Diane Manning was born and raised in Brooklyn New York, with family roots in Virginia and Florida. In the late '90s, Ms. Manning began to see an overwhelming need, for substance abuse services, as a result of the drug epidemic, ravishing her New York City community.
Ms. Manning enrolled in Marist College, in upstate New York, earning a degree in Mental Health and Substance Abuse counseling. In a Writing II course, the class was challenged to create a short story in any genre. With her love for gory horror movies, one evening, on a snowy wintery night, with the beautiful Catskill Mountains as her backdrop, Ms. Manning birth the character, Melinda Henderson, a young, vibrant woman, looking to become an investigative reporter.
Ms. Manning's first book, Deceit, Lies and Broken Promises was released in 2008 under the genre of mystery/thriller and suspense. As with any great writer and on the words of her favorite writer, the late Toni Morrison, "You have to write until you know, you have perfected your skills." 
Ten years later, Ms. Manning revised and re-titled her first book to, The Investigations of Reporter Melinda Henderson Deceitful Lies, Volume I and created a series, with the new release of The Investigations of Reporter Melinda Henderson: Justice Served, Volume II. The next series, Sold, will be available in 2020.
Between Ms. Manning's dedication to helping people and spreading awareness on the seriousness of Mental Illness and stigmas related to the disorders, Ms. Manning loves spending time with her family, friends, her cat Sheeba, and her rescue dog, Matilda.