LOVED my novel. ✨ Wow! OMG! This is happening! ✨ Oh, sweet summer child. I knew nothing. ✨ That book went on to editorial and acquisition meetings, and ultimately got shot down. To date, it’s still sitting on my old hard drive. ✨ But I have never forgotten the feeling of getting **this close** to working with one of the biggest imprints at one of the world’s largest publishers. I’ve been chasing that dream ever since. ✨ I’ve since published 7 paperback YA novels. I’ve loved them all. Each closer to my heart and each improving my craft tremendously. ✨ And now I finally get to say—I sold my first HARDBACK and it’s to @delacortepress! My career has come full circle. ✨ So no matter where you are in your publishing journey—a newbie who’s five months into writing a first draft, or a 15+ year veteran like me with the papercuts to prove it—there are always new milestones. ✨ HATCHET GIRLS will be my 1st Hardback novel, my 1st with Delacorte, and my 1st book sold on proposal. Now I need to get writing… #HatchetGirls ✨ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #newbookdeal #dealannouncement #bookdeal #bookdeals #bookdealannouncement #bookaholic #YAnovel #horrorstories #Latinx #booklovers #authorsofinstragram #horrornovel #YAhorrornovel #ireadYA #bibliophile #bookstagrammer #booknerd #storyteller #authorlife #bookaddict #bibliophile #booknerdigan #readersofinstagram #amreading #read #reading #read https://www.instagram.com/p/CY7gknILyFx/?utm_medium=tumblr

This is one of the photos taken by @mainlinetoday magazine! They came to my house back in the Fall to take pictures for an article that is in this month’s issue. (The link: https://mainlinetoday.com/life-style/diana-rodriguez-wallach-author/?utm_content=193887792&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&hss_channel=tw-50404894). ✨ To understand why this article is so cool to me, you need to understand the meaning of the term “the Main Line” in the magazine’s name. It refers to the fancy suburbs outside of Philadelphia—home to Villanova, Bryn Mawr, and Haverford colleges, as well as the town of Gladwyne, PA, the 6th richest zip code in all of America. ✨ I grew up down the road, on the other side of the tracks, in Ridley Township. This is part of Delco (Delaware County for those who intensely followed the PA election results), which is also the setting for the Mare of Easttown. Yup, I was that blue collar (with that accent). ✨ My parents grew up in nearby Chester, PA—one of the poorest zip codes in Pennsylvania. ✨ So to think my dad who was born in Puerto Rico, speaks English as a second language, and was raised in the projects, and my mom who graduated from Chester High School (no college), have a daughter photographed by a Main Line magazine shows how much can change in a single generation. I wonder what my kids will do. ✨ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #bookaholics #yaauthor #yaauthors #yanovels #accomplished #yahorror #authorsofInstagram #authoring #Latinx #YAlit #publishedauthor #writing #instawriters #bookstagram #booknerd #authorlife #bookaddict #IreadYA #bookstagrammer #smalltownmonstersbook #aspiringauthor #publishedauthor #puertorican #bookshelvesofinstagram #bookshelf #bookshelfdecor #bookshelfporn #bookshelfstyling #bookshelfgoals https://www.instagram.com/dianawallachauthor/p/CYm7uYPrhJf/?utm_medium=tumblr

There’s a saying around the new year: “Start as you mean to go.” Essentially—do something on New Year’s Day that’s symbolic of what you want to achieve that year. ✨ Do you finally want to finish writing that novel? Then begin Day 1 of 2022 writing a page or two. Do you want to see if you can run a marathon? Then take a jog. Want to make more time for yourself next year? Sink in a warm bath and read a book. ✨ We’ve been trapped in a seemingly endless pandemic, so find the bits of life you CAN control. ✨ For me, that also means accepting I can not control my cats. If I set up an IG photo, they will jump in it. If I wrap presents, they will claw the paper. And if I sit down, they will jump on my lap, snuggle up, and purr. I’ll take it. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #cat #catsofinstagram #catsagram #catsandbooks #YAlit be #publishedauthor #bookstagram #booknerd #authortube #authorlife #bookaddict #IreadYA , #bookstagrammer, #readersofinstagram #readersofinstagram #amreading #read #reading #readingtime #storyteller #authorlife #amwriting #writing #instawriters #writinglife #writingcommunity https://www.instagram.com/dianawallachauthor/p/CX1yJK2LCXo/?utm_medium=tumblr

