Diane Corso, a native Californian, published the thriller Skin and Bones in 2009 with Bennett and Hastings Publishing in Seattle, Washington.
Her new book, Broken Things, won the 2023 Page Turner Writing Award as well as Best Paranormal/Supernatural Genre.
She lives with her husband Michael in the San Francisco Bay Area.
After trying to sell my book Broken Things through my agent for over a year, I was about ready to give up. I even let my agent go, since only indies were left and they tend not to pay advances. Then a friend mentioned she'd won a writing contest in New Mexico, and I realized that unpublished contests existed. I entered five.
I made finalist in one, placed second in another, and won my genre and the overall fiction award with Page Turner! One of the judges is now my publisher, and we're releasing on June 24, 2025. There are a lot of people out there who discourage entering contests, but in this world, it's very tough to set yourself apart from all the other amazing writers out there. I cannot stress enough just how important the Page Turner Awards have been to my writing career - without them, I'd likely still be unpublished.
Broken Things
She came to the cabin to write. The cabin had other plans.
Maggie Oliver, a once-successful blogger, is attempting to rebuild her life as a writer three years after the tragic loss of her husband and young son in a car accident. Injured and grieving, she moves to her late husband's lakeside family cabin in the Sierra Nevadas to heal and write. When recurring nightmares and hauntings lead her to uncover long-hidden secrets, Maggie relies on help from the other side to navigate her way through a mysterious shadow world and lay her ghosts to rest.
"This book goes beyond the horror genre and the typical ghost story. It digs deep into that monster: grief, the daily-ness of loss, and how our identity reshapes itself as we heal. Through her instantly likeable protagonist, Corso shows us how to make peace with one's past and give voice to those who've had theirs stolen. I was gripped by this story and turned pages late into the night, losing myself in this mystery as it unfolded in Maggie's lakeside cabin." —Laura Munson, New York Times best-seller, author of The Wild Why, and founder of Haven Writing Retreats
Diane's Awards and Accolades:
- Winner, 2023 Page Turner Fiction Award
- Winner, 2023 Page Turner Best Paranormal/Supernatural Genre
- Second Place, 2023 PNWA (Pacific Northwest Writers’ Association) Horror/Paranormal Genre
- Finalist, 2023 CIBA Awards, Paranormal Genre
Muse Literary Publishing Contract
Diane won a publishing contract with Patricia Fors, of Founder of Muse Literary, a small independent traditional publisher based in Chicago, Illinois.
Patti is thrilled to have worked with Diane...
I must tell you how thrilled we are that Diane Corso is almost ready for publication! Authors like Diane are what makes being a small publishing house magical … the beauty of someone who truly put their heart and soul into the storytelling, And then is willing to really “spit and polish until it shines like a diamond” … I am so deeply honored and humbled that we were able to find her amongst your Page Turner Awards contestants. We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful storyteller and lovely soul to work with! What a gemstone find it was to have her come out of the Page Turner Awards.
