Influences

• E.B. White's Charlotte's Web, which my first grade teacher read to our class. It was the first time a story made me cry, and it was full of love and sacrifice, wonder and suspense--things that still influence my writing today.

  Alice Hoffman, whose books were my bibles more than two decades ago, when I first started writing.

  Anne Morrow Lindbergh, whose Gift from the Sea is a lesson in relationships taught at, on and through my favorite setting--the beach.

  Maya Angelou, whose magic with words never fails to mesmerize me.

  The everyday people who cope with life's adversities while still managing to see their glass half full. It's their stories I find most intriguing.

Favorite Books

• Poisonwood Bible
  The Glass Castle
  The Pilot's Wife
  The Time Traveler's Wife
  A Thousand Splendid Suns

Favorite Authors

• Barbara Kingsolver, Anita Shreve, Alice Hoffman, Pat Conroy, Lee Smith, Ann Rivers Siddons, Luanne Rice, Elizabeth Berg

Web Links

• Diane's website
• Diane's blog