While growing up I wanted to become both a poet and a journalist.  As an adult student, part of my masters degree work was putting together a photo essay picture book for young children.  A friend who owned a Seattle children's bookstore suggested that I try to market this work for publication.

It didn't sell, but I began writing more picture book stories.  The lyrical, every-word-counts genre captivated the poet and journalist in me.  I've been writing picture book and easy to read stories for children ever since.

At present, after having written for a long time, and with many books published, I still seldom know where ideas for new stories may come from.

They could be from a memory of childhood, an image during my travels, an incident at my work with young children, or from something more abstract or random.  When I do have an idea that I like, I usually 'think it in my head' as a story before writing anything down.

A current favorite place for me to do this sort of thinking is in my garden where I work and relax a lot.  But, when I'm ready to begin writing, I get up early on a day where I don't allow any interruptions.

Staying in my pajamas, I pile pillows around me, gather up some favorite pens and a lined writing tablet (I love the mauve ones!), make sure some hot tea, fresh fruit and a bit of chocolate are nearby, and ... I start to write.  By the end of the day, if all goes well, I have a draft for a new picture book, and, very likely, the prospect of days of rewriting and fine tuning ahead.

My professional affiliations have included The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and The National Association for the Education of Young Children.

My publishers include Crown, Alfred A. Knopf, Candlewick Press, Viking Press and Farrar, Straus, Giroux, Sasquatch, Little Bigfoot.

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