Q: What did you like to do for fun when you were a kid?

A: My friends and I made up all kinds of games, did scavenger hunts, and pretty much ran free all over our neighborhood all summer long. In the winter we did things like ice skating and tobogganing.

I had an intense curiosity about the living world around me, too. I caught garter snakes (and let them go), fed cottage cheese to the box turtles that sometimes ventured into our yard, and dug for earthworms to go fishing with my dad. I had a geeky interest in birds and plants especially and loved reading those Audubon books that tell you about every species in your area.

Another thing I liked doing was making up plays with dolls and puppets, as well as being in plays at school. Mostly I got speaking parts, but in kindergarten I played one of the mice in a play called "Dick Wittington's Cat." No lines but a great costume!

Q: When did you decide to become a writer?

A: Actually, I never really "decided." I just had a very strong interest in writing from a very young age. Before I could even write, I folded pieces of paper into little booklets and drew pictures on each page. Then I would tell my dad what words to write below each picture. Once I learned to write, I started making up stories, often using kids in my class as the characters. My teachers usually asked me to read them out loud, which sometimes caused kind of an uproar because of the characters...

In fifth grade, my friend Janet and I created our own magazine, which we called "See!" I did all the writing and Janet did all the drawings, and we sold copies of every issue (about five total) to our classmates. The main stories every month were about the adventures of two fictional fifth-grade friends, Ellen and Ernie. We also had fashion pages, jokes, ads, letters to the editor, and a bunch of other stuff. I still have copies and they're a riot!

Q: Are Doodlebug and Dandelion based on anyone you know?

A: Nope, not that I'm aware of. Doodlebug and Dandelion are completely themselves! They just jumped into my head one morning and said "Hey! Here we are. Write us down!" So I did. This happens to me a lot when I write stories-characters just come to me. But once in a while I do use things that have happened in real life, or I borrow traits of people I know. One thing's for sure-I would've really liked living next door to Doodlebug and Dandelion when I was a kid.

Q: Do you drink beet juice smoothies and eat fried mugwort?

A: Oh yes, all the time! Doesn't everyone? :)

Q: Are you a cat person, a dog person, or an owl person?

A: I'm really an all-around animal person! But, I confess, I'm especially a total cat person. I think I got this from my parents, who had a cat before I was even born. And although I don't have one right this minute, I've had cats most of my life. I am also still a giant bird fan-especially owls! As for dogs, I've only had one, for a short time when I was about seven, so I don't know dogs as well. But the ones I do know are great! Of course, Don't is my favorite dog.

Q: What is your favorite book?

A: Too many to name! And my list is always changing. Among others, I love Because of Winn-Dixie and all other books by Kate DiCamillo, books by Roald Dahl, and recently I discovered the funny bulldog Chowder, by Peter Brown. Another new favorite of mine is Today at the Bluebird Café, by Deborah Ruddell. It's a fantastic book of poetry about...birds, of course!

Q: Where do you live?

A: Since college I've lived mostly in San Francisco and the Los Angeles area. But now I live some of the time in California and some of the time in Chicago, where a lot of my friends and family live. But to tell the truth, I live mostly inside my imagination!

Q: What do you like to do when you're not writing?

A: Of course I love doing school visits! But I also read a lot, go to movies a lot, and play a few computer games sometimes. I also really like being in nature, visiting new parts of the world, riding my bike, hunting in stores full of old stuff for interesting things I could use to make collage art, and trying new recipes...especially for mugwort and beet juice!