Guest Post, Mysteries

Guest Chick: Diane Vallere

Lisa here, chirping the happy news that fabulous author and Chicks close friend Diane Vallere is our guest today! Not only is Diane here to tell us about her latest Madison Night mystery, MY NIGHTMARE IS YOURS, but she’s offering insights into how she discovers new books!

Might as Well Face It, I’m Addicted to Books

 by Diane Vallere

Several years ago, I moved across the country and turned the page to the next chapter of my life. Finances were tight, and frivolous spending didn’t even enter the picture, but I knew how happy books made me so I decided then and there that there would always be money for books.

There are few purchases that offer the promise to change your life, to provide an escape when you need to get away cheap, to entertain you on demand, but books are that. And even though I visit bookstores regularly, I’m always surprised when I find a perfect-for-my-tastes book that I didn’t know existed.

Authors can be insanely curious about how readers find books, so I turned the lens to myself. In scientific mode, I decided to isolate my five most recent book purchases to see where I found them.

  1. Most recent purchase: Cool Cat Blues: The Life and Times of Georgie Fame, Ben Sidran

Four years ago, I signed up for the Modculture newsletter while researching a book with a mod theme. I love the newsletter content so much that I never unsubbed. This past week they included news of this upcoming biography. I’m a Georgie Fame fan, so off I was to my local Barnes & Noble to preorder my copy.

  1. Ghost of the Hardy Boys: The Writer Behind the World’s Most Famous Boy Detectives, Les McFarlane

A few days ago I chased down a memoir I’d been wanting at a not-local Barnes & Noble. While scanning the shelves for the desired title, I spotted this book. I was raised on a steady diet of children’s mystery series, so I grabbed it, bought it, and can’t wait to dive in.

  1. The Secret Lives of Murderer’s Wives, Elizabeth Arnott

Spotted this while browsing a bookstore’s shelves. How did this not reach me while on preorder? Murderers. Sixties. THAT. COVER. I mean, come on!

  1. The Wrong Stuff: How the Soviet Space Program Crashed and Burned, John Strausbaugh

I’m a nut for books about space history. While browsing the bookshelves at the National Air and Space Museum in D.C. I spotted this book, which should sit nicely with The Right Stuff, The Real Stuff, and The Right Stuff, The Wrong Sex, suggesting that “stuff” is the official word of books about the space program.

  1. The Ending Writes Itself, Evelyn Clarke

Nabbed from a table near the entrance/exit at an indie bookstore after picking up a special order.

Scientifically speaking, it would appear that I’ve found most of my recent books by browsing bookstore shelves. But here’s the lightning round: book discovery without the bookstore:

  • Discovered countless books from Goodreads Giveaways (I won two!)
  • Discovered twenty-two books for my TBR pile on Pinterest
  • Discovered a bagful of books on the $5/bag day at the annual BookBonanza. (One became one of my favorite books of 2025)
  • Discovered many, many books by listening to panelists at book conventions and browsing the bookstore tables
  • Discovered When Women Ran Fifth Avenue (Julie Satow) and Sometimes You Have to Lie: The Life and Times of Louise Fitzhugh, Renegade Author of Harriet the Spy (Leslie Brody) on Instagram
  • Discovered The Saleslady (Francis K. Donovan): a 1929 text that describes the life of female sales associates in that era, in a footnote in When Women Ran Fifth Avenue.
  • Discovered The Grand Design (Joy Calloway) on Booky Call (a dating app for readers).

READER COMMENT QUESTION FROM DIANE: Given more time and space, my scientific experiment would eventually conclude one thing: there are innumerable ways to discover books. I’ve shown you mine, now show me yours. Where do you find your bookshelf treasures?

ABOUT DIANE:

National bestselling author Diane Vallere writes stylish, character-driven mysteries that blend clever clues, wit, and heart. Her stories span contemporary small towns, the glamorous mid-century past, and retro-inflected worlds, all anchored by strong voices and sparkling intrigue.

A past president of Sisters in Crime Worldwide, Diane is the editor of the Agatha Award–winning essay collection Promophobia: Taking the Mystery out of Promoting Crime Fiction. Diane studied art history at the College of William and Mary and spent years in luxury retail before trading fashion accessories for accessories to murder. She currently resides in Pennsylvania.

👉🏻Join Diane’s Weekly DiVa Club and receive exclusive access to new books, discounts, and a free novella.

DIANE’S LATEST BOOK:

BUY LINK: My Nightmare Is Yours: A Madison Night Mystery

A retro dream job turns deadly when the music stops—and Madison Night may be siding with the wrong suspect.

Mid-century modern interior decorator Madison Night’s latest job should be a dream: transforming a 1950s ranch house into a retro recording studio. The catch? The client is a music producer who’s both a friend of Madison’s ex and the ex of one of her closest friends. Already caught in the crossfire of a messy post-divorce battle, Madison does her best to stay neutral—until murder takes center stage.

When pop singer Vanessa Wright, one of the producer’s two clients, is found dead in the park outside his home, neutrality is no longer an option. A former child star on the brink of a career-defining comeback, the victim had everything to gain—and someone determined to stop her. As Madison balances swatches and soundproofing with secrets and suspects, she uncovers fractures within the singer’s inner circle. 

Her police captain boyfriend is convinced the producer may be guilty, and Madison finds herself on the opposite side of the investigation. Being right would cost her personally. Being wrong could cost more than a decorating job. With motives piling up faster than records in a jukebox, Madison must uncover who silenced the singer before the microphone drops on murder.

This is the thirteenth book in the Madison Night mystery series, featuring an over fifty amateur sleuth, mid-century modern design, and crimes where personal loyalties blur the truth. Perfect for readers who love smart heroines, retro flair, and traditional mysteries with real stakes.

