When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve liked writing poems and stories ever since high school. When I was a senior, I bought an incredibly ugly green ledger at a dollar store (only, back then, it was called a “dime store”) and started using it as a journal. I wrote lots of poems in that book and, actually, some of them were kind of pretty.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
When my daughter was a baby (almost 18 years ago) I started doing freelance curriculum writing. When my son was born (almost 13 years ago) I started writing and submitting children’s stories for publication. I received lots of rejection letters from editors, but some of them said very positive things about my writing, so it gave me hope and I kept plugging along. My first book, My Last Best Friend, was published with Harcourt in 2007.
Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?
My latest release is My New Best Friend (Harcourt, 2008). It’s the sequel to My Last Best Friend. Both books are about a fourth grade girl named Ida May and all the ups and downs she faces after her best friend moves away.
If I could tell you only one thing about the books, I would quote a reader who recently said, “Ida tells the truth.”
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
My greatest inspiration comes from being around kids and trying to tune into the rhythm they bring to the world. I’m also inspired by many middle-grade and young adult authors. A few of my favorites are Beverly Cleary, Judy Blume, Megan McDonald, Jerry Spinelli, Katherine Paterson, K.L. Going, Gary D. Schmidt and Kate DiCamillo.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
I have a mom and a dad, two older brothers and one older sister. I’m married and have two teenage kids.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Chocolate ice cream with a spoonful of creamy peanut butter mixed in.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
1. I make breakfast for my kids and me. 2. I make myself a pot of coffee. 3. I check my email.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?
You might be surprised to see where I do most of my writing. I work in one small corner of our basement family room. It’s a very messy corner.
Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?
I would be blue because it has always been my favorite color. Maybe because I see the world through blue eyes.
Who is your favorite cartoon character?
I love Peppermint Patty from the old Peanuts cartoons. She always seems so carefree and confident. Plus, she has great sandals.
Which cartoon character is most like you?
I’m like Charlie Brown. Stumbling along, trying to figure out who I am and how to kick a football.
If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?
I never knew my grandparents so I would love to go back in time and meet them.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?
I really like the music of singer/songwriter Chris Rice, especially his CD called “Past the Edges.” I don’t listen to music while I’m writing because it distracts me. But, sometimes, I like to write in the food court at the mall. It’s helpful for me to have that mix of voices in the background while I’m working. Plus, they have really good coffee there.
Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?
Oh, gosh, I hardly ever watch T.V. My kids and I like to get DVD’s from the library and watch old series like Seinfeld and Gilmore Girls. My daughter and I have watched the movie Pride and Prejudice a bunch of times and I always have to watch Little Women and A Christmas Story during the holidays. My son and I love watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Ghost Busters, and all the Pirates of the Caribbean movies again and again. The last movie I saw in a theatre was The Dark Knight.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Dream big and beyond middle school/high school because, as it turns out, adolescence is just a tiny blip on the life screen. Try to make choices that not only respect who you are today, but who you were as a child, and who will be as an adult.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
I’m working on a third story about Ida May and her friends.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at http://www.teensreadtoo.com/!
Thanks for inviting me!
0 comments:
Post a Comment