When did you decide you wanted to become a writer?
I’d like to say I always knew I wanted to be a writer, but that’s not entirely true. My first love was reading. I didn’t even realize I could write my own books, until my 3rd grade teacher showed me how to write, illustrate, and bind my own picture book. Even then I was a true picture book lover. It wasn’t until 2010 that I finally got serious about my writing dreams. I joined SCBWI, attended classes and conferences, and had my first real story idea. It was the children I work with who inspired my first character ‘Iris the Colorful Spider’. Iris has been my muse ever since. Since she was born, I have been inspired to write many more stories for children!
Where do your ideas come from?
Anywhere and everywhere! Sometimes an idea will be sparked by children’s playings and sayings. Other times ideas come from dreams. Sometimes, they even come from memories from my own childhood. I try to keep a notepad … or napkin … or post-it handy to jot down ideas whenever they come.
What’s with all the sunflowers?
That’s a great question! The short answer is, sunflowers tend to appear at special times in my life. They remind me of my family and they make me smile. I have written a post about it over at my blog The Sunflower Scribe if you’d like to know more.
What were your favorite books to read growing up?
My favorite picture books were Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams, and Corduroy by Don Freeman. My favorite chapter books and novels were The Babysitter’s Club by Ann M. Martin, How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell, and The Anne of Green Gables and Avonlea Series by LM Montgomery.
What’s your favorite color?
Fuschia Pink … and I tend to wear it entirely too much.
What’s your favorite animal?
That is a hard one! I tend to love underdogs such as naked mole rats, the tiniest koi fish in a pond, and galapagos tortoises. I am also fond of English Bull Terriers.
I want to write a book too! How can I get it published?
That is great news! I can recommend 3 things that have helped me so far, and I know they can help you, too.
1) Education — Be willing to devote time and energy into learning more about the craft of writing. And when you think your done learning, keeping going! There’s always more to learn.
2) Networking — Get to know other writers. Finding people who have the same goals you do is helpful and inspiring.
3) Perseverance — I have heard it said that the people who succeed in the writing world are those who stick around and never give up. There will be ups and downs, sometimes more downs than ups. But remember your dream and keep trying! I believe if you can dream it, you can achieve it!
Want to know more? Check out my writing resources pages for more information.