I was born Dianne Lynne Fairbanks on July 10, 1953, in Warren, Ohio, which is a small town near the Pennsylvania border.

I grew up with two younger sisters and a younger brother. My father was a lawyer. My mother was full-time homemaker. We lived next door to my grandparents.

The Fairbanks family was a BIG family. Lucky me! I grew up around dozens of cousins, bunches of uncles, and oodles of aunts. Each week, the whole family came to my grandparents' house for Sunday dinner. The grownups spent their time together telling stories and jokes. Sometimes the kids would make up a musical play for the grownups to watch. It was a lot of fun!

My father's family has Native American roots, traced to the Blackfoot tribe. My parents and grandparents taught me to respect nature. Every summer, I helped weed our small family garden. Hiking in the woods and fields has been a hobby of mine since I learned to walk!

I've always loved animals, too. My family shared our house with an ever-changing, ever-growing 'zoo'. The pet parade included at times: ducklings, bunnies, baby chicks, stray cats and their kittens, guinea pigs, hamsters, painted turtles, guppies, white mice, goldfish, and a dog or two.

One birthday, I even tried to talk my parents into getting me a pet pony small enough to live in our garage. It didn't work. I DID get to have my picture taken on a pony at the county fair, though.

I started my 'book-writing' career long before I could actually read or write for myself. I drew pictures on the back of scrap paper that my grandfather brought home from his book keeping office for me. I made up stories to go with the drawings. Then I punched holes in the paper and bound them together into a book with strings of yarn tied in tight knots. I would show my homemade books to neighbors and family members, flipping the pages as I told the stories that went with the drawings.

Of course, I eventually learned how to write. But I thought the best thing about going to school was learning how to read. Soon I had my very own library card! During the school year, my parents drove me downtown to the public library. In the summer, I rode my bike to check out books from the Bookmobile---it was like a library on wheels. I was hooked on books! Reading, drawing and writing are still my very favorite things to do.

Today, I work and live in Pennsylvania and Florida, with my husband, sons and pets.