Diann Floyd Boehm - Delightful Children's Books

Diann Floyd Boehm is an award-winning international author. Diann writes children's books and young adult books. In addition, Diann writes books to inspire kids to be kind, like themselves, and to "Embrace Imagination”.  Diann's Story Garden YouTube Channel gives children the opportunity to hear different children authors read their stories. She is also the co-host with Dr. Jacalyn on USA Global TV. Diann continues to be involved in various humanitarian projects with multiple organizations. Diann was born to parents of George and Mabel Floyd in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but grew up in Texas with five brothers. She has traveled extensively to many parts of the world and has lived in the Philippines and Dubai.
As our Author of the Day, she tells us all about her book, Boomer The Curious Bunny.

Please give us a short introduction to what Boomer The Curious Bunny is about.

Join this adorable furry rabbit as he heads off into the city, where he meets a range of characters and goes on various adventures. Will his discoveries be the joyful experiences he expects?

What inspired you to write this story? Was there anything in particular that made you want to tackle this?

I first saw a friend's painting of a tiny bunny in the forest, and it got my imagination going. I began to think of things a bunny would do. One day, I was playing with my grandson, and his curious mind inspired my story.

Tell us more about Boomer. What makes him tick?

Boomer is very happy living in the forest with his family, but he notices different things happening along the path. One day he explores to see what he can see.  His curiosity makes him tick. He wants to see more of the world and learn, but he always wants to come back home to be with his family.

Why do you write children's books? What drew you to the genre?

I write children's books as it comes naturally to me. I am a former educator who taught in the classroom of 4-year-olds, Kindergarten, 3rd and 4th grade. I moved into teaching technology from 1st – 8th grade. I have always been a storyteller, so no matter what grade I taught, there always seemed to be a story at one point or another.  When you teach little ones, they love stories and enjoy telling their own stories, too. No matter what grade I taught, I always had a bulletin board that said, "Welcome to the Magical World of Learning." I think of my stories similarly, to welcome learning and embrace imagination.

Tell us more about the illustrations for this book and how they came to life.

Judy Gaudet from Maine is the illustrator. She has illustrated several of my books, so I knew she would understand Boomer's personality. Judy had to be the artist to bring Boomer to life, which she did beautifully.

We discussed Boomer and how I envisioned his personality and his discoveries. For example, I wanted to make the children giggle when they saw the picture of Boomer mistaking his reflection for a new bunny friend. It makes Boomer relatable because, at some point, many of us have had that experience. I wanted children to laugh and Judy’s illustrations make that possible.

Do any of your characters ever take off on their own tangent, refusing to do what you had planned for them?

Yes, in some books, that is the case where I started a story one way and ended differently. Boomer was right on target with the storyline I envisioned.

What did you have the most fun with when creating this story?

I enjoyed thinking about the different things a bunny would see along the way. So, I thought about this particular path I would walk, where I would see bunnies in the morning, and knew some things the bunnies would see.

I had to leave some experiences out. So, I will save them for Boomer adventure.

Does this book have a hidden message? What do you hope children and parents will learn from Boomer the Curious Bunny?

Boomer, the Curious Bunny does not have a hidden message. I hope the adult readers will have fun asking children questions along the way. I hope they talk about how fun it is to be curious about the world around them and want to learn more.

Besides writing, what other secret skills do you have?

I enjoy everything about life. I want to try many things, so I have gone on several zip lines, repelling, and whitewater rafting. I love the stage and have been in several professional musicals as part of the chorus. I enjoy quilting and crocheting. I am a good listener and try to be there when my friends need a compassionate ear.

What is your favorite quote from the book?

"Yummy for my tummy!" I added that line after the story was turned in to my publisher.

I was babysitting my grandson, and I purchased his first sample of honey yogurt. When he tasted it, he said, "This is yummy for my tummy!" Once he was down for nap time, I called my publisher and had her put it in for Boomer with the flowers.

Where do you find your inspiration?

Inspiration comes to me from all life experiences. I could be gardening, walking a path, watching the cows in the pasture. The secret is to open your mind to new thoughts and make sure to note the ideas that pop into your mind to use them down the road.

Do you have any interesting writing habits?

Well, I enjoy waking up in the morning, and if I dream of an idea or a story, I don't even get out of bed; I write immediately so the thoughts do not escape me. If I don't do it right away, I discover people start talking to me, my mind gets distracted, and before I know it, I cannot return to where my mind was first things in the morning.

I do have a room I write in during the day. When I know what I am doing with a story, this is my inspirational room, called the Story Garden. It is filled with books from my mom's childhood, my childhood, and my kids' books from when they were young. I have pictures of family there. I can draw inspiration from many little things to look at, like a monkey or a smiling face cup, that will help pop a fresh idea into my brain. 

What are you working on right now?

I am working on taking several stories I have written and adding to them to create a young reader's book filled with short stories.

Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?

Readers can reach me at https://www.diannfloydboehm.com/ and sign up for my newsletter.

You can also make arrangements through my publicist, Mickey Mikkelson, with Creative Edge Publicity to have me teach, appear for book signings, and speak at schools or functions.

You can order my books through almost any bookstore. You can find me on Barnes and Noble as well as Amazon.