Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grrew up a city girl in a gritty, blue-collar neighborhood in the wilds of Seattle's Magnolia Hill. Today, that's a pretty fancy address, but when I was young, the town dump filled that area between Magnolia and Queen Anne hills. I felt then that one day, I would be a writer. I left home early, worked my way through college, attending many schools along the way. My writing, I hope, conveys sympathy for the underdog, for I yet remember shoving up the sleeves on my sweaters so the holes would not show! College opened my eyes to international travel, cross-cultural issues, and history shaped by how people actually lived (social history, I think), rather than economics and war. I like to think my characters are survivors, regardless of the twisted plot they face, capable of transforming themselves and their world.
When did you first start writing?
I wrote stories and poetry as I was growing up, but not until high school did I slide a short story in a pile of assignments for my English teacher to read. She fanned through the papers and came to a complete stop when she saw my short story. Little did I know then that one day I would teach writing as well.
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