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.

Interview with the Author

Do you read books in this genre? If so, who do you like to read? Yes. It is essential for authors to read books in the genres in which they write. I enjoy reading romantic suspense by DiAnn Mills. I currently am reading Girl Lost by Kate Angelo.
If a reader were to ask you what author you are like, what would you answer? I have no idea. 🙂 Perhaps
What helps you to write? Do you eat snacks, listen to music? I write while listening to Baroque music, especially Vivaldi. Apparently, Baroque music taps into the area of the brain involved in creativity.
If you could travel back in time, what time period would you go to?
What is your favorite book and why? Without question, the Bible is my favorite. It is man’s manual for life, and I can’t live withou it.
What is your favorite hymn and why? The Old Rugged Cross – I love the lyrics that point me to the Cross, humanity’s only hope.
What is one thing readers would be surprised to learn about you? Italian is my mother tongue since my mother is from Itally.
What inspired you to write this book? I wanted to give readers insight into the amazing Italian-American culture in which I was born and raised. It is a culture characterized by perseverance, determination, stubbornness, family loyalty, humor, and love.
Share with me a few of your favorite things. Spending time with my husband. Spending time with family and friends. Reading. Painting in oils and acrylics. Playing the piano.

Taking long walks.

What is one question you would like readers to ask you? What would be your answer? Question: What is the most important decision a person can make in life? My Answer: The decision to believe in Jesus Christ and to receive Him as one’s personal Savior and Lord.