California is home for me. I like to be outside in natural places, swimming, hiking, camping, walking on the beach, and generally soaking in the quiet and beauty. You might also find me in the kitchen testing out new recipes or at the beach boogie boarding with my son. Maui, our cat, prefers to stay at home when we do this. When I’m not writing picture books or poems, I work as an editor for a university medical journal. Life as a Kid:
New Jersey is where I grew up, near Manhattan, in a town called Leonia, which is 1 square mile, so I could walk everywhere I needed to go.
With two older brothers and an older sister, I didn’t get to do a lot of talking. Sometimes I think that’s why I write picture books and poems--I had to say what I needed to very quickly and with not a lot of words!
How I Got to Be a Writer:
I’ve always loved words and rhyme and unusual ways of using language. I especially liked hearing the goofy sounds--pluffskin, ploshkin, pelican jee!--of the poetry and nonsense songs of Edward Lear, which my father read to me at bedtime.
I remember thinking when I was about 8 years old that I might be a writer when I grew up. This is when I wrote my first stories, one about talking squirrels who ran an underground toothpaste factory. In high school, I was editor of the school newspaper, and I wrote articles for my college paper too. I still haven’t quite grown up, but I do like to write. Psycholinguistics was my focus in school--how people read and understand language. For a time, I thought I might be a professor, but after getting my Master’s degree, I decided to focus more on writing. Working as a greeting card writer allowed me to discover that I especially enjoyed the cards for kids and writing in rhyme.
Where I Get My Ideas:
For me, it’s easiest to write about things I love or have other strong feelings about--those are the things I most care about and want to know about. So I try to pay attention to my gut feelings. When I find something fascinating, scary, thrilling, upsetting, creepy, or lovely, I think hmm, maybe there’s a book in there.
