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Some writers start out knowing what they want to do. Not me!
As a kid, my two favorite things were reading and being outdoors.
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Where did you grow up? How did you get to be a writer?
Some writers start out knowing what they want to do. Not me!
As a kid, my two favorite things were reading and being outdoors.
I grew up in a small town on the south shore of Long Island, 65 miles east of New York City.
I went to Kreamer Street Elementary School.
My dad is a medical scientist. My mom was a scientist and an artist, too. I had three older brothers who I adored (still do). We all played piano and guitar. I played the flute and sang in the chorus, too. I liked to climb trees, draw pictures, eat apples, and read, read, read. |
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In high school, my friend and I wrote and illustrated a book about a local river called The Carmans River Story. It’s still in print!
But I didn’t think I would be a writer. I traveled to India with my parents (this is my passport picture when I was 15).
I built trails and slept under the stars in Canyonlands National Park in Utah. I was stung by a scorpion! |
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At Harvard College I studied geology and art.
I learned to SCUBA dive and worked for a marine biologist. One big problem—I was seasick all the time! So I decided to go to Harvard’s graduate school in landscape architecture, which is a profession that designs outdoor spaces like parks, gardens, and city plazas. Here are some ancient plazas and buildings in Turkey, where I worked with my friend Kathy (she is an expert on ancient gardens…imagine!).
Writing books was the last thing on my mind.
Where do you live now? Do you have any kids?
After college I moved to northern California and began a job. California is a good place for people who like to be outdoors. On the bay, people were sailing and rowing in long skinny boats. I learned to row, and that is where I met my sweet and wonderful husband, Ken. We had two cakes at our wedding—cream puff and chocolate—because my stepson, David (in the foreground), couldn’t decide. Both cakes were delicious! |
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Our son, James, did not like being a baby (he got happier, as you can see).
Sam was so quiet, sometimes we forgot we were holding him in our arms! He loved to smush spaghetti with his little fists.
What is it with noodles in our house, anyway?
Anyway… |
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A couple of years ago, the idea for The Adventures of Hector Fuller came zooming into my head.
Why?
Good question!
In any case, Hector landed me at this messy desk, which is also where I wrote Oliver at the Window.
Here in our house are five humans, three cats, two salamanders, two antlions (look for the antlion in Hector on Thin Ice), and one piano. Outside is a garden with fruit trees and blackberries that have grown wild since I started to write. Down the hill is Sam’s old school, where I helped to build this garden for the teachers and kids.
These days I carry a notebook and pen wherever I go. I scribble down anything interesting that I see or smell or dream. I read and read and read.
I guess I’m a writer now! |
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 Why did you write Oliver at the Window?
Oliver was inspired by my stepson, David, whose parents divorced when he was only three years old. Even though he’s all grown up now (and a lot taller than I am!) I still remember how he sometimes didn’t know which house he was going to or who was going to pick him up at nursery school. One day that memory popped into my head, so I wrote the story and dedicated it to him.
 Why did I write the Hector books?
Another good question. All I know is that the story of Hector Fuller popped into my head one morning while I was reading to my kids, and I HAD to write it down. Things went from there. Perhaps I became a writer because I have always read lots of books, and stories began to grow inside my head (does that sound painful? it’s not!).
Why did you make Hector a bug?
I pictured Hector as something small but tough – a bug hero! And I think insects and spiders and other small creatures are fascinating. There are 5 million different kinds of insects, and they are important for pollinating the food we eat and “cleaning up” all the dead plants and animals on our earth. Not only that—did you know that… |
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- Flies can taste with their feet?
- A cricket hears with its legs?
- Ladybugs shoot poison out of their knees?
- A bee can load 300 times its own weight?
(If you were that strong, you could pick up a 10-ton truck!)
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 So you see, insects are amazing. Of course I also love larger animals like birds and mammals – and kids!
Are wumblebugs real?
No. I tried to make Hector be a real bug. I looked through gigantic books on insects, but nothing fit. Finally I realized that Hector is my invention, and I need to be able to change him however I want. But every other character in the books is based on a real animal.
Does Hector have teeth?
I don’t think so; insects don’t have teeth. |
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Why are his shoes on backwards?
A-hah! Good question! Hector’s excellent illustrator, Pamela Levy, knows that insects (like all arthropods, including spiders and crabs) have jointed legs, and the last joint (what we would call our ankles) bends backwards—sending Hector’s feet to the back!
Why did you let your son put spaghetti on his head? Why didn’t he put sauce on his head too?
We had a bunch of kids at our house, and we all started goofing around. James put a suction cup on his forehead and then plopped his noodles on his head. But sauce would be a mess! Plus James doesn’t like tomato sauce.
Do your sons like Batman and Spiderman?
Yes, and they also like Superman, Plastic Man, and Bone. And we LOVE Calvin & Hobbes.
Do you like to read? What’s your favorite book?
I love to read and I have lots of favorite books. Usually I am crazy about the book I am reading at that moment. Right now, Sam and I are reading The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart (it’s SO GOOD!). Other top favorites are The BFG by Roald Dahl, The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, Holes by Louis Sachar, The Midwife’s Apprentice, by Karen Cushman, and The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry.
 What’s your favorite food?
Blueberries, of course.
What does it feel like to be an author?
It’s great! I love thinking about stories and characters and plots. I love talking to kids. You have great ideas and questions.
Come back and visit—I’ll keep you posted!
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