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Diane Thomas

Goodreads Author

Born

in Oakland, California, The United States

April 22, 1942

Website

http://www.dianethomas.net

Twitter

dianethomaswrit

Genre

Literary Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

Influences

Tim O'Brien, Joyce Carol Oates, Kevin Powers, Louise Erdrich, James Di ...more

Member Since

May 2011

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/goodreadscomdiane_thomas

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My second novel, In Wilderness, a literary thriller inspired in part by the haunting southern Appalachian folk ballads of violence and erotic obsession, was also my first. I wrote it in 1981 to distract myself from fears of dying, during an extended period of extreme ill health. I titled this early version The Clearing, gave my symptoms to its protagonist, and sent her into a Georgia mountain wilderness to either die or heal.
Before moving to New Mexico in 2009, I'd lived in Atlanta and north Georgia since age four, except for two years in New York earning an MFA in Theater and Film History and Criticism at Columbia University. I hold a BA in English from Georgia State University and have worked as a reporter for The Atlanta Constitution, n My second novel, In Wilderness, a literary thriller inspired in part by the haunting southern Appalachian folk ballads of violence and erotic obsession, was also my first. I wrote it in 1981 to distract myself from fears of dying, during an extended period of extreme ill health. I titled this early version The Clearing, gave my symptoms to its protagonist, and sent her into a Georgia mountain wilderness to either die or heal.
Before moving to New Mexico in 2009, I'd lived in Atlanta and north Georgia since age four, except for two years in New York earning an MFA in Theater and Film History and Criticism at Columbia University. I hold a BA in English from Georgia State University and have worked as a reporter for The Atlanta Constitution, now the AJC. In 1966, at 24, I became the nation’s youngest major-newspaper entertainment editor, reviewing local plays, interviewing national film and theatre celebrities (including directors Alfred Hitchcock, Robert Altman, and Elia Kazan, and actors Susan Hayward, Carol Channing, and Michael Caine), and reviewing such iconic films as “Bonnie and Clyde,” “Midnight Cowboy,” and “Blow Up.” I later joined Atlanta, then a controversial, pioneering city magazine. By the time I fell ill, I had become successful as a freelance writer.
Though nominated for the Pushcart Editors Prize, The Clearing was never published. My illness abated, I resumed my freelance career fulltime, studied in Georgia State’s Creative Writing program, and in 2002 completed The Year the Music Changed: The Letters of Achsa McEachern-Isaacs and Elvis Presley (The Toby Press, 2005). This coming-of-age novel enjoyed critical success and, for a small-press book, respectable sales.
In 2009, my husband and I moved to New Mexico. Homesick for the Georgia mountains, where we’d spent much of the previous seven years, I completely rewrote The Clearing, retitled it In Wilderness, and never dreamed anyone would publish it, since no one had before. A Santa Fe friend talked me into looking for an agent anyway and, miracle of miracles, I found one and she found a publisher for my book.
In Wilderness came out in March 2015 from Bantam Books, an imprint of Random House, seven weeks before my 73rd birthday. It was names an "Amazon Best Book" for March 2015, was recommended by Library Journal for "readers who also like the raw, honest writing of Amy Bloom and Amanda Coplin," and endorsed by Lee Child as "Altogether spectacular."
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Diane Thomas’s books

Average rating: 3.68 · 1,152 ratings · 285 reviews · 27 distinct works • Similar authors

	In Wilderness 3.60 avg rating — 825 ratings — published 2015 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Year the Music Changed: The Letters of Achsa McEachern-Isaacs & Elvis Presley 3.89 avg rating — 323 ratings — published 2005 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Unicorn and the King it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Time to Forgive liked it 3.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2007 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Time To Forgive 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mr. Lonely Mitchell by Diane Thomas (Goodreads Author), Charlene Howard (Illustrator) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Perfect Gentleman 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	WHAT'S SO IMPORTANT ABOUT THE EASTER EGGS? 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Romancing the stone: [screenplay] 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	School boards, public relations, and the media: Your practical communications guide 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Diane Thomas's Blog

Tim O'Brien's big risk:IN THE LAKE OF THE WOODS

Just finished Tim O'Brien's 1994 novel IN THE LAKE OF THE WOODS. As in just put it down. I'm not crashingly well read -- I've got eye problems-- but I think ITLOTW may be the most courageous book I've ever read.

Forget happy endings, this book about a war-haunted Vietnam vet doesn't even (ever?) END. He never solves the terrifying mystery he creates that keeps us turning pages well into the night. Read more of this blog post »

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Published on March 24, 2015 16:46

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Diane is Currently Reading

Diane Thomas is currently reading

Into the Wilderness (Wilderness, #1)

by Sara Donati

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Mar 03, 2019 01:47PM

Quotes by Diane Thomas (?)

“That was the end of Grogan... the man who killed my father, raped and murdered my sister, burned my ranch, shot my dog, and stole my Bible!”
― Diane Thomas, Romancing the Stone

2 likes

“down hard on the soft part of your hand, but not so”
― Diane Thomas, In Wilderness

0 likes

Polls

December BoTM: A book published in 2015 Nominations

1st Poll- top five books move onto the next round.

The Girl on the Train

by Paula Hawkins

11 votes, 16.4%

A Spool of Blue Thread

by Anne Tyler

9 votes, 13.4%

Go Set a Watchman

by Harper Lee

9 votes, 13.4%

Red Queen

by Victoria Aveyard

8 votes, 11.9%

A Little Life

by Hanya Yanagihara

6 votes, 9.0%

Life or Death

by Michael Robotham

5 votes, 7.5%

BULL MOUNTAIN

by Brian Panowich

5 votes, 7.5%

The Stranger

by Harlan Coben

5 votes, 7.5%

God Save the Child

by Toni Morrison

3 votes, 4.5%

Summer Secrets

by Jane Green

3 votes, 4.5%

In Wilderness

by Diane Thomas

2 votes, 3.0%

Marked

by Sarah Fine

1 vote, 1.5%

Where All Light Tends to Go

by David Joy

0 votes, 0.0%

67 total votes

5 comments

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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The Seasonal Read...: Winter Challenge 2010-2011 Completed Tasks (do not delete any posts)	2578	1106	Feb 28, 2011 09:05PM
Reading with Style: SP 2016 WotW Itineraries	17	57	Apr 16, 2016 02:24PM
Reading with Style: SP 2016 RwS Completed Tasks Spring 2016	1188	101	May 31, 2016 09:01PM
THE JAMES MASON C...: WHAT IS YOUR PET PEEVE WITH NOVELS	1340	1213	Apr 26, 2021 04:43AM
Aussie Readers: * Up & Coming New Releases	772	1109	Oct 31, 2025 03:12PM

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Diane’s Quotes

“I've found that there is always some beauty left -- in nature, sunshine, freedom, in yourself; these can all help you.”
― Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl

3747 likes

“A man goes out on the beach and sees that it is covered with starfish that have washed up in the tide. A little boy is walking along, picking them up and throwing them back into the water. “What are you doing, son?” the man asks. “You see how many starfish there are? You’ll never make a difference.” The boy paused thoughtfully, and picked up another starfish and threw it into the ocean. “It sure made a difference to that one,” he said.”
― Nicholas D. Kristof, Half the Sky

25 likes