I 'm working on a prequel-sequel to Riding the Devil. It is from a different character's perspective.

There are so many! Avi, Andrew Clements, Gordon Korman, John Irving, Mary Downing Hahn, Jean Ferris, Jennifer Choldenko (never can remember how to spell her name), Elizabeth George Speare, Ann M. Martin, Jack Gantos, Walter Dean Myers, Christopher Paul Curtis, Alexander McCall Smith, I guess that will have to do, for now.

My teaching job, teaching kids to love reading.

Reading, teaching, boogie boarding, gardening.

I go to my county libraries using the Overdrive Media Console.

My dad and I had a lifelong joke about my story, Starfire. Written while in third grade, it was 900 words long! And very repetitive. Starfire was a wild stallion, who "never gave up."

Writing in short spurts. Lots of rereading and crafting. Getting help from my angels.

I never liked picture books, and didn't enjoy reading until I discovered the Black Stallion series by Walter Farley. I was totally crazy about horses. But before that, I read White Fang and enjoyed it. Later, when I read Call of the Wild, I reread it immediately after finishing it the first time.

Ask for help.

Avi's Beyond the Western Sea, Part I & II. This is such an exciting historical adventure, but I think the most charming part is the variety of characters.
The Gentleman Outlaw and Me, Eli, by Mary Downing Hahn, I read to my class every year. It's a great western adventure.
Six of One, by Rita Mae Brown. It's been a while since I read it, but it's one of the few books I've read numerous times (outside of classroom read alouds).
Riding the Devil is a current favorite because I'm so proud of it, and when I read it to my classes, they love it.
Cider House Rulels, by John Irving, I was so sad to get to the end.
Oh, and the Harry Potter Series, especially the 3rd and 6th.

Mostly middle grade and young adult fiction. I enjoy it, I'm always looking for books to turn my students on to reading. Also, it counts as research for writing my own middle grade fiction.
I've recently discovered some great nonfiction though, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot, Southern League, and Counting Coup by Larry Colton, and Devil in the Grove by Gilbert King

iPad

Not applicable

it's usually a mess.

I grew up in Los Angeles County with author/educators for parents. They wrote over 200 books for kids and invented the High Interest, Low Vocabulary genre for reluctant readers.
Writing is in my genes.

My mom encouraged me to tell her stories about pictures I drew as a 3-year-old. Ever since learning to write, I've loved the act of writing. I enjoy writing beautifully by hand, and enjoy typing quickly on a keyboard.

In the 1830's Southern California, Jose is a boy who lives and works on a rancho. He thinks he won't grow up to be a vaquero because he thinks he is a coward. He is not a coward, but instead is upset by the routine mistreatment of animals on the rancho, and interprets his discomfort as cowardice. Events unfold that show his this is true.

A friend of mine assured me that self-publishing has changed from spending lots of money to publish your book so you can store thousands of copies in your garage, to eBooks and Print-on-Demand. My book does not have wide market appeal, and was not taken on by any agents or publishers I queried.

That is yet to be determined.

Seeing my students love my novel.

Not applicable ... yet.