A Conversation With the Author
Where did you grow up? I grew up in Richfield, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis.
What is your earliest memory of writing/drawing?
My mother gave me a paper plate and crayons to keep me busy while she did laundry, and I made a mask, and asked her how to spell "tiger".
What inspired you to write/illustrate your first book?
It was just in me to do it, and I couldn't not do it. The minute I was married and out of school and had time to myself, I sat down at the typewriter, put in a sheet of white paper, and typed "Chapter One". That first book didn't go anywhere, of course, nor did the second or the third or the first half of a fourth. But then after that I had some mastery of my craft, and publishers began to pay attention.
Do you use your childhood as inspiration?
In the sense that my childhood is part of me, yes. But not in the sense of looking back and trying to view my childhood from the outside, or from the perspective of an adult. It's more of an inward thing; that child is still within, and influences all that I do.
What books from your childhood have most influenced your work? What about adult titles?
The fantasy work of E. Nesbit I will be forever indebted to. Other authors that most strongly influenced me were Hilda Lewis (The Ship that Flew), C. S. Lewis (Chronicles of Narnia), T. H. White (The Once and Future King), Roald Dahl (anything at all), Eleanor Cameron (the Mushroom Planet books), Elizabeth Goudge (Linnets & Valerians), Joan Aiken (The Wolves of Willoughby Chase), Elizabeth Enright (everything of hers), Edward Eager (Half Magic and more), Ruth Chew (everything), E. B. White (Charlotte's Web), Susan Cooper (The Dark is Rising), Madeleine L'Engle (A Wrinkle in Time), Astrid Lindgren (Pippi Longstocking) and Anne Holm (North to Freedom).
What are your hobbies and interests besides reading and books?
I love to sail, I love to wander in the woods and near water, and I play the piano a lot, especially when I'm working on a book (pretty much all the time).
What one or two words of advice would you give for young authors?
1) read
2) live your own life
3) find out what matters to you
4) write and learn your own style
5) find a good teacher and study your craft
6) don't give up when everyone says "no." Because they will. But eventually they say "yes!"
