Today we’d like to introduce you to Diane Wingerson.
Hi Diane, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
When I wrote my first children’s book, Gary Greenbird Learns To Fly, I had just retired. It took me an hour and a half to write my first draft.
The inspiration for my book is my grandson. He is on the autism spectrum. At the time, he was starting pre-school. Everything was new and scary. Things like fire drills terrified him. He’s 10 years old now. He plays basketball and the buzzer at end of each quarter, the one that sounds like a fire alarm, doesn’t faze him. He’s come so far.
I want every book in the Gary Greenbird series to teach a lesson. In Gary Greenbird Learns To Fly, that lesson is courage.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The first book went very smoothly. It was still scary, but at least there was no drama.
The second book, Gary Greenbird A Baseball Adventure, had a few bumps. Writing it wasn’t a problem. I had to do a little more research because the Greenbird family wasn’t just hanging out around the tree this time. The boys were traveling halfway across the country.
Editing went great. The illustrations were tricky because my illustrator wasn’t familiar with baseball, but she did a wonderful job. I think she might be a fan of the game now.
Formatting took longer than expected for a few reasons. The first formatter left the company I hired, and my book fell through the cracks. Nobody was returning phone calls, so, thanks to author friends, I found a woman to take over the formatting… after her honeymoon. lol My launch ended up taking place over three months later than I had planned.
For the third book in the series, I have a local illustrator, and we’re able to meet in person. She is using watercolor and gouache, and her illustrations are stunning.
I’m formatting this one myself. Stay tuned.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I spent most of my life in finance. When I retired, I was the accountant for a 2800-home 55+ HOA community. I paid the bills, kept track of residents’ dues, and made sure things stayed on budget during the construction of a million-dollar fitness center. There was not much creativity involved.
For several years after I moved to Arizona, I worked as an activity director. Creativity is a must in that job. Everything has a theme. Every dinner, entertainment event, and dance has to have special decorations, food, and sometimes costumes. Sixty-hour workweeks drove me back to finance.
I was proud of the work I did on both sides of the spectrum. Actually, I was proud that I was able to do both jobs because one was nothing like the other.
And now here I am writing children’s books. Gary Greenbird will be at least a five-book series. I have a manuscript written that I would classify as a fairy tale, and just finished writing the first book of my next series. There’s also a book in the works about a beagle who finds her forever home. It will be filled with photos and captions of the things that go through a beagle’s brain. We currently live with beagles number six and seven, so I have become a mind reader at this point.
Did I mention I have a contemporary romance manuscript sitting here on my desk? That will probably become a three-book series, along with a couple of novellas.
Also, did I mention I need more hours in the day?
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
When I was growing up, I liked sports, cars, rock music, and working on my brother’s farm. There weren’t many sports offered for girls at the parochial school I attended in the 1970s. I played tennis, and we got a basketball team when I was a junior. There was, however, always a basketball, baseball or football game going on in the neighborhood. After high school, I played rec league volleyball, tennis and golf. I still golf. My game has never improved after all these years.
Of course, there were always lots of Barbie dolls between my friends and me. My Barbie had a fast car. That’s probably why I bought a Camaro Z28 when I got my first job.
I loved business classes in high school. I learned to type on a manual typewriter. Remember reaching for that return lever with your little finger? We took dictation by hand and used a full-key adding machine. There were no computers in our little business classroom.
I also took every art class I could fit into my schedule. I loved pen and ink, with watercolor a close second.
I still love sports, especially baseball. I’m a huge Cubs fan.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dianewingerson.com
- Instagram: @dkwingerson_author
- Facebook: https://Facebook.com/D.K.Wingerson
