Diana Hockley

Diana Hockley

Brisbane, Queensland

I live in an Australian country town in southeast Queensland, with my husband, Andrew,two male pet rats - Crash and Bash - and six girls, Inky, Annie, Phoebe, Pinky, Sweetie, Sister, Margaret and Baby.

For thirteen years we lived on a 35 acre farm, running a small Scottish Highland cattle stud (Fold) and valeting mice. Yes, mice! Our primary business was actually a mouse circus which kept the roof over the heads of ourselves, our cats, our dogs and our cows for ten years. Andrew, known to the show fraternity as The Mouse Man, travelled throughout southeast and western Queensland, northern and western New South Wales and as far south as Coffs Harbour with the circus, which was featured in lots of TV shows and documentaries.

A few years ago, we retired and the mouse circus sold. (YouTube, mouse circus Australia)

My first novel: THE NAKED ROOM

I was presenting an episode of my weekly classical music program and the thought surfaced: what would happen if the main performer didn't turn up for the concert? Of course, it followed that something pretty drastic would have to happen for that to occur. Artists of any genre will perform on their deathbeds, so why would Ally Carpenter (the name popped into my mind without conscious thought) go missing?

Second in the Detective Senior Sergeant Susan Prescott series:

I needed to find out what happened to some of them, so before I finished N/Room, I began THE CELIBATE MOUSE. I had to get her into the country, so it became necessary to work out why a city cop would voluntarily move there for an extended time.

In 2008, Andrew and I, who are members of the Working Sheepdogs Association, went to Tasmania to see the finals of the Tasman Cup in Launceston. I was watching a trial finish. The human competitor was standing exposed to the elements at the last pen, just about to close it on the three sheep, with the dog poised to prevent breakouts. A breathless moment indeed. A scenario popped into my slimy little mind. ‘You could pick him off with a rifle quite easily.' Hence the opening line in Celibate Mouse: 'There is no mistaking the crack of a high powered rifle.'

Crime, Mystery, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Suspense, Thriller & Suspense

CHRISTMAS WITH SNOZ

With the help of Ben's pet, Snoz, this Christmas would be one the family would never forget. Snoz had good intentions, but...

After Ariel: It started as a game

Detective Inspector Susan Prescott never dreamed that at her age she would be keeping a secret from her husband, David, but before she gets around to revealing all, he is called away on what she suspects is dangerous business. If that isn’t enough to worry about, two murders – which she believes are connected – have to be investigated, one of them involving a close friend. Pamela Miller, classical flautist, having overcome her debilitating stage fright after intensive hypnotherapy, is looking forward to her major concert at the Concert Hall at Southbank. However, her triumph is somewhat muted after a devastating discovery and its aftermath. The advent in her life of a sexy detective is a bonus, but is she hoping for more than he is prepared to give? Ariel is delighted by the gorgeous musician she meets on the plane from Sydney, but is frustrated by not being able to boast about it to her girlfriends. He’s asked her to dinner, but she has a better idea – how about a fun night at home? Dingo just wants to play games. Then it all goes wrong.

The Celibate Mouse

Shell-shocked from a tragedy at work and an acrimonious domestic upheaval, Detective Senior Sergeant Susan Prescott flees town to recuperate, but fate has other ideas. Her plan to house-sit for relatives in a rural community is shattered when Susan witnesses a very public murder within an hour of her arrival. Things turn sinister after an encounter with an elderly lady; a hint of a long ago murder is not a secret with which Susan wants to be entrusted. Enter Detective Inspector David Maguire whom she has not seen for thirteen years and who is assigned to the case, which sends her into a further tailspin. Against her better judgment, Susan is drawn inexorably into the investigation, surrounded by menacing strangers whose private agendas threaten her safety, and soon, her life.

REQUIEM FOR A LOST YOUT

Sometimes, just when you feel safe, the past comes back to haunt you...

The Naked Room

When classical pianist Ally Carpenter goes missing during a night out with friends, the implications stretch far beyond her disappearance. Veteran detective, Senior Sergeant Susan Prescott, believes that sexual predators may have abducted Ally. However, after two women with connections to the Carpenters are murdered, she realises there may be more to the crime than at first thought. While Prescott puts all her efforts into solving the crime, those close to Ally battle their own turmoil. Friendships become strained and secrets come to light as Ally's terrified mother, Eloise, is forced to confront the lie she has perpetuated for 26 years. Cellist, Briece Mochrie―determined to discover what has happened to the girl he loves―is swept into a dangerous undertow of murder and revenge. The kidnappers have their own agenda; Ally's life is on the line.

FRISBEE, RAT DETECTIVE

Frisbee, Fiona's pet rat is loyal and as loving as he knows how, but can he put aside his greed long enough to track down an evil-doer? Make a cup of delicious coffee and perhaps a hot scone with jam and cream slathered all over it, put your feet up and relax for ten minutes with a kooky Australian story!!

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