Q: When is your birthday?
A: My birthday is December 25th, 1951.

Q: Where were you born?
A: Bakersfield, CA

Q: Where do you live now?
A: North San Diego County

Q: Are you married?
A: Yes, to Jim Ryan.

Q: How many kids do you have?
A: Four

Q: Do you have any pets?
A: Over the years we’ve had ducks, a bearded lizard, tropical fish, corn snakes, parrots, turtles, and canaries. Now, we only have two dogs named Sami and Buddy.

Q: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
A: I like to read and travel and go for walks on the beach.

Q: When did you start writing?
A: I didn’t start writing until after I graduated from college, got married, had my children and then went back to school to get my master’s degree. After I turned in a project to a professor, she asked me if I’d ever considered professional writing. Coincidentally, about three weeks later, a colleague of mine asked me if I would help her write a book. Before that point in my life, I had never considered writing as a profession. After that, I couldn’t stop thinking about it and one thing led to another.

Q: Where do you write your books?

A: I write in my office, which is also an extra bedroom in my house.

Q: Have you ever had any other jobs besides being a writer?
A: Yes. Before high school I was a babysitter and exercise instructor.During high school, I worked in a department store. In college I worked at many jobs: as a salesgirl in a bridal department, checker at a hardware store, secretary, and teacher’s assistant. After college, I was a bilingual Head Start teacher. Then I was a wife and a mother. After I received my master’s degree, I was a director of an early childhood program. Then I became a writer.

Q: Why do you like writing?
A: One reason is that I discovered that it was something I am good at so that makes it very redeeming. I like to write because it’s a job I can do in my slippers. That’s a joke but it some ways it’s true. I can get up in the morning, walk down to my office and start working without having to commute in a car or on a train. I also like it because every project is different. I enjoy that there are many diverse parts to my job: writing, researching, speaking to teachers and librarians or children, meeting other authors and illustrators, signing books and working with the interesting dedicated people in the children’s literature field.

Q: What is your favorite book that you wrote?
A: That’s like asking me which of my children is my favorite child. It’s too hard to choose as I love them all for different wonderful reasons.

Q: What was your first book?
A: I started by writing three “food for thought” books for adults. Those are all out of print now. My first children’s book was One Hundred Is A Family.

Q: What gave you the idea for each of your books?
A: You’ll find that information in the author’s notes of my books, in Patricia Newman's interview with me and on that book’s page on the website.

Q: Do you speak Spanish?
A: Yes. I was very fortunate that my grandmother often spoke to me in Spanish.

Q: Have you ever been to Mexico?
A: Yes, many times.