frequently asked questions

I get a lot of questions from my readers, and they're all good ones! Here are a few of those common questions and my usual response. Click a question to reveal the answer.

Have I always wanted to write books?

Please don't be disappointed when I say no. I have always loved books, though. My parents read children's books to me when I was little. I thought I was big stuff when I was old enough to visit the library all by myself.

Why children's books?

I read adult-level books after I grew up. Then made a complete circle back to chidren's books after I became a Mom and started reading them to my kids. That's when I remembered how much I loved children's books and decided to write my own.

Is it difficult to be a writer?

I have two confessions to make. One is that I don't write words everyday. I do, however, spend time thinking about my story. I still call that writing. If I were you, I wouldn't tell my teacher that it's still homework just because you thought about it. The other confession is that while my house is picked up and neat, my office is not. I prefer to think that the clutter helps my creative process. Again, I wouldn't advise telling your parents that idea about your bedroom. ;)

How much money do I make being an author?

I never talk about money. I'd rather tell you how old I am, and women hate to do that! Okay, so how old am I? I'm so old that no one had color television when I was born. People listened to records, not CD's or iPods. There was no way to record your favorite show if you were out when it was on. It was December of 1957. I bet you're good at math. Can you figure it out?

What was my favorite book when I was a kid?

My favorite book was Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. My least favorite book was Little Red Riding Hood. When I was four years old I hid it under my clothes in a drawer because I thought the wolf was scary.

Am I going to write more books?

I just finished one! Ivy in the Shadows is being released February 5, 2013! But I always have stories running around in my head. Finding the time to get them out of my head and onto paper is the hardest part.

Where do my ideas come from?

This is a good question but is the hardest one for me to answer. The best thing I can do is to write down an idea when it comes to me. Sometimes it takes years for that idea to become a complete book.

Which one of my books is my favorite?

When I write a book, the characters become friends. We all like different things about each of our friends. I'd much rather you wrote and told me which one of my books was your favorite.

Is there an ARC available for any of your upcoming books?

You can certainly make a request. Advanced Reading Copies are released at the discretion of the publisher and only up until the official publication of the book. To request an ARC, send an email to Macmillan publishers at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

You can always ask me a new question. Maybe I'll even add it to my list so others can read your answer. Send me an email with your question!

about me

I have been an avid reader since I was five years old. Writing was a different story. My only attempt at creative writing was a poem about Spring in first grade. Skip ahead to high school where my art class assignment was to find something on the school grounds and make it into a piece of art. I found a chunk of blown tire. Instead of adding sequins, pipe cleaners, and feathers to it, I wrote a, hopefully, funny story about the life of a tire. (Hey, life isn’t easy when you’re constantly with three other companions. And imagine being so short that the only way to recognize people is by their shoes.) I promptly regretted writing it when my art teacher read it to the entire class as I sat there, wishing for alien life forms to pull me out of this universe so I could avoid the embarrassment.

I grew up in a small Indiana town with a younger brother who excelled at teasing me. Little did he know he was giving me tons of story ideas once I figured out I wanted to be a writer (long after the embarrassing read-aloud art assignment incident.)

All of my works are fiction yet the first seed of an idea always came from something in real life. For instance, back at the time I was writing the poem about Spring, a boy slapped me during recess for disagreeing with him. That led to the character in When Ratboy Lived Next Door. Seeing the Tom Hanks movie, Cast Away, led to Georgie’s Moon. When Tom Hanks’ character missed his girlfriend, it reminded me of Vietnam prisoners of war missing their loved ones.

After living my entire life in Indiana, I now reside in Southern Virginia. I love it here but still hold Indiana in my heart. All in all, I feel pretty fortunate to have a sense of home in both places. I am married and have a son, daughter, stepson and stepdaughter. Spring is still my favorite time of year.

If you have questions for me, please don't hesitate to reach out and contact me. I love hearing from students, librarians, teachers, and all of my readers!