About the Book

Book: VINNY

Author: MaryAnn Diorio

Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense

Release Date: April 15, 2026

VINNY by MaryAnn Diorio
Book 1 in The South Philly Italians Romantic Suspense Series

Vinny Morello is on track for a promising career in the fine arts. But when tragedy suddenly hurls him headlong into a life-altering crisis, he faces a frightening fork in the road. Which one will he take? The road that leads to life or the road that leads to death?

VINNY is an edge-of-your-seat, romantic suspense story where tragedy and triumph merge into transformation. Don’t miss it!

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About the Author

MaryAnn Diorio writes award-winning fiction from a quaint small town in New Jersey where neighbors still chat while walking their dogs, families and friends gather on wide, wrap-around porches, and the charming downtown finds kids licking lollipops and old married folks holding hands. A Jersey girl at heart, MaryAnn is a huge fan of Jersey diners, Jersey tomatoes, and the Jersey shore.

More from MaryAnn

All Things Italian

by MaryAnn Dorio

I grew up in a home where Italian was my mother tongue. My late mother, one of the first war brides of World War II, was an immigrant from the romantic city of Naples, Italy. When I was born, she knew no English. So, we communicated in Italian. Although my mother eventually learned English, she and I always spoke in Italian until she passed away.

When I went off to college, I majored in French and minored in Italian. After I graduated, I spent a year of study at the University of Florence in Italy, earning my Master’s degree in Italian Language and Literature. Afterward, I taught Italian at the university level here in the States.

From my earliest days, Italy was a big part of my culture and of my heart. And it still is. It is no wonder then that I gravitate to writing fiction with an Italian flair. This is the milieu I know and understand best. It is the milieu I love. And I want to share it with you through my stories.

But, my fiction is far more than Italian. It is universal. In other words, it deals with issues that pertain to all of us humans. Issues of pride, rebellion, lust, and greed. Issues of deception, betrayal, hatred, and fear. Issues that result from our failure to love.

When you read my stories, you will travel to the deepest places of the human heart. Places you might not want to go to because they are places of pain, of confrontation, of facing our past and our sin. But they are also places of truth where you will find the freedom from the past and from sin that only truth brings. For my stories not only explore the deepest issues of the human heart; they show you how to overcome them through Jesus Christ.

Won’t you join me on this entertaining journey of exploration and transformation? If you do, I have a feeling that at the end of my stories, you will discover that you have become a far better person than you were at the beginning.

An Interview with MaryAnn Diorio

What kind of stories do you most enjoy reading? I enjoy reading romance and romantic suspense, both historical and contemporary.

How do you come up with character names? Usually, they just pop into my head. In fact, I need a character’s name before I can start writing a novel. When an intriguing name pops into my head, the character comes to life, and I see him or her start to walk across the stage of my mind.

What is something good that has happened or something that you have learned as a result of you becoming an author? The best thing that has happened to me as a result of becoming an author is that I have learned to love Jesus in a much deeper way. Through co-creating stories with the Holy Spirit, I have learned to trust God more. I have learned more about the Father’s character and about His love for me. These are priceless lessons.

What is your favorite thing about being an author? My favorite thing about being an author is co-creating with God and sensing His Spirit hovering over me as I write.

What’s something about writing that you find surprisingly difficult? I haven’t found any one particular thing surprisingly difficult, but I have found many things difficult. For example, like all believers, writers who are Christ-Followers are continually attacked by Satan. Writers are especially attacked in those areas essential to writing; for example, in their fingers, their eyes, their bodies, their computers, their technology. The enemy wants to stop the message of Christ’s love from getting out. But praise God, we have the victory in Christ, and we can overcome any attack in His power! Glory to God!

What makes a good story? A good story stems from a character with a deep emotional wound that causes a serious problem that seems impossible to overcome. The character is forced to face the problem or else suffer severe consequences, maybe even death. When he does face the problem, he grows and is eventually transformed into becoming the person God created him to be. At its core, a good story shows the character’s process of identifying the lies in his life, renouncing those lies, and replacing them with the truth.

Do you have any traditions or special treats you enjoy as a way to celebrate when you finish a WIP or publish a new book? I either go out to eat with my husband, or I treat myself to a new book.

What kind of scenes are your favorite to write? Which are the hardest for you? I love to write scenes that show forgiveness prevailing in very hard places, where, in the natural realm, forgiveness seems impossible. The hardest scenes for me to write emotionally are scenes depicting the physical effects of evil, such as scenes in which someone is injured or killed.

When a new reader picks up you book(s), what kind of story or themes will they find? Forgiveness is a theme that occurs in every one of my novels, but I don’t plan it that way. I can only conclude that since forgiveness has been a huge part of my own life and my own healing, the Holy Spirit writes this theme through me in each of my stories.

What advice would you offer an aspiring author? Start writing TODAY. Don’t wait until things are perfect, because they never will be. When my children were small, I used to write while waiting for a red traffic light to turn green. The driver behind me always let me know when that happened. Trust God to give you the words to write. You are co-creating with Him. He will never leave you nor forsake you as you write. He will be there, inspiring you with the story of His heart. Study the craft of fiction writing (or whatever type of writing you choose). Scripture commands us to study the Word to show ourselves approved. This principle applies to writing. We need to study to learn the craft so that we can create the best stories possible. There are no shortcuts here. Read widely in your chosen genre. We learn by osmosis. Reading the works of other published authors will greatly help you improve your own work. Treat your reader with respect. Readers are very intelligent. You owe them your honor, your respect, and your best efforts.