Dianne's Book Web Site
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Dianne is an award-winning children's author. Her novels, all published by Hougthon Mifflin, include:
Holding Up the Earth - 2000
Together Apart - 2002
Tomorrow, the River - 2006
Before becoming a children's author, Dianne had a 20+ year career in computer information systems. Hodgepodge is a marriage of Dianne's two passions - creative writing and programming. And Hodgepodge is just the beginning. She is currently working on a piece of software for more advanced creative writers, adapted from a workshop she teaches, called "Jazzing Up the Details."
She holds undergraduate degrees in computer science and psychology, and a master's degree in creative writing from Hamline University.
Following is a "story" which tells of Dianne's inspiration for developing Hodgepodge:
A Story-Writer’s Story
Once upon a time, in a land of 10,000 lakes (setting), there lived a children’s author (main character) who taught writing workshops to young people. Students in these workshops spun for elements of character, setting, and plot on hand-made story-spinner boards. Happy ending, story over? Oh, my no. Teachers and parents wished to PURCHASE these hand-made story-spinner boards (plot-problem). Now the author, who possessed a vivid imagination, could not imagine herself mass-producing hand-made story-spinner boards. But there were all those wishes to grant, so she thought and thought. And then, one day, she had an idea — use the “idea” behind the story-spinner boards to create a piece of animated software. She’d once been a computer programmer, though her programming skills were in need of a major overhaul. It wasn’t easy (plot-struggle). The dolphin beached itself in the fronds of a palm tree. The desert roadrunner dashed haphazardly across the sky. The tornado didn’t twirl. But the author kept at it, often wringing her hands and gnawing her knuckles, until she could find nothing more to fix and triumphantly declared her creation finished. Student, teacher, and parent testers found the software engaging, imaginative, educational, and FUN (plot-resolution).
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