I grew up in Buffalo, New York. Although I really dislike that snow is the first thing people think of when Buffalo is mentioned, I will say that my very first book was one I made at home while we were stuck inside because of a blizzard. Schools were closed (yay!), so naturally, I wrote and assembled a book out of construction paper.

I lived within walking distance of two libraries and during the summer I'd take out stacks of book. As was the case with my school library, a lot of the books were old but I don't think this was a bad thing. I read a lot of classic children's literature and I think this informs my writing today.

For my latest book, PAPER ROUTES ARE FOR BOYS, I challenged myself to include two of my real-life experiences in one story. The book itself is not my life story but like the main character, Leela, I did deliver a free community newspaper and I did sprain my ankle once. If memory serves, I sprained my ankle before I started delivering papers so for me, one experience had no bearing on the other. That is not the case in the book.

I read a lot of books growing up–sometimes to escape, sometimes to be entertained–and no matter what I read or where it took place, I could see some aspect of myself in what I read. And way back then, I decided that I wanted to write books for young readers as well. The thought of connecting with and perhaps even offering comfort to other people trying to make sense of the world brings me joy.

My writing process varies by the project. For PAPER ROUTES ARE FOR BOYS, I wrote it out, longhand, and (amazingly) in chronological order. I just started the story and kept going. Once I had finished, I made a lot of revisions and shared it with other writers at a workshop.

For my other yet-to-be-published writing projects, I've started with an outline of the story and write brief character bios. The one I really want to finish next has a more complicated narrative than PAPER ROUTES ARE FOR BOYS and isn't the sort of thing you can just write straight through. I work on different sections and then look at the story as a whole to see how it (does or does not) fit.

I read a lot of literary fiction, along with YA and middle grade novels. Every once in a while, I purposefully step out of my comfort zone to read the kind of book that I normally wouldn't, such as nonfiction. I definitely learn by doing this, but I still gravitate towards fiction.

By the way, the categories listed above are the same kinds of books I read in middle school and high school, along with mysteries and a little suspense. I read fewer mysteries now but basically, my reading tastes haven't changed much.

It's a work in progress. (In other words--it's a mess!)

I like to read, watch movies, eat, cook, bake and hang out with my husband.