An example of being in the right place at the right time, López says the novel opened doors for her. The editor was looking for a Latina author and was impressed when she read Confetti Girl. Published in 2009, Confetti Girl, is about a middle school girl with friends who make cascarones (confetti-filled eggs) and whose life reflects the trademark themes of middle grade novels - family and friendship.įast forward seven years when an editor for Disney Press contacted López to write a novel based upon the animated film, Coco.

“Because I had that year, I gave myself permission to start a novel,” López recalls. Tom Grimes, then- director of the university’s creative writing program, urged López to consider a break from the writing workshops to concentrate on her writing style and to find her voice. Her days often began before dawn and ended near midnight. She also wondered, “Wouldn’t it be cool to have a novel adapted to a film?” López calls this her fake goal.Īs a graduate student in creative writing, López commuted from her job as a San Antonio middle school English teacher to Texas State University, where she attended classes and thrived in writing workshops with peers who critiqued her work. Sure, she had a real career goal - to write and regularly publish while sharing her love of books with students ranging from middle school to college. As she launched her career as an author and teacher, Diana López (M.F.A.

Confetti Girl by Diana López