Today I’m handing on the blog-baton to author Diane Benefiel.

An avid reader for as long as she can remember, Diane has always favored stories with strong female characters who went on adventures and could think themselves out of the most dangerous situations. It’s no surprise that those are the kinds of books she enjoys writing.

Diane loves the outdoors and reflects this passion in her books. Born and raised in southern California, family vacations invariably meant camping in locations ranging from Big Sur to Death Valley. Her debut novel is set in a fictional town in one of her favorite areas, the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. Her love of travel took her to Sweden as an exchange student when she was sixteen and backpacking around Great Britain (after a week in Paris) while in college. Taking the kids on a cross country road trip would have turned out better if the last Harry Potter novel hadn’t just been released. They remember Harry searching for Horcruxes more than camping in a cornfield in Illinois.

When not writing exciting tales of women in danger, Diane spends her time at her day job (teaching US History), gardening, and bugging her husband to finish the house remodel. She is a member of two chapters of the Romance Writers of America, the East Valley Authors and the Orange County Chapter.

Diane’s Romantic Suspense novel, A Need to Protect, was released this year by Decadent Publishing.

AT A GLANCE
Bradley Gallagher has a need to protect. Emmaline Kincaid, the original I-can-do-it-myself girl, doesn’t trust cops. A fire, vandalism, and violent attack force Emma to accept Brad’s protection. Danger threatens and sparks fly as they race to find the villain menacing Emma’s new-found home and community.

MORE TO THE STORY
Ready to hit the reset button on life, Emma Kincaid heads to Hangman’s Loss, the only place she’s ever felt truly happy. An unexpected inheritance has given her just the chance she needs to start over. But then the garage goes up in flames. Follow that with an unsettling break-in and it’s clear an unknown and dangerous enemy is after her. Emma doesn’t like cops. She really, really doesn’t like cops. But she’s going to have to put her cop issues on hold to find who’s threatening her.

Everyone in Hangman’s Loss depends on Bradley Gallagher to protect them; he’s the Chief of Police, for Christ’s sake. Everyone trusts him, that is, except prickly Emmaline Kincaid. Someone’s after her and Brad sure as hell will do everything in his power to defend her, including putting his life on the line. Somewhere between frisking her for weapons and Emma dunking him in the Dunk a Hunk tank at the town picnic, his heart has taken the fall.

The race to find the threatening predator forces Brad and Emma to work together. Sparks fly as they butt heads, but a gun aimed at the heart has a way of shaking up priorities. Will they be able to trust one another enough to have a future?

Follow Diane on Facebook and Twitter, and today, head on over to her Website, where she’s talking about her writing process!