Snacks: What inspired you to write your first book? 

Diane: It all started when my daughter, Jennifer, was 2 years old.  I had taken her to the doctor that day and she had to get a shot.  She was a good little girl and the doctor gave her a sticker. 

That night I let her crawl in bed with me, and I told her a bedtime story about a little girl who had to go to the doctor to get a shot, etc., and the doctor gave her a sticker.  (Like I tell the kids, "write what you know!")  But in my story, the little girl got the sticker stuck on her tongue.  Well, my daughter thought it was the funniest thing she had ever heard.  Of course, I was talking like Sylvester the Cat most of the time, with my tongue between my teeth. 

But, I thought, if my daughter likes it I'm sure the whole world will.  So the next morning I got up and started writing "Sthicker Tongue-Tied."  (I wrote it in rhyme because I loved reading rhyming picture books to Jenn.)    Unfortunately that book was never published, but that story is what inspired it all!  

Snacks: Are your stories based on your experiences? 

Diane: Yes, my family is a great inspiration for several of my books.  My daughter Jennifer inspired “Look Both Ways” after she ran out into the street, and my son Sam inspired my beginning reader, “How to Drive Your Sister Crazy.”  (I don’t even have to explain that one!) [Read More]