SL_Spotlight_DIANA_RODRIGUEZ_WALLACH_0821_Spotlight 8 / 31 / 21 1 : 24 PM Page 1 s S P O T L I G H T Going Dark “ The experience of having lived through that changed me , ” she says . Diana Rodriguez Wallach “ Everyone around us was wearing hazmat suits , and I had this reoccurring hits her stride with a thought : How many people in those towers went to work every day and new YA novel about the hated their jobs ? To me , 23 was too young to hate my job . We stuck out nature of evil . our two - year lease and then decided to go back to Philadelphia . ” BY BILL DONAHUE Once back home , she pursued two endeavors that touched her heart — helping children and writing , particularly thrillers and dark fiction “ Do something you love . ” When Diana for young adults . She has since written and Rodriguez Wallach was coming of published multiple novels , including Small Town age in Delaware County , she kept her Monsters , which will hit stores in September . Her father’s words of wisdom in the back website , dianarodriguezwallach.com , lists up - of her mind . She loved to write . Naturally , she earned a journalism degree coming virtual and in - person events to promote from Boston University and promptly got a job with a publisher in New the book’s release , including a Sept . 25 book York City . She was traveling , earning bylines , and making a name for launch at Children’s Book World in Haverford . herself in a field she respected . The only problem : She didn’t love it . We spoke with Wallach , who lives in “ Call it a quarter - life crisis , ” says Wallach , a graduate of Ridley High Villanova School in Folsom . “ I always had the feeling there was something else I with her husband and two children , about her should be doing . ” journey , the kinds of stories she likes to tell , and Everything changed after Sept . 11 , 2001 . what scares her . needed a literary agent , so I went to the Bor - would be like to grow up in an environment How did you ders by City Hall and started highlighting like that . make the agents . I got an agent in two weeks , but I did I was so young when I wrote my first transition from Q & A not sell that book . It took two more books series ; my instinct at that time was to literally journalism to with that agent for something write what I know , almost a thinly veiled to happen . writing novels ? memoir . Your voice comes out easier as you When we came back to Philly [ after New get a little older . Small Town Monsters is the York ] , I thought what I wanted to do was I love the title and the description of your first book I wrote with a male point of view . change the world . I was working at the latest novel , Small Town Monsters . What I’m branching out , which is something Philadelphia Education Fund , and my job I do you like best about the book ? was to come up with academic enrichment w My husband was the first person to read it , ouldn’t have tried at 26 . I feel like I have hit programs to make the learning experience and one morning he woke up and said , my stride with this book . better for kids . It was the first time I loved “ Who did I marry ? This is some dark [ stuff ] . ” what I was doing , and I would probably still It’s based on what I find scary . I find cult sto - You’ve done some work with Mighty be there if things hadn’t changed for me . ries to be fascinating , too — the NXIVM cult , Writers , the local nonprofit that helps kids ch I literally dreamt I was a YA author . I Jamestown . … I wanted to look at the nature through writing workshops and other alla dreamt up an entire concept of books based of evil and how people can listen to the ram - programs . Did you enjoy the experience ? W ez on an experience in middle school of being blings of one charismatic person and let logic I’ve worked with them for several years . A lot rigu bullied . A couple of years before , when I had and reason go out the window . Combine that of kids have very specific questions , and they Rod quit that first job , we took a vacation around with the [ demonic ] possession element , and love to talk about their writing . That’s some - na now you really have a story . thing I never had the confidence to do as a New England to celebrate . We stopped at Dia kid . You would be surprised at how many Salem , Massachusetts , right around Hal - of y teens I’ve met who have already written their loween , where we found a psychic . I had Small Town Monsters seems like a rtes first novels . never been to a psychic before , so I was departure from your prior works . cou Even though I went to Ridley , I never totally cagy about it , but she said , “ You’re a Small Town Monsters is completely different ph met an author when I was growing up . It’s writer . I see you writing children’s books . ” I than what I wrote earlier in my career . I was ogra nice to give all kids the kind of access they was raised Catholic , so I thought : It’s a sign . inspired by watching the Conjuring films , hot wouldn’t be able to afford otherwise , and I banged out my first novel after my hon - about [ paranormal investigators ] Ed and p or eymoon . This was 2006 - 07 . I then googled : Lorraine Warren . I remember googling if o help them know there are other jobs t Auth How do you publish a book ? I learned that I they really had a daughter , wondering what it out there . ? SUBURBANLIFEMAGAZINE.COM AUGUST 2021 88 |