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What made you want to become a writer?

I didn’t think about becoming a writer until I was almost thirty years old! I had just had a baby, and wanted to try some kind of work that made me more available for my family (I was teaching high school at the time.) Writing non-fiction—which was how I started—seemed a logical choice because I loved to do research and I didn’t mind working by myself.

But I have always loved to read and to play with words. My grandparents did crossword puzzles when I was growing up, and I learned to do them, too. My parents listened to opera recordings, so I always had French, German, and Italian words floating through my house (I would repeat entire songs in another language without, of course, knowing what they meant.) Several times a week, I walked to the local library, where I liked to read books on wild animals—I was fascinated by bears, penguins, and lions—and also the Black Stallion books by Walter Farley.

Have you done other jobs? What were they?

Yes! I’ve worked as a French and German teacher, running coach, bank teller, waitress, retail clothing clerk, picture framer, and an assistant on a road crew.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I love to visit bookstores, art galleries, and museums. I listen to music— all kinds, really—but especially classical music. I go to the local YMCA to swim or do aerobics (in fact, almost all of my book ideas begin while I’m cycling or swimming.) I also love to dig and weed in my garden and to feed the birds in my yard.

Where is your favorite place to write?

In my car. An old habit, I guess . . . when my daughter was a baby she wouldn’t nap in her crib. I used to drive around until she fell asleep, then I’d pull over and write for a few hours. Now she’s a teenager, but I find I still do my best work in the car—I’m not tempted to walk away and do something else, and no one interrupts me!

Do you have any pets?

We have a Springer Spaniel named Sam. I think he is a writer, too: he’s happiest when he’s working (Springers are trained to hunt birds, but Sam just chases them a lot), he trusts his instincts, and he observes everything very carefully. But mostly, he’s our family clown; when I become too serious, he reminds me to play . . .

Who are your favorite writers?

That’s the hardest question to answer—I have so many! The poets Emily Dickinson and Mary Oliver, and the essayist Annie Dillard, were the first to inspire me. Among those who write for adults, I also love the work of William Stafford, Billy Collins, Ruth Stone, Yusef Komunyakaa, and Eamon Grennan. For young adults and children, my favorites include Eileen Spinelli, Jerry Spinelli, Donna Jo Napoli, Gary Soto, Laurie Halse Anderson, and Cynthia Rylant.

What books are you reading now?

I’m a very eclectic reader! Every week, I read TIME magazine, the Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper, and a few articles from The Smithsonian magazine (usually about history, geography or archeology). I’m also reading Galileo’s Daughter, an historical novel, Gary Soto’s New and Collected Poems, and Roxana Robinson’s biography Georgia O’Keeffe: A Life.

Are you working on a book right now?

Yes. I’m working on a book-length collection of poetry for adults, several picture books for young readers, and a middle-grade novel.

Have you ever written a funny book? Do you enjoy comedy?

No, I’ve never written a funny book. But I try to incorporate humor into my more serious stories. In my historical novel THE TRIAL, for example, Katie Leigh makes humorous comments about herself, her mother, and the people involved in the trial. The story itself, however, is quite serious: a man is accused of murdering a baby, and the country is suffering the worse economic depression in its history.

I think it’s probably very difficult to be funny—to write humorous books or to perform a comedy routine. But I love read and to listen to funny people because I think they possess many of the same skills as poets do. Both rely heavily on word play, rhythm, and sensory images to make us see ordinary things in a new or unusual way. My favorite humorists include David Barry and Rick Reilly. My favorite comedians are Lewis Black and Robin Williams.

What advice would you give for beginning writers? Describe your own writing process.

1. Read—a lot! Read what you like, but also try to read books and magazines that challenge your intellect and your imagination (those you see at the checkout line in the grocery store do not fall into this category!)

2. Imitate the writers you love—try to compose a few pages in the voice of your favorite writer. For example, if you love Stephen King’s books, try to capture his voice and imitate his pacing and sentence structure when you writer your next story—or even jot a few pages in your journal as if you were Stephen King.

3. Find someone who is more experienced at the kind of writing you’d like to do. Ask him/her if they will look at your work and give you constructive criticism about what you do well and what you should improve. (For a fee, you can often do this at writer’s conferences.)

4. Write from your passions . . . Ask yourself: what do I care about the most . . .my friends, my hobbies, a sport, my pets, a certain landscape or place? Then make the answer to that question the focus of your next piece.

5. Be messy! Make lots and lots of “mistakes.” Like all creative arts, writing demands constant practice, rehearsals, false starts and rough sketches. Give yourself permission to write freely—without judgment, especially when you are in the rough draft stage. I believe it makes no difference whether you’re writing a poem to a girl friend or a college essay— the beginnings should be free, unedited, and eclectic. When you first sit down to compose, tell the editor in your head to go get a cup of coffee and wait for you in the hall . . . he’ll have his time later, but not now.

Then—spill your initial ideas and images onto the page in whatever order they occur. I prefer goofy-colored unlined paper for rough drafts—and I almost never write top-to-bottom in the rough draft stage . . . I start in the middle and write all over the place, so that I don’t consider logic or sequence. (I think Beethoven knew this . . . he wrote various parts of symphonies on his curtains and bedroom walls.)

If you can, leave the rough draft alone for a while and come back later. When you re-read it, certain chunks, phrases, sentences, should resonate (stand out—usually because they are emotionally effective) more than the others. Make these the center of your poem, essay, or composition. Then call your editor back in and begin to organize, making decisions about what images and information should be released first, second, and so on. And remember: writing is a craft . . . there are many “right” ways to compose, and you—as the writer—must experiment to find which one works for you.