36 thoughts on “Guest Chick: Diane Vallere”

  1. I find books when I’m searching for titles to create my monthly release post
    I find books at book conventions
    I find books on Facebook
    I find books at bookstores
    I find books from word of mouth

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  2. Diane, thank you for visiting us and for the wonderful post. Congratulations on the release of My Nightmare is Yours. It sounds wonderful! One of my favorite go-to places to find books is Dru’s Book Musings. Love her roundups. And I get a lot of good book recommendations from the Facebook book groups I’ve joined.

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  3. Great to see Diane here! Congratulations on your new release. I loved your post–I get most of my book recommendations by word-of-mouth (I discovered my three most recent reads that way), Pinterest, BookBub, the library, and independent bookstores (there are no bookstore chains near me).

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    1. Hi Amy! Word of mouth recommendations are great (thought do you ever get suspicious of overly buzzy books? :)) Pinterest was the most surprising avenue for book discovery for me. I never would have thought, but they’re doing a good job of showing me what I like.

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      1. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the Pinterest recs! I keep TBR lists everywhere (phone, library website, email, pen & paper, etc.) and I’ve got one specifically for Pinterest finds.

        I rarely read the overly buzzy books when they’re released, so the dust has had time to settle and I can look at the reviews before deciding to read.

        Have a great day!

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  4. I find book recs almost everywhere. Facebook friends and groups I belong to, chatting with other readers, Goodreads giveaways, newsletters from authors and bookish groups, Dru’s new release lists, the library, bookstore browsing, reader cons, I could probably go on. Congrats on the new release!

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  5. Welcome, Diane! We’re so happy you’re visiting Chicks today–and thank you for this great post. I’ve added not only MY NIGHTMARE IS YOURS to my TBR, but your recs as well. They sound absolutely fascinating! I have gotten into Pinterest again recently. I love setting up random boards, so they email me each morning with possibile pins for my You’ve Got Mail, Snoopy, Vintage Christmas, and 80s/90s toys boards, ha. I have cozy mystery boards up there, too, with Jessica Fletcher and things like Detective Fashion. I discover books through Dru’s Book Musings, FB, Insta, BookBub and CrimeReads–and of course conferences and fellow author word-of-mouth. Hosting guest Chicks is a huge discovery avenue for me, too!

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      1. It can be surprisingly relaxing, Jen. I pin to boards for each of my series but also about other things I’m interested in, and in doing so, Pinterest recognizes my tastes and suggests things. It’s become a great source for book recommendations without me barely doing anything!

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  6. Hi, Diane! So glad you’re here, and congrats on lucky number 13 in your Madison Night series! I find books through word of mouth and buzz, but sometimes I’ll just browse the shelves of bookstores and my local library.

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  7. Ooooh, I want to read so many of these now! I find books at our library sale. Mostly vintage cookbooks and craft books, as well as mysteries, but often an outlier will grab my attention. One of my favorites is Dead Gene Pool, a wonderful memoir from a Vanderbilt descendant. Another was American Eve about Evelyn Nesbitt. I’ve always been fascinated by the Gilded Age, so both books fit right into my interests.

    Great to have you, Diane!

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  8. What a marvelous post, Diane! And yes, I’m one of those authors intensely curious about how people find new books to read!

    I find books mostly by word-of-mouth, but also at mystery cons, on Facebook, and browsing bookstores.

    Thanks so much for visiting the Chicks today, and hurrah for your new book!

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  12. I regularly look at the publishers I like and search for new releases. I look at posts like this. I see what others are talking about.

    I read Ghost of the Hardy Boys decades ago and enjoyed it. Hope you do as well.

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  13. I always write too long of answers to your questions, but I will make this short, I hope. I love books and have since I was a child. My father turned me on to many an author like John D. McDonald and Ian Fleming. One author leads to another, and I love when someone picks up after the death of a beloved author so that the character goes on like Spenser, Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall. I just keep buying them when I see them from your suggestions, blogs, FB, newsletters, or from a friend’s recommendations. Following authors on Amazon shows me other books and authors. Also, I get the newsletters from BookNotifications.com. I trade with a friend who keeps them in a library she made in her closet. I used to go to bookstores but haven’t been in a long time. The bookstore worker usually introduced me to new books to me (like John Dunning). I probably have more books than I can read in two lifetimes, but I just keep buying them (afraid I won’t find them later) and I love real books that I can hold in my hand though I have many on my Kindles. My likes have changed over the years. I do stay away also from buzzy books as so many are strange and not to my liking. Thank you all for writing the books I love to read and writing this blog. I keep supporting you in my small way as does my friend. Oh no, I got long again. Oops! Diane, I am reading With Vics You Get Eggrolls. I love Madison, the pup and Mod.

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  14. Hi Diane! So happy that you’re visiting us.

    Love to browse bookstore shelves. Also like listening to authors talk about their books on NPR. And of course always find books by following author friends and seeing what they’re publishing!

    Very much looking forward to reading the newest Madison.

    And I love this, which seems like such wise advice. > “I knew how happy books made me so I decided then and there that there would always be money for books”!

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    1. Hi Cynthia! Great to see you! That advice: sometimes it’s better to decide what we want our lives to look like and figure it out than to postpone the life we want because we don’t think it’s available 🙂

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  15. Besides watching for new titles from favorite authors, I browse the shelves at the public library and pick up ideas from BookBub and other online book sites (I’ve won several books from Goodreads giveaways, and thank you, one from Ellen Byron from a Chicks giveaway). You can’t win if you don’t enter!

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