Everything in my life affects my writing. There are no separate parts of my life.

I loved teaching. It was my world. I only left because I was overwhelmed with three careers - teaching, writing, and my family.

The reasons kids get into trouble in one way or another is because - Who ever told them they were special?

Many times in my life I've been upset about something and said to myself, "Will this matter in two years?" Not even in two months.

I cannot outline. I do not know what the next thing is going to happen in the book until it comes out of my fingers.

I want to see children curled up with books, finding an awareness of themselves as they discover other people's thoughts. I want them to make the connection that books are people's stories, that writing is talking on paper, and I want them to write their own stories. I'd like my books to provide that connection for them.

All of my books are based in some way on my personal experiences, or the experiences of members of my family, or the stories kids would tell me in school.