Biography

Diana Estill's writing talents emerged in junior high school, where she served as Senior Love Letter Editor and freelance note writer to several Honor Society members. "I've ghost-written my way into the hearts of many eighth-grade boys," she says. "Only now I'm aiming for a slightly more mature audience."

A native Texan, Ms. Estill's humor articles capture the complexities of life in The Southwest. Among her works are Jalapeno Hazards, a tale that proves you can't always predict the path of pepper juice, and Green Lawn Obsession, a story about substituting mouthwash for lawn fertilizer. (Thankfully, she claims she hasn't tried this in reverse.)

Ms. Estill earned a B.B.A. degree in management, which taught her nothing about running a household. A domestic failure, she ascribes to "fantasy thinking" and waits patiently for the Filing Fairy to arrive.

Serious when she needs to be, Diana Estill's publishing credits include news, profile, education and opinion articles written for The Washington Post, Miami Herald, The Dallas Morning News, PBS and others.

She is a frequent traveler to the Caribbean and an avid snorkeler, though she swears she never flirts with any fish capable of returning her advances.

When she isn't writing, Diana stays in shape by chasing after her two cats, four grandchildren and only husband.