Welcome to the new home of Author & Professional Speaker, L. Diane Wolfe (AKA "Spunk on a Stick") and The Circle of Friends!

The Circle of Friends series follows a group of young adults as they face different challenges and learn to overcome. The emotionally gripping stories focus on love, friendships and the pursuit of dreams. Aimed at adults/young adults, these books defy the growing trend of salacious titles, especially for teenagers. Positive and uplifting, this series will leave readers determined to overcome their obstacles and achieve their goals.

This blog is now the home of the original The Circle of Friends website.


Tuesday, March 7, 2023

Anthology Features Young Writers

Dancing Lemur Press has a special release today.

Tales From the Valley is a collection of eight stories based in the Ohio Valley—and they were all written by teenagers! (The youngest author in 4th grade.) You would never know their ages by reading these well-crafted stories though. These kids are talented. And the whole project came together through the efforts of Elizabeth Seckman and Wetzel Advocates Toward Community Hope (WATCH). 


Tales From the Valley
By WATCH Youth

Juvenile Fiction – short stories/action & adventure
Print ISBN 9781939844934, $10.95
eBook ISBN 9781939844941, $3.99

The Ohio Valley’s Rich Stories and Fables…

Can Anna Lee change her town’s history when she spins back in time? Can Tracy save her family when nightmare creatures drop from the sky? What could go wrong when a woman turns her father's murder into a profession? Can a loner help a girl find a survivor community in the wasteland before it’s too late? What happens when a teen hunts to escape a chaotic home life and finds himself the hunted? Is Tori gone forever, lost in the murky waters of the Ohio River? Will Von overcome Their malicious demeanor and break the chains of Their oppression? Will a fun-loving cheerleader learn she doesn’t have to stay the victim of her domineering boyfriend?

Come along as we traverse the richness of the valley…


“The future of literature is bright and hopeful with the young authors who make up this collection of short stories. Not only do they show a highly developed imagination for writers of such fledgling age, they are already adept at structuring and pacing the action. Each tale is coherent and a constant page turner. I couldn't put the book down until I read each one all the way through. Keep up the great work and never stop creating and writing, for the only thing that sustains us as indispensably as food, psychologically, emotionally and physically, is imagination. And imagination is our only real weapon against ignorance and the recidivism of humanity.” - Dave Shelton, multi-award winning film and TV writer, cartoonist, musician, voice actor and author. His credits include Everybody Loves Raymond, Nickelodeon, Warner Bros., Cemetery GoGo and the International Book Award winner, Bag Boy and Sweet Slob

WATCH* Youth is a child advocacy group committed to improving the emotional well-being of our kids by actively engaging them in social and creative programs. WATCH Youth Young Writers is a creative writing group open to all youth in the Ohio Valley.

Purchase Tales From the Valley at Amazon / Barnes & Nobel / Kobo / iTunes