Welcome to my home page!

Check out my Word of the Day and discover how I got my start in writing (see below). You can also have a look at my books.

Did you ever wonder what makes a good story? Then take a look at the creative writing workshop section on the school visits page where you'll also find talks I give for writers' groups and some tips on writing for children.

Or perhaps you want to know how I write. You'll find that under the Q and A section, where there is also a question for you!. You may want to contact me - I would love to hear from you. Thanks for visiting!

About Me

I was born and raised in a small town in Texas. Now I live in a village in England with my husband, whom I met at the age of five. When I was a kid, we didn't have computers, mobile phones or even color television! I loved books because they took me to faraway places.

As a child my favorite stories were fairy tales. My favorite books were 'The Secret Garden' by Frances Hogdson Burnett and 'The Princess and Curdie' by George Macdonald. As I got older I enjoyed Mark Twain, and when my own kids began to read I became a big fan of Roald Dahl.

My dad was editor of the newspaper in our town, so writing seemed like the most normal thing in the world. I was editor of my high school and university newspapers, but I always wanted to write for kids - to do for others what books had done for me. I taught English for a few years, after which I stayed home with our three children and began to write stories.

My first book was a picture book about a boy with a birthmark on his face. I always felt like an outsider when growing up, so the characters I write about tend to be that way as well. In my books I want to entertain my readers, and also to help them to see themselves and their world in a new way.

I have also written a full-length play for adults, called The Sun Porch. My secret dream is to write a musical for the stage.

Some things I really like -

• watching a good movie at home with a big bowl of popcorn
• hiking in scenic places
• aliens - especially those living in my house, pretending to be human
• libraries - all those books, which I can read for free!
• mint chocolate chip ice cream

Some things I am good at -

• listening
• giving talks for schools or writers' groups
• cooking

Some things I'm not good at -

• sitting still for too long (oops, not good for a writer!)
• cleaning the kitchen floor
• remembering what day it is, especially if I have a story buzzing around in my brain!