First, how awesome is this holiday #bookstagram photo for SMALL TOWN MONSTERS?! Thank you, @nikkistickney! 🖤 Second, I’m starting the holidays, and the new year, with some good news! I can’t announce anything officially yet, but…there will be more books coming from me soon! I sold a new YA Horror that will definitely keep me busy in 2022. 🖤 I found out last week. Could there BE a better holiday present?! (Picture me saying that in a Chandler Bing voice.) 🖤 I hope all of you have good news coming your way too—we’ve survived two years of a pandemic, so we’re all due some wonderful times ahead. 🖤 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #Latinx #YAlit #horrornovel, #publishedauthor #bookstagram #booknerd #authortube #authorlife #bookaddict #IreadYA , #bookstagrammer, #horrorstories #mysterybooks #smalltownmonstersbook #readersofinstagram #readersofinstagram #amreading #read #reading #readingtime #storyteller #authorlife #amwriting #writing #instawriters #writinglife #writingcommunity https://www.instagram.com/p/CXhPvpLrNCi/?utm_medium=tumblr

I had a Zoom call today with my childhood best friend’s middle school daughter. It’s for a school project about the writing profession. Interestingly, me and this particular friend lost touch when we were younger than her daughter is now. ✨ The friend reached out via FB; we had grown up a block away from each other, and she was one of my first friends in the world. There’s a quote I heard long ago, from a TV show or movie that I can’t quite place. But it fits the situation perfectly, “Hold close those who shared your childhood, because they will always know you in a way that no one else will.” ✨ When me and this friend “broke up,” it was middle school, puberty, chaos. I remember it clearly. And that’s one of the reasons I write YA—I can easily pull from the emotions of my young adult days. And sometimes I wonder if spending so much mental energy in my past, causes the Universe to draw those people back to me. ✨ Has this ever happened to you? Have you written about an experience, time, or emotion in your past, and then suddenly the person reappears in your life? ✨ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #bookaholic #YA #youngadult #YAnovel #horrorstories #Latinx #booklovers #authorsofinstragram #horrornovel #YAhorrornovel #ireadYA #bibliophile #bookstagrammer #booknerd #storyteller #authorlife #bookaddict #bibliophile #booknerdigan # #bookstore #bookstores #bookstorelove #indiebookstore #bookstoresofinstagram #readersofinstagram #amreading #read #reading #read https://www.instagram.com/p/CWEoz7BrvSI/?utm_medium=tumblr

Did you #vote today? Because there’s still a little time! I live in the Philadelphia suburbs, and all we had on the ballot today were judges and school board members. And you know what I did? #ivoted. Because local elections matter. 🖤 Those school board members will determine when my child gets to take her mask off, how to message the Covid vaccine, how to handle a virus outbreak, and what virtual school looks like. 🖤 And as we’ve seen in Texas, state judges matter. 🖤 In book news, I’ve written the first two chapters of a new YA horror/thriller novel! I’m in the early lovey-dovey stage with this manuscript before it all gets messy. Don’t you just love the beginning phase? 🖤 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #YAlit #instawriters #writinglife #bookaddict #IreadYA #readersofinstagram #amreading #read #reading #read #reading #readingtime #readingnook #bookstagram #booknerd #storyteller #authorlife #bookaddict #bookstagrammer, #bibliophile #horrornovel #booknerdigan #horrorstories #latinx #smalltownmonstersbook #latinxwriters #latinxreads #publishedauthor #scaryreads #scarybooks #spookybooks (at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVypF-TLPmn/?utm_medium=tumblr

One of the unexpected awesome aspects of writing a #horrornovel is getting to scare the crap out of my family and friends. Seriously. It does not get old. 🖤 I just got the following text from my ride-or-die BFF since middle school: 🖤 “Holy SHIT Diana. I mean, it is scary. In such a good WAY! It might be my favorite book of yours. It gave me a nightmare. How cool is that?!” 🖤 And I get to reply, “OMG, that makes me sooo happy!!” 😂 🖤 So if you know me IRL, or even if you don’t, feel free to let me how much I creeped you out. It makes my day. Every. Time. Also, leave a review on @goodreads and @amazon! It matters more than you think! 🖤 Also, how awesome is this #bookstagram photo?? The skeletons look like the Angel of Tears brought to life. I love it! 🖤 And here is a snippet of review by @a_latte_books_by_kristen: “Raw, emotionally taxing, and creepy, SMALL TOWN MONSTERS truly captures all the spooky season musts!… I think the interactions between the characters takes some of the terrifying moments and makes them emotionally relatable…I was blown away by the intensity of it!” 🖤 I’d like to hug this review. 💀💀 🖤 QOTD: Are you doing Halloween this year? What are the popular costumes? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #bookaholic #YA #youngadult #YAnovel #horrorstories #Latinx #booklovers #authorsofinstragram #spookyseason #YAhorrornovel #ireadYA #bibliophile #bookstagrammer #booknerd #storyteller #authorlife #bookaddict #bibliophile #booknerdigan #spooky #spookymonth #spookybookathon #spookyscaryskeletons #spookyvibes #readersofinstagram #amreading #read #reading #read https://www.instagram.com/p/CVjB6eoATFL/?utm_medium=tumblr