Eight Questions About Me (and their answers)

1. Where do you live?

My husband David Christensen and I live in Cranston, Rhode Island. We moved here in 2007 from Burlington,     Vermont, where we lived for 20 years and raised our two children, Sophie and Sam. 


2. What kinds of things do you write?

In addition to the children’s books featured on this website, I have written fiction for adults, and feature stories and essays for newspapers. I have also written religious sermons, political speeches, ad copy for a housepainter, and an advice column. I sound off on a variety of topics on my blog.


3. Where did you go to school?

I graduated from Hampshire College, in Amherst, Massachusetts, where I studied linguistics and literature, and creative writing. My writing teachers included the novelists Jay Neugeboren and John Irving. After Hampshire, I earned a Masters in Library Science from the University of Pittsburgh.


4. What sorts of day jobs have you had?


I have worked as a children’s librarian in a public library, and a school librarian at a Catholic girls’ high school. Before moving to Rhode Island, I was the Associate Editor at Seven Days newspaper in Burlington, Vermont.


5. Any awards you’d care to mention?

Glad you asked! The National Science Teachers Association named my picture book Crab Moon an Outstanding Science Trade Book in 2000. “Kosher Caskets,” my story about visiting Jewish Montreal with a coffin salesman, won 1st place for Feature Writing in a Non-daily Newspaper from the Vermont Press Association in 2003. And my short story “Letdown” won 3rd place in Lilith Magazine’s 2012 fiction contest. 


6. What’s the hardest thing about writing picture books?


 All of it.


7. What’s the best thing?

See #6.


8. Could you tell me more about how you became a writer?


 I'd be glad to!  Just click here.