Diane, Age 9

As the youngest in the family growing up on a farm outside of Findlay, Ohio, Diane often acted out characters from her own stories in the backyard. In high school she was the student sitting in class with a novel hidden in front of her propped up textbook. Her passion for reading novels had to be put on hold during her college years at Ohio State University with working part-time on campus and being a full-time student. Before embarking on her writing career, she was a school teacher and play director.

Several non-fiction articles of Diane's have been published in Woman’s World Weekly, The Catholic Telegraph, Virtue, Down Syndrome Today, WritersWeekly.com, and several other publications. Her book, The Christmas of 1957, received 5 stars from the Midwest Book Review. She writes contemporary romance, inspirational mainstream, chick-lit mystery, and non-fiction books. Her novels have received great reviews from readers and reviewers.

After watching the original movie, Cheaper by the Dozen, young Diane decided then and there, she someday wanted a large family. By the time she married Tom, the love of her life, she realized that maybe six children was a better number than twelve. She enjoys her life in southwestern Ohio with her husband and six children. Three of her adult children, Christina, April, and Bartholomew, graduated from the University of Cincinnati and live nearby.  Another daughter, Emily, will graduate from the University of Dayton in 2010. Life is never boring with two daughters, Sara and Amanda, born with Down syndrome living at home. Diane’s husband of thirty-four years is very supportive of her writing career, as well as her awesome children.