Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. I was the second daughter of a well-known TV and radio talk show host. I had an amazing and privileged childhood filled with unusual relatives, celebrities and dramatic characters that my father would bring home. Most of my children's stories come from childhood memories.
When did you first start writing?
I was an extremely dramatic child and started telling stories (my parents called them lies) when I was about four years of age. The first story I wrote was in grade three. It was a traumatic experience for me and I'll never forget it. At Catholic school we had been asked to read over the summer holidays. Of course I never did and so when we were told to do a book report on one of the stories we read, I had to make mine up. I called my book "The White Horse" and since I was at Catholic school, the author I created was Mary Swan. When I read my book report to the class, it was such a success that every kid wanted to read it. Sister Marie made me write the title and author on the chalkboard. Needless to say, I prayed every night that week that the kids wouldn't go to the library to try to find it.
Read more of this interview.