I was born in New Britain, Connecticut, and grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. I also spent a year (5th grade) in Montgomery, Alabama, and a year in Ann Arbor, Michigan(8th grade). As a child, I always wanted to be a writer, but I had lots of other ambitions too. I wanted to be a teacher, a librarian, a movie star, the president of the United States, and a ballerina.

I didnt achieve all my goals. I never became a movie star, the president of the U.S., or a ballerina. But Ive been a teacher and a librarian and most of all, a writer. Ive been writing for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I always kept a diary. I wrote poems, stories, plays, songs and lots of letters. Writing wasnt easy for me, but it felt natural and right.

Ive always read a lot, too. I was an English major at Emory University (I love Shakespeare), and I also received a masters degree in library science at Emory. I earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Chicago, and I taught childrens and teen literature at St. Johns University in New York for over 20 years. Now, Im a full-time writer, living in Paris, France - the most beautiful city in the world.