All of my books are based in some way on my personal experiences, or the experiences of members of my family, or the stories kids would tell me in school.

Outside of family, writing is essential. To me, it's like breathing.

The reasons kids get into trouble in one way or another is because - Who ever told them they were special?

To me, family is everything. I want children to realize how important their families are and what a support system a family is.

I want to see children curled up with books, finding an awareness of themselves as they discover other people's thoughts. I want them to make the connection that books are people's stories, that writing is talking on paper, and I want them to write their own stories. I'd like my books to provide that connection for them.

Sometimes when I visit schools, kids will interview me for the school newspaper. They ask me questions and my answers tend to go on and on, and they try to write down everything I'm saying as quickly as they can. And one day, a kid holds up her hand and said, 'Do you think you could just answer 'yes' or 'no?' Aren't kids wonderful?