Author of children's book 'Those Shoes'. She advises everyone to 'read, read, read! write, write, write!'.,About Me I was in second grade, reading a Beverly Cleary book, when I realized that I wanted to be an author when I grew up. There was something I loved about her friendly, interesting and believable stories. If only I could write like that! But it wasn't just writing that held my attention as I went through high school and on to college - it was children. The way they looked at the world. The things that delighted them. The stuff they worried about in the dark of the night. When my husband and I were raising our kids-- Adam, Hanna and Will, there was even more to learn, enjoy and experience. This fascination with kids, coupled with a passion for writing, lead me to the place right here. About My Work THOSE SHOES was written from a series of snapshots, with the first going back to 6th grade. Every kid in my class (or so it seemed) was getting a pair of royal blue and white "Starsky Shoes," from the TV show, "Starsky and Hutch." Oh, man...how I longed for "those shoes!" Snapshot 2 happened years later when I was student teaching, and one of the students wore a pair of shoes with a ripped out sole. The boy was sent to the office and came back with a pair of less-than-desirable shoes. The look on his face was one I wouldn't forget. Then, the third snapshot. I was volunteering in an under-resourced school. One of the students came to the school clothes closet because his feet were squeezed into shoes two sizes too small. We found him a great pair of sneakers, in just the right size, and that kid skipped out of the clothes closet happy about his new shoes. All these snapshots were taken out of my memory, and a story, along with Noah Jones' amazing illustrations, tied them together! SOCCER DREAMS, a forthcoming Candlewick Press picture book, was written after coaching soccer for 5 years at this same school. I learned so much through this wonderful, chaotic, stretching experience! One of the biggest impressions was how important the support of family is to a kid. The family makeup isn't the key, it's the loving, protective support that builds a resilient kid. This story is a big thank-you to all the kids, their families, the teachers and the other coaches. It's my hope that it says something not only about family, but community, too. Three Things You Don't Know About Me: 1. I find candy corn highly addictive. 2. I think firefighters are incredibly brave. My own firefighter husband included! 3. I feel that interesting words should win more games of Scrabble than two letter words that no one uses anyway.