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| There is nothing to compare with the
absolute joy of creation--that act f taking a blank piece of paper and making a whole new
world. It is one full of bewilderment, surprise, and certainly, of power. One of my earliest memories is of the sense of power while making a drawing. Wow! It was the revelation that I was an artist, and to my three-year-old mind, it seemed a very noble thing to be. I had the great good fortune to grow up in a family of people who loved books. and, also lucky for me, I had parents who believed in the importance, as well as the fun, of reading aloud. Not only did this instill in me a love of books and story telling, but it also planted the idea that stories were something to be shared -- that they were a gift one could give. Certainly that has a great deal to do with my love of creating children's books today. Growing up in Oklahoma, I drew pictures and made up stories about the animals I saw around me in my neighborhood: dogs and cats, lizards and rabbits, turtles, snakes and birds. I made little books with crayons and scrap paper, stapling the pages together. Sometime I feel that things have not changed all that much! I still make up stories about the things I see around me, things that make me wonder "why?" or "how? " or "what if?" |
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| The idea behind When Bluebell Sang began one day while traveling down a country road and seeing cows standing in the shade under a large tree. Of course I had seen cows doing that many times before, but on this particular day it seemed to me that the cows were definitely up to something, something wonderful that we humans were not privy to -- but what? The story of Bluebell, Swenson and Big Eddie was my answer to that question. |  |
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Ginger Jumps was inspired by my Scottish terrier, Sally, who, before jumping off my bed, would hover at the edge as if she were about to take a death-defying plunge. Of course, Sally was not really a circus dog--but in her heart, who knows? In a story teller's imagination, all things are possible. |
| Even a traditional tale takes on the perspective of the teller. In creating Little Red Riding Hood: A Newfangled Prairie Tale, I decided to explore the possibilities of a different time and place for a familiar character. Before I knew it, Little Red Riding Hood was riding her bike through the cornfields, and Grandma was out on her tractor, not looking any too frail! Sometimes writing can be full of surprises. |  |
| I believe that anytime a writer sits down to work,
there is a sense of the unknown about to happen. Characters take on lives of their
own, coming to forks in the road, and it is the writer's job to decide which path they
will choose. Quite often there really is no right or wrong decision, but deep in
your heart you find the answer. I think it is the writer responsibility to listen to
that voice deep within him or her and follow it. And -- hopefully -- when a story
seems right, and true to your heart, it will make sense to the other people too.
Trying to be honest to that vision is really all that you can ask of yourself, as a
writer. After nine years of living in New York City, I'm back at home in the Midwest -- Kansas City, to be exact. My family includes my husband, Lee and our daughter, Elizabeth. I consider myself one of the luckiest people in the world because I get to work at something I honestly love to do -- create books. It is a grand adventure that I approach with the hope of touching some lives, and hearts, and funny bones along the way. Reprinted from: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers |
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