Fast Facts

I was born and grew up in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.

As a girl, I liked to ride my bike (still do), swim at the nearby pool, play miniature golf, read, study polliwogs and bugs, and play card games.

Two of my favorite books when I was a girl were Black Beauty and Heidi. I use to play school when I was 8-10 years old. Later, I became a classroom teacher and taught for eighteen years. I enjoyed learning side-by-side with my students. Today I also teach – students, teachers and writers - and I’m still learning from each experience.

I have two jobs. I write books and I consult. For me, consult is a fancy word for sharing ways of thinking, writing, revising and teaching.

Some of my favorite foods are: spinach, shrimp, watermelon, raspberries, salads, all kinds of international foods, and PIE – lemon, butterscotch, rhubarb, cherry, and apple.

I am married to a talented, kind man named Ted. Actually, we’ve been married 36 years. Is that possible? Yes, because he’s calm (and patient). We have two sons – Adam and Wyatt. They’re grown men who, like their father, are kind and talented.

Ted and I just moved. After living our whole lives in northeast Indiana, we now live in the mountains of North Georgia. For fun, we hike, bicycle and watch wildlife like black bears, snakes, hawks, lizards and rabbits. Darn those rascally rabbits. They’ve been enjoying my garden.

In my garden you’ll find vegetables and flowers. For the first time in my life I can grow hydrangeas outside. They’re big and blue and one of my favorites.

Our family has had quite a few dogs and cats over the years. We loved them all. Right now we have two cats – Calvin and Hobbes - who live in the house. We also adopted a dog from the shelter, named Duke, who lives outside and in Ted's woodworking studio.

One of my greatest joys as a writer is visiting schools, meeting students and having conversations about BOOKS!