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About Me

Here are some secrets (SHHHH) about me! You can also read about me in the Spring, 2006 Highlighter, published by the MidAtlantic Chapter of the SCBWI, the Montgomery County Sentinel (March 16, 2006) and the McLean Connection (May 24, 2006).

Q: Where were you born?

A: I grew up in Bayside, Queens, NY. But I have also lived in Florida, California and Mississippi. Now I live in northern Virginia.

Q: Do you have any kids?

A: I have two children – Peter, who is studying architecture at NJIT, and Rose, a percussionist, who is a freshman at college in NYC. My husband is a lawyer, like I used to be. I have two dogs, a pug and a cava-poo. Can you guess which one is Sniffles and which one is Quincy?

Q: When did you start writing?

A: OK, I'll let you in on another secret. I started writing when I was a kid. When I was in junior high, I wrote a story about a ballet dancer that I sent to Scholastic. Of course, it was rejected, but with a very nice letter. In college, I stopped writing for fun. I went to law school, became a lawyer and wrote things like memoranda and legislation. But I missed writing stories, so I started again as an adult.

Q: What are some of your favorite things?

A: I love dogs, old movies and opera. And, like Alfie, I love the stage! I guess that's why I've written two plays and why I'm working on a novel about a middle school drama class. I also love to dance. I started taking dancing lessons even before I went to kindergarten. These days, I enjoy tap dancing!

Q: How did you get your ideas for ALFIE and PENNY?

A: Thanks to my dad, I have always loved words, grammar and punctuation. Imagine how excited I was when I got to research a question about a missing quotation mark in a very old banking law. Without the quotation mark, it looked like the law, which people thought had been around for almost 100 years, really didn't exist at all. The case ultimately had to be decided by the United States Supreme Court! When I was reading a punctuation book a few years ago, just for fun, I got the idea to write ALFIE. Oh, and what punctuation mark would I be? The asterisk--its name comes from the Greek word meaning "star" and it's sparkly and twinkly, which is how I like to think of myself!

Q: What were your favorite books when you were a kid?

A: As a child, and even as an adult, I love all the ANGELINA BALLERINA books by Holabird, FREDERICK by Lionni and MISS FLORA McFLIMSEY'S CHRISTMAS EVE by Mariana, which my sister finally returned to me after all these years!

Q: Do you have any advice for kids (or adults) who want to write?

A: Write, write, write. The more you write, the better you will get. And always write from your heart, because your heart hears voices that your head sometimes tunes out. But do be sure to use the proper punctuation marks when you're finished so your meaning is clear!

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