About Diana
I’m not a native Texan. I just sound like one. As the daughter of a sailor and the oldest of four children, I was born out of state on a naval base. But I’ve lived in Texas ever since I was age two, which lends credibility to that whole “nature over nurture” theory. Yes, you can be warped by your environment.
While my mom and dad were apparently busy making more children, ones they hoped would turn out right, I learned to entertain myself. I’d make mud pies, play with horned toads, and pretend to be a scribe. At an imaginary desk I’d sit and act like I was writing something others would want to read. Now I work at a real desk, but otherwise I'm still doing this!
By the time I was in junior high school, I’d begun crafting short stories and ghostwriting my classmates’ love letters. All too soon, I found my first romance. At sixteen, I quit school to become a wife and mother (though not necessarily in that order).
I obtained my GED and went to work on an assembly line--building calculators. Later, after I’d divorced and while working full-time, I attended college. In merely twelve years of night classes that took me an additional ten years to pay for, I earned a BBA degree.
I’ve been fortunate to hold many positions in the financial services, real estate, and transportation industries, where folks were crazy enough to employ me as a securities representative, commercial leasing agent, and real estate manager. There I honed my sense of humor (especially while working on commission) and found ways to use my writing skills. That's a nice way of saying that I was given the chance to write memos, board presentations, and policies and procedures that others received credit for producing.
At age 35, I married my husband, Jim, a guy who has been good-natured enough to let me poke fun at him for nearly two decades. Often he is a foil in my tales, and he's quick to remind me that he's also my greatest supporter and "the wind beneath my sheets."
Some of my earliest humor columns were published by The Murphy Messenger, my hometown newspaper, and The Dallas Morning News, where my guest commentaries have appeared since 1996.
My first book, Driving on the Wrong Side of the Road: Humorous Views on Love, Lust, & Lawn Care (Brown Books), was published in 2006.
I'm both flattered and honored when readers compare me to the late Erma Bombeck. I was reading Erma's books and columns when I was in my early twenties, so her work may have influenced my writing style.
I live with my husband in north Texas.Together we have four children, four grandchildren, and one overly domineering house cat.
It is my desire to promote the healing power of laughter, especially the kind we direct at ourselves. And to that end, I never seem to run out of material.