A recent online review of one my books referenced The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, as “the Pinnacle” of my writing career. That book was published in 1990 and was my twenty-second book. Since that time—thirty years ago—I have published sixty-one more books.
By far most of the books I purchase are used books. It would be easy to say I do so because they are often cheaper than new ones. The usual truth is that I get them because I can’t find them anywhere else other than a used book store. Most important of all, I take great pleasure in finding them.
When is a book done? Alas, never. Yes, there comes a time when the changes I make are minimal. That’s a finish of sorts. Or there comes a time when I can’t bear to look at the pages again. That too, is a form of finishing. Or, at least, pausing.
Since I recently wrote about my dysgraphia, some folks have asked me what it looks like. What you see here is the earliest piece of my writing I have.
Poppy was published in 1995, which means it has been around for twenty-five years. Over the years it has been very successful, more often than not (readers tell me) as a read-aloud. As you might guess, letters such as the one above—only recently received—are very gratifying.
University of Wisconsin Madison After a brief stint at Antioch College, I went to the University of Wisconsin (Madison). There I had a double major, theatre and history. I was a B- student. I avoided every English class I could. (If you haven’t yet read Part One of this essay, click here.) When in college I
I had never heard of Beacon College. It was founded in 1989 and was the first college in the country accredited to award bachelor degrees exclusively to students with learning disabilities, ADHD, and other learning differences. Their mission: knowing that given the right environment, support, and tools, all students can succeed. It’s located in Leesburg, Florida. I
Sitting on my shelves are four books which somehow were saved from my childhood. The oldest is Giant Otto, by William Pène du Bois. Otto was an immense dog, about the size of a house. He was quite sweet, but when he wagged his tail, he created something like a hurricane.
On February 11, at 2PM (Pacific time) I will be giving a talk about historical fiction for the California School Librarian’s Association. Here is a list of all my historical fiction with the dates in which the stories take place. Unless other noted the stories take place in America. 700 The Book without Words (England)
It was a good many years ago—I’m truly not sure when but it may have been as long as twenty-five years ago—I had noticed that horror stories—thrillers—were very popular in the world of children’s’ lit.