Tell me a little about yourself and your background. What were you like at school? Were you good at English?
I grew up in San Antonio, Texas--though I did live for two years in the Philippines when I was four and five years old. As a student, I was what is called an "egg head," because I loved learning and made good grades. English was my favorite subject. I think I spent much of my life reading. My little sister used to beg me to go outside and play kickball or baseball (because they needed another player to even up the teams), and I would sometimes go reluctantly, and, more often, not at all. I am thrilled that now my books are enthralling readers in the same way I used be be enthralled by books as a child. When an uncle gave me his college literature anthology, I read it from cover to cover multiple times.
What was your life like before becoming an author?
For years, I was a den leader and cub scout master for my sons and a girl scout troop leader for my daughter. Once my children became more independent, I turned my attention to writing. For over twenty years, I have taught literature and writing at a local university. Recently my increased sales have made it possible for me to retire from teaching altogether, even though I enjoy it and will likely miss it. I won't miss grading all of those papers, though!
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