Diane Waller
Diane was born in Waltham Abbey, Essex and still lives in the county she was born in with her children and grandchildren close by. Diane has had a professional career as a Beauty Therapist for 35 years working in the West End.
In the last 10 years she has worked in the community and care homes caring for people with dementia. Diane loves family life and has written ‘Olivia and her Baby’ for her granddaughter. Diane has come to writing children’s books later in life and is loving the freedom of expression that her writing and illustrations are giving her.
This is Diane’s first book with a second on the way called ‘Who’s Mummy’s Favourite’.
Diane’s inspiration comes from wanting to read a children’s book to her three and a half year old granddaughter that would prepare her for the birth of her sibling, allowing her to show the reality of a new born baby in a fun and light hearted way. Diane was unable to find a book that was short enough to hold her granddaughters attention that was simply illustrated with messages she wanted to put across. So she wrote one herself!
The main theme of the book is to reinforce that although she would no longer be the only child, she is loved and valued and is an important member of the family still. The book prepares toddlers for parents’ distraction and the babies needs. The book is designed so that the reader is able to reinforce family love.
The target audience for the book is parents expecting a second baby along with their family members and friends. This will be Diane’s first published book, with a second on the way and lots more of ideas for the future books.
All the illustrations are hand drawn by Diane and they are simple representations of the family unit, easily recognised by the children themselves. The illustrations are arranged in an appropriate way to illustrate the text and to also be fun and lighthearted with the main character focussed on in a single colour.
This is a book that you can snuggle up with a toddler, to give them reassurance, have a giggle with and most importantly to reinforce how much they are loved and valued as part of a growing family.
