Feathers and Hair, What Animals Wear

I believe it’s important for people to follow their passion and love what they do - these are words my father always shared with me, and he is a wise man. I am blessed to have a creative job and one that I love - making books for children! I am the author of more than twenty-four acclaimed books for children. I write full-time from my home - where I am easily distracted by anything and everything outside of my windows.

I don’t think of myself as one thing or another. I think of myself as someone who lives creatively. If you were to visit my studio you’d find evidence of this— my cello, surf board, paints, inks, notebooks, eraser dust everywhere. I’m really good at making lots of mistakes. Luckily, I am surrounded by people who encourage and guide me. And most times, I just listen to my intuition. The one thing I’ve learned through the years is that I am what I practice. So even though I will never reach perfection, I’ll keep getting better. My favorite part of the day is when Mike (author/illustrator) and I walk with our dog Prudence. This is when we share ideas we’ve been brewing, dream about possibilities, or just enjoy the trees and creatures we live with. We talk to deer, owls, and rabbits. In the winter we sing from the bluff, hoping the gray whales and orcas will hear us. For awhile, we talked to the sheep, but they soon figured out we were imposters. Now they won’t even look at us.