Questions...I get questions from readers.

Are you still alive? Yes, I'm so happy to report that I am alive!  I am married and have wonderful children.

Do you plan to write more books?  Yes! 

I really like your books. Could you tell my teacher to give me a better grade?    I'm so glad to know that you like my books, but I think your grades are between you and your teacher!

Do you like being a writer?  I love being a writer.  I can invent characters whom I really care about.  I can make life happen the way I wish it would.  Of course, sometimes, I hate being a writer.  The plot stops working.  The character's problems can't get solved.  The wording isn't the way I want it to be.  The satisfaction of having written something that connects with readers is really exciting, but the actual writing is often hard work!

What is your life like as a writer?  I spend a lot of time in front of a computer, and to many students' surprise, I spend more time re-writing and revising than I do actually coming up with ideas for stories.  The ideas are the easy part.  When I'm not writing, I do many author visits, which is fun because I get to meet student readers at schools throughout the U.S. and even in other countries.

Have you ever won any awards for your books? Yes.  A few of them include the Maud Hart Lovelace Award, The Georgia Children's Choice Award,The Tayshas List, Southwest Books of the Year List, National Notable Trade Book NCSS.

What are your favorite things you've heard about your books?  Most of all, I love to hear that people are reading them!  For Danger in the Desert, a teacher told me that her class volunteered to skip recess because they were so involved in the book, they wanted her to finish reading it, and a high-school developmental reading class took their favorite parts of the book and turned them into squares on a huge quilt.  For After the Death of Anna Gonzales, I got very heart-wrenching letters.  One girl wrote to tell me that the book had convinced her to get help for a friend, and a woman wrote to say that she thought if her son had read the book, he would still be alive.

If I send you my idea, will you write the book for me?  Sorry, only you can turn your ideas into the wonderful books you are imagining, so start writing!