FAQs
From Adults
Who are your favorite children's authors?
My favorite children's authors include E.B. White, Judy Blume, and Beverly Cleary. When I was in third grade, I wrote to Ms. Cleary and she wrote me back! I still have her letter, all these years later. A few of my favorite picture books are The Big Orange Splot by Daniel Marcus Pinkwater, What Do You Do with an Idea by Kobi Yamada, Somebody Loves You Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli, and Little Mole Finds Hope by Glenys Nellist.
What are a few parenting books you'd recommend?
Some of my favorite parenting resources are Untangled by Dr. Lisa Damour, Beyond Sibling Rivalry by Dr. Peter Goldenthal, and NurtureShock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman.
Several of your books fall into the "spirituality" category. Who are your favorite spiritual writers?
A few of my favorite books in the spirituality category include Silence by Thich Nhat Hanh, Acedia & Me by Kathleen Norris, and Falling Upward by Fr. Richard Rohr. I also adore C.S. Lewis' A Grief Observed.
Your midlife memoir (When Did Everybody Else Get So Old?) addresses aging. Favorite books on growing older?
These books that explore aging from various angles are among my favorites: Healthy Aging by Dr. Andrew Weil, I Can't Complain: (All Too) Personal Essays by Elinor Lipman, and The Color of Together by Milton Brasher-Cunningham.
From Kids
Did you always want to be a writer?
Yes! I have wanted to be a writer since I was about five or six years old!
What's the best thing about being a writer?
I love getting lost in a story, lost in my imagination. I also like working from home. But the best part of being a writer is when I meet someone (or get an email or letter from someone) who loves a book I've written. I recently heard from a woman who said one of my books is her Dad's favorite book in the whole world. To have written something that someone says is their FAVORITE book makes me feel so lucky and so happy!
I want to be a writer! What should I do?
Read as many books as you can; great writers are great readers! Notice things as much as possible, and write down what you notice. (What do you see, hear, smell, taste, feel?) Carry a notebook with you all the time! Sit on a park bench or in the grass at the park and listen to what people are saying when they walk by. Write that down, too.
Do you have pets?
I have a dog named Scarlett who is half German Shepherd (and half a lot of other things!) She is nine years old, but no one can believe that as she acts like a puppy a lot of times.
Can you come visit my classroom or visit us on Zoom?
Yes, I hope so! I love meeting with kids at school and also like leading writing workshops with students. Your teacher can email me for details!