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QUESTIONS & ANSWERS:
Q: Are you making more books?
A: Yes. Many more!
Q: Do you like to write?
A: Yes. As much as I like to draw.
Q: Do you have a dog?
A: No, not right now. I have a cat. Her name is Marley and she is a Siberian.
Q: Do you like animals?
A: I love animals. I also love reptiles, amphibians, insects, birds, minerals, vegetables, and quite a large number of humans.
Q: Why do you use animals in your books?
A: I do love animals and love to make them into characters, but the main reason is because I believe that everyone can "see themselves" in an animal. If I use people I have to chose what color, race, nationality, even gender, that they are. That doesn't really make me happy because I want my story to appeal to everyone. If I have an animal then it can be anyone if you use your imagination.
Q: Is it hard to write a story?
A: Yes and no. It can be very hard work, but it is work that I enjoy. If you love to do something you won't care how hard it is. Some stories come to me easily and some stories make me work very hard.
Q: How long does it take to write a book?
A: That varies. I have written some books in a matter of weeks. My book, "Peek-A Who?" only took me twenty minutes to write, but it has very few words in it. Some books take years. I worked on my book, "Roberto The Insect Architect" on and off for five years. I wrote 28 drafts of the story until it was working perfectly.
Q: What was the first book that you wrote?
A: The first book that I wrote that got published was "The Night I Followed the Dog." I wrote it in 1989 and it was published in 1994. But I started writing books as soon as I could form a sentence when I was a little girl. I wrote the first book that I made all by myself (without any help from my mom) when I was five years old. I called it, "Circles Have Reasons to be Happy."
Q: How old were you when you wrote your first book?
A: I was 27 when I wrote "The Night I Followed the Dog."
Q: How old are you now?
A: I wrote "The Night I Followed the Dog" in 1989 when I was 27. You can do the math. :)
Q: What languages do you speak?
A: I speak English, but I also speak French and some Spanish. I also know a little Japanese, and Pig-Latin, and I know the alphabet in American Sign Language.
Q: What is your favorite book that you wrote?
A: That is like asking your mom, "who is her favorite child?" She will say, "all of them." I love all of my books. They are like my children, and they are all different.
Q: Do you have children?
A: Yes, I have three stepsons: Brian, Chris and Doug. There are some photos of them on this website.
Q: How many books have you made?
A: I've written hundreds of books, but they all have not been published. As of this posting I will have 19 books published, and more coming soon.
Q: Are they going to make "THE NIGHT I FOLLOWED THE DOG" into a movie?
A: In the past both "The Night I Followed the Dog" and "Romeow & Drooliet" were optioned to be made into movies. It did not happen. Yet. You never know with Hollywood. It may happen someday. I actually decided to write my own screenplay adaptation for "The Night I Followed the Dog." I would love to see some of my books made into movies or animated television shows- or even animated web shows.
Q: Where do you get your ideas?
A: I used to say that "if I knew where my ideas came from, I would go there." But the truth is that my ideas come from all different places. They come from dreams, or from something that I read somewhere and then it sparked another idea. I get a lot of ideas when I am out walking in nature. Adventures are very inspiring. I also get a lot of ideas when I'm taking a shower or washing the dishes or driving in my car. Of course I have to write the ideas down as soon as I can so I won't forget them.
Q: If you didn't make books what job would you have?
A: I feel very lucky that I get to write and illustrate books as my job, but if I couldn't do that I think I would either like to be a teacher or a chef. I love to cook.
Q: What is your favorite food?
A: I only get to pick one? Not fair! I love sushi... And dark chocolate... And salmon, fresh fruit, all different vegetables, pasta, coffee... Oh... Is coffee food? It is to me.
Q: What were your favorite books when you were a child?
A: I loved so many books. When I was little I loved (and still love) "Harold and the Purple Crayon," "Where the Wild Things Are," "Madeline and the Gypsies." As I got older I loved my "D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths," all of the Roald Dahl books like "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "James and the Giant Peach," and others. I also adored "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler," "The Cricket in Times Square," "Harriet the Spy," "Charlotte's Web," "My Side of the Mountain." And so many, many more!
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