I write mostly nonfiction books at the third grade level. I never thought I would fall in love with nonfiction, but once I wrote my first biography, I couldn't stop writing it. I get so excited when I am learning about new things. Hopefully my books will get readers excited, too! And now, here are a few secrets about me!
Q: What are some of your favorite things? A: My adorable dog, Petunia, as well as dancing, animals and hockey. Here I am with a Gibraltar monkey, kissing a pig and yes, with the Captain of the Capitals, Stanley Cup Champions (go CAPS). I also love opera, old movies and, of course, punctuation.
Q: Where do you live? A: I grew up in Bayside, Queens, NY. But now I live in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Q: Do you have any children? A: I have two grown children. My son just finished his Master's degree and my daughter is headed off to Uganda, Africa, to start a new job.
Q: When did you start writing? A: OK, I'll let you in on another secret. I started writing when I was a kid. When I was in sixth grade, I wrote a story about a ballet dancer that I sent to Scholastic. Of course, it was rejected, but with a very nice letter.
Q: How did you get your idea for your first book? A: Thanks to my dad, I have always loved words, grammar and punctuation. Imagine how excited I was when I got to research a question about a missing quotation mark in a very old banking law. Without the quotation mark, no one was sure if the law existed--The United States Supreme Court had to decide! And check this out--punctuation is still an issue in laws: http://mentalfloss.com/article/66275/comma-crusader-brings-good-grammar-traffic-court-and-wins.
Q: What were some of your favorite books when you were a child? A: As a child, and even as an adult, I love all the ANGELINA BALLERINA books by Holabird, FREDERICK by Lionni, a nonfiction book about ballet by Violet La Mont and MISS FLORA McFLIMSEY'S CHRISTMAS EVE by Mariana, which my sister finally returned to me after all these years!