About Me  |   Frequently Asked Questions by Kids  |   Contact Me

How do you write so many different kinds of books?

I have to do lots of RESEARCH. My first three books were part of a Best Friends series for Simon & Schuster. The books told about a Mexican girl, a Vietnamese boy and a Korean girl. I'm not Mexican, Vietnamese, or Korean so I had to interview people, read books about the cultures, and participate in their family activities. All of that is research.

How long does it take to write a book?

A non-fiction book takes me about 3-6 months to do the research and then another 3-6 months for the writing. Fiction books take about 6 months. But then it might take the publisher another 12-18 months to publish the book after the writing is finished.

Who does the pictures?

I write the words. I am not an illustrator but I have photographed some of the pictures in my holiday books. If you look at Chinese New Year you'll see a picture of our dog, Spike. Gerry Ellis is the photographer who took the beautiful pictures for my Cheetah book. He took the pictures in Africa where the cheetahs live.

When did you start writing?

I started writing stories when I learned to read and write. I wrote all through grade school. When I grew up and became a teacher, I wrote plays and skits for my students to perform. I've been writing to publish since 1977.

What was the first thing you ever published?

My first publishing credit was an article in JACK & JILL magazine called "Putting Cockroaches to Work." My first book was My Best Friend Martha Rodgriguez.

What's your favorite book that you've written?

I have lots of favorites so it's hard to pick just one. I love writing about endangered animals so all of my animal books are special, but if I had to pick one it would be my Elephant book. At the time elephants were being slaughtered by the thousands. Scientists worried that elephants might become extinct. I wrote the book to try and help save them. My favorite holiday books are about Tet and Chinese New Year. I was born in the year of the goat or sheep. Do you know what sign you were born under?

Is it hard to be an author?

It's not hard. It just takes a lot of work. I spend most of my writing time re-writing. Every story has 50 or more drafts. I lose count.

What are you writing now?

I'm just finishing up a sequel about Rafferty McGill, the leprechaun. He's come back and causing Ryan lots of problems again.

Have you ever met anyone famous?

I'm met many wonderful children's writers. I think they are all famous! No, I've not met J.K. Rowling.

Do you like being an author?

I love it! Because I love books. I 'm just like the cat in a book written by Aliki. I love everything about books-how they look, smell, feel. I love each word and each picture.

What do you do when you're not writing?

I love to be outdoors, gardening or hiking. I like to golf and I bowl on a bowling league. I also love to travel and see new places.