How long have you been writing?

Since I was very young. I spent a good deal of time in my room with a stack of paper, pencils and a typewriter. I made up stories very naturally and spent hours writing and typing them.

How old are you?

I was born July 13, 1962.

Do you have kids?

Vashti was born in 1993 and is a ballerina. Christianna is three years younger and an opera singer. Both of my girls are very creative, flexible and independent. They have to be to live in our crazy household!

What does your husband do?

Randy is a composer and worship pastor.

Are you religious?

Hmmm. Interesting question. if you’re talking about having a relationship with Jesus, yes. But there’s quite a bit more to it than that. Write us and we’ll be glad to tell you more.

What other things do you like to do?

I love to read, and to spend time being quiet … and I love singing to very loud music while I’m driving! I love traveling and meeting people of other cultures. But most of all, I like spending time with my husband and girls.

Who are your favorite authors?

I like Arnold Lobel, Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky, Rosemary Wells and Maurice Sendak. Our whole family loves Bill Watterson (you know, the guy who does Calvin and Hobbes?). If you mean adult authors, I like James Herriot the best. I like Steinbeck and G. K. Chesterton. I like Frank Peretti. I like Russian classics, too, but reading too many makes me overly serious.

How long does it take for you to write a story?

Writing a story is like baking a cake for me—all the ingredients come in one by one, and get mixed together as the brain processes … and ding! A story is finally “done.” Some stories take longer than others, but most of the time, by the time the “bell” goes off, the story is ready to be spilled out on paper pretty quickly. Writing the story is the easy part—it’s all the editing and fitting it together afterward that are difficult. All that polishing can be tedious, but it brings the story into much better focus.