Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
Although I was born in Chicago, we moved to central Wisconsin when my father returned from the war, so I grew up in a very small paper mill town where everybody knew everybody else. Consequently, I heard the life stories of many people and observed different personalities and became interested in the interactions among them. I realized that everyone has a story,and no two people view things in exactly the same way, nor do they react in the same way. Thus, my small town upbringing provided plenty of fodder for story ideas.
When did you first start writing?
I first started writing in about the fourth grade, although I had been making up stories in my head for as long as I can remember. I was a voracious reader beginning at age four, and I loved the process of asking questions (what happens now?) and seeing where my imagination would take me. I also loved to tell the stories I made up and often did so at recess. The nuns at school weren't happy because my classmates would gather around me to listen instead of running around and burning up energy so they wouldn't be restless in the classroom.
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