When I sit and talk with a person, I'm not always paying attention. I'm looking at the person and saying, 'What is it about his or her life that appeals to me?

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 myself was terrified during the Second World War. The war started when I was six, and I was so sure that we were going to be bombed and killed. My imagination is my biggest plus and my worst minus.

What I think of sometimes, as I read the new books - do kids really need to see such a seamy side of life? I'm in the minority, such an old woman, perhaps. I love the books that have given kids joy, that give them hope at the end. Sometimes it seems to me the books right now are very depressive.

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

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

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.