Frequently Asked Questions

Where do you get ideas for stories?
The world is full of ideas. It is what you do with them that counts. Usually I start with a character who has a problem. Then I follow him or her around and see what happens.

Where do you live?
I live in a suburb of Cleveland, Oh.

Who are some of your favorite authors?
I read a wide variety of authors, fiction and nonfiction. Some I like include Alice Hoffman, Anita Shreve, J.K. Rowling, Barbara Kingsolver, Anna Quindlen, Sara Donati, Charles Frazier, Jonathan Stroud, Tad Williams, George R.R. Martin, Jean Auel, Diana Gabaldon, Tracy Chevalier, Tamora Pierce, Catherine Gildiner. I like a lot of books.

What is your family like?
I have a husband who is a scientist and two sons, Eric, who has graduated from college and is now gainfully employed, and Keith, who is in college.

Were you a good student in school?
Not early on. The teacher wanted to fail me in first grade; I was dreamy and not really with the program. My mother talked her out of it, since I have a twin sister and she didn’t want me to have to explain it all my life. I was an okay student until I reached middle school. Then I kind of bloomed. My grades got better and better through college.

What did you read when you were a kid?
First off, anything about animals. My mother read the Beatrice and Ramona books to me. I burned through the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books; my parents had a friend with shelves and shelves of them. I just kind of moved into grownup books then. There weren’t so many books aimed at teenagers in those days.

Why fantasy?
Even though I’m a scientific person in my professional life, I’ve always been interested in magic. When I was a kid, I was sure I could figure out how to fly. My mother’s family came from southern Ohio, and they told magical stories involving witches and strangers at the door. My grandmother had what they call the “second sight.” She used to tell fortunes with cards. Whenever we would go over to her house, we would beg, “Tell our fortunes, Grandma!” She said when we got older she would buy a trailer and we would travel around the country, telling fortunes and playing our guitars.

What advice would you give would-be writers?
My standard answer to that question is don’t be a writer unless you have to. If you have to, you have to.

Enjoy the process. If you want to be a writer, I think you have to enjoy the process of writing. We all want our literary “children” to be successful, but don’t write for the money. There are easier, more reliable ways of making money. Most writers will never make a living at it. But if you love the process of writing, of getting down the words, of sieving out those that don’t belong, of sharing your stories with even a small circle, then the success you have is the chocolate syrup on the sundae.

Read widely. I think writers should read widely, especially in their genre.

Learn the basics. Rules are made to be broken, but you don’t want your work discounted because of punctuation, spelling, and point of view issues. Most of us wouldn’t think of becoming an auto mechanic without some kind of training or apprenticeship. People confuse the physical skill of writing or keyboarding with the mental piece. Because most of us learned the physical skill in elementary school, we think no further instruction is needed.

Find a good critique group. That is my number one recommendation. This has made a huge difference in my writing. It’s not enough to hand your work off to a spouse or friend who will tell you it’s terrific. That doesn’t make you better. Critique, done right, is a gift. Where do you find a critique group? Critique groups are often housed in libraries or bookstores. Sometimes they grow out of writing workshops. Some national writing organizations (like the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) have local chapters with critique groups. Or post a note in a library or bookstore and form your own.

Never forget that the reader is always boss. If a reader says, “I don’t get it,” your job is not to explain why it has to be the way it is. Your job is to fix it.

Learn the rules of critique in order to make the most of it. Critique Links