<p>Children's book author Diana still has the copy of <em>MADELINE</em> awarded to her in the second grade. Reading Period was always her favorite part of the school day, and spelling bees, which she usually won unless Frankie Doetsch was present that day. Then they were the last two standing, and if she didn't choke, Diana won. </p><p>Diana waited until her fifties to do something about the ideas and plots tugging at her sleeve. She began with poems, mini-essays, and human interest stories published in Northwest Prime Time Magazine and online journals.</p><p><em>Wishes Are Free</em> began as a group of short stories she read aloud to her next-door neighbor, April, who is developmentally disabled. April loved them and Diana thought I have something here. She added more stories and strung them together into a novel. Diana drew on her experiences growing up in the Santa Clara Valley south of San Francisco. It was known as the Valley of Heart's Delight then and now we know it as Silicon Valley. </p>
