Meet Diane Goosen | Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Diane Goosen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Diane, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
When my son was 3, he was diagnosed with mild autism. This was in 1985 when very few people had anny knowledge of autism and I scrounged around for every bit of information I could find. All of it was depressing. But in spite of Mikey’s disability, he could be hilarious. I loved reading humorous parenting stories but the authors always had “normal” kids. So I started writing funny stories about Mikey antics and ultimately turned them into a book.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Writing is therapeutic for me, and something I’ve always enjoyed. If I could spend my days reading and writing, I’d be a happy camper. My collection of humorous stories about Mikey’s childhood unfortunately turned into Mikey’s biography after he committed suicide. He suffered a psychotic episode, not typical of autism. But my book is not a sob story. In fact, the original book won an award for Most Inspirational Book of the Year in 2012. I have recently updated it, and it will be available on Amazon as “The Return of Mikey (updated edition)”.
Why does he return, you might ask? Well, we had so many strange “coincidences” happening right after he died, he surely made believers out of all of us. I truly believe in life after death. We never truly die. Mikey is still around playing his pranks on me to this day. People who call me crazy have never heard their house plants making noises like chickens. So even if you don’t have an autistic child, if you’ve ever lost someone you loved and wondered what others may have experienced with “signs” from their departed, the latter half of the book may interest you.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in the mountains, so I’m partial to any place with a sweeping view and abundant wildlife. I want nature instead of neighbors surrounding me. Grand Lake is a favorite vacation spot. Lake people are my people. I’m not a fan of the crowded ski resorts. I prefer cabins over condos. For great burgers, I like Murphy’s in Evergreen. Of course you need to walk down the street and pop your head into The Little Bear saloon to see all the old bras hanging over the stage, even if you don’t sidle up to the bar. My husband and I both hate the hassle of air travel , so we road trip on our vacations. Red River, New Mexico is another favorite go-to spot. You can stay right on the river and go to sleep with the sound of rushing waters. Bring a book and some good coffee to brew in your cabin, and a fishing rod if you’re inclined to actually “work”. That’s the best kind of vacation to me.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My daughter, Susie, was my touchstone during my hardest times with Mikey. It may not have always been “quality” time, but the 3 of us definitely had quantity time when they were young. Susie is now happily married with 2 beautiful little girls and she writes her own parenting stories on her blog GraceBeautyandFBombs.com. She is also hilarious.

Twitter: ReturnofMikey

Facebook: The Return of Mikey

Image Credits
The last photo is one of Mikey’s senior pictures, courtesy of Michael Gamber Photography.