The most exciting aspect of writing is creating something out of nothing. You start with a blank screen and a mind bursting with ideas eager to fill up your page. Sometimes the words literally flow from my mind to my fingers to the page instantaneously. Other times I methodically create as I go. I am the author of two picture books and six history non-fiction books. I enjoy giving hands-on presentations to elementary school children that correlate with the topics in my books. I come dressed in period costume and bring up to a hundred artifacts children can handle. www.authortalk.org I am most proud of my debut picture book “50 Wacky Things Animals Do,” which won three awards: 1) 2018 Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards; 2) 2018 ILA-CBC Children’s Choices list, a cooperative project of the International Literacy Association (ILA) and the Children’s Book Council (CBC); and 3) 2018 ASJA’s Annual Writing Awards (American Society of Journalists and Authors) for Children/Young Adult Nonfiction.