I've found places that are just as beautiful as New England, but this is my home.

People may think that because I have illustrated and written all these books it must be easy for me, but it's not really easy for me. The drawing part is easy - I love doing it. But continuing to move forward is hard.

I loved being a child. If I do have a talent, it's not so much being an artist, but it's being able to remember back to that time.

The books take a year just to do the drawing. I will travel to a country to do the research and get ideas. Sometimes I don't travel to do research, but mostly I do. It takes a long time, but do I ever get tired of it? Not really. The characters kind of grow and evolve.

Writing a story is like going down a path in the woods. You follow the path. You don't worry about getting lost. You just go.

When I go to another country, I try to be a big sponge and look at what the houses may look like and what colors predominate. I do not do research as much as just get ideas and ask people about things.

I've found places that are just as beautiful as New England, but this is my home.