Guest Post with Diann Floyd Boehm

November 04, 2021

I am thrilled to share a post with writer, Diann Floyd Boehm. Diann's new book, Rise! A Girl's Struggle for More, is an excellent example of how inspiration can come from past memories.

Diann was born in Tulsa, OK. She was sister to five brothers. Together they grew up in Texas. Diann graduated from George Mason University with a Bachelor of Education. She is married and the mother of three children. Throughout her life, she has traveled, taught elementary school and lived around the world.

Rise! A Girl's Struggle for More is her fourth book.

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How Memories of the Past Inspire Writers

After I decided to write the story of my grandmother’s life, with the hope of inspiring young people to follow their dreams, I began really studying the history of my great-parents’ times growing up, and how my grandmother opened doors to understanding the past and the ripple effects it had over the years. My grandmother was born in 1904 in a small town in Oklahoma. It was so far removed from what I knew, I had to immerse myself in that era to bring my book to life. For example, until I did my research, I didn’t know the word “teenager” was not an everyday word. In those days, you were a child until your body changed into manhood or womanhood, then you were considered an adult. It wasn’t until the mid 1900s that “teenager” was added to common speech.

Studying the past and weaving in the stories my mother told me gave me a sense of warmth and closeness to my grandmother. I carried pictures on my phone of my grandma and great-grandparents and even hung a few in my writing room. When I was sleeping, I knew their history was resonating through the thin veil of my family in heaven and me on earth. There were times I actually felt they would give me stories to include.

My mom was an avid reader, but she liked me to read aloud to her as I finished each chapter. She wanted to hear my voice and picture the events that had taken place in the past. I would look up and see her smiling. She said she could recall vividly the scenes of her grandparents and mother woven into the storyline. My mom would share her thoughts and helped with the many rewrites.

I remember once speaking to the publisher about the story and the innocence of it all. People think of the 1920s and how wild everyone must have been, but that was not the case. Yes, things were changing, but it was not like it happened overnight. What was happening on the East coast with flappers and speakeasies took longer to reach the rural towns in middle America, especially a fairly new state like Oklahoma, no matter how progressive they were.

However, when my grandma was growing up new inventions were coming about, like indoor plumbing, telephones, and cars. It was the beginning of the industrial age but it would take time for parents to come around to new things like dating (no longer chaperoned courting), shorter hair and dresses, and the introduction of crazy music like jazz, blues & ragtime. These were all images I found inspirational when writing the book as they added so much color.

As I researched and wrote the book I continued to feel even closer to my grandma. I learned we had more in common than I ever realized. I also came to understand more clearly what I had heard so often when I was a little girl. My mom would say to grandma, “Diann, she is so stubborn.” My grandma would reply, “She is not stubborn; she is a determined little girl, and she is just like me.” My mom would laugh about those days, and we knew our loved ones would be forever in our hearts and minds.

When young people read this story, I hope their hearts are filled with the love and understanding of the times. I hope the story inspires them to follow their dreams. I hope it encourages them to ask about the stories in their own family as they will have an even stronger sense of who they are, with hearts filled with the love of stories from the past.

Learn more about Diann and her books at:

https://www.diannfloydboehm.com