Readers, please email me your questions. I will do my best to answer them.
Q: Why did you decide to become a writer?
A: I think that writing chose me. Creativity and art have a way of wanting to burst out into the world. An idea can be noisy in the head and heart. It must be given its freedom. There is no choice. I imagine all artists—be they writers, painters, musicians, or dancers—feel that they have a need and an obligation to express themselves. For me, writing is next to breathing.
Q: Where do you get your ideas for your books?
A: Anywhere I can. Sometimes, my ideas come from my dreams or experiences. I remember a number of childhood visits to my great-aunt Mary’s canyon backyard. It had dense shrubs and trees, which made the place dark and silent, and a mossy cistern pond that was so mysterious. I imagined that a big black snake lived in it and came out at night when no one was around. That garden must have left quite an impression on me since it sparked ideas for one of my books.
One day, two of my fifth-grade students off-handedly shared with me their habit of whacking rotten fruit with a Ninja sword! That idea found its way into one of my books. My daughter was talking about henna tattoos, so one of my characters suddenly became a tattoo artist.
Another time after an unusual, fierce rainstorm in San Diego, I was walking my dog Jimmy Lambchop through the nearby park. I saw some downed eucalyptus trees. They looked so pitiful with their old black roots exposed, so I immortalized the trees in one of my stories.
Q: Why do you write mysteries?
A: I have loved the mystery genre since childhood when I used to read Nancy Drew. I even wanted to be Nancy Drew. Because of her, I think that the art of detection took root in me and never let go. It’s in my blood and bones. Maybe even in my DNA!
Q: Who are some of your favorite children’s authors?
A: Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew mysteries), Phyllis A. Whitney (Mystery of the Green Cat; Secret of the Samurai Sword), Frances Hodgson Burnett (The Secret Garden), Lauren St. John (The White Giraffe), Wendelin Van Dranaan (Sammy Keyes, and Flipped), Roland Smith (Elephant Run), and Steven K. Smith (The Virginia Mysteries).
Q: Which of the four detectives is your favorite?
A: Aw, gee! I can’t play favorites. I love them all. They’re all a part of me.
Q: Where and how do you write your books?
A: Wherever I am when an idea hits me. I stop and make a note in my cell phone, on a restaurant napkin, or a scrap of paper. When I’m at home, I work on my laptop at my writer’s desk. First, however, I outline my story with paper and pen by trying to devise chapter titles and a few important, exciting events. Then, I fill in the scenes and actions. Sometimes, interesting events occur as I write that I didn’t expect! My detectives talk to me as I write and tell me what to record.
Q: What was your first childhood memory?
A: I was three years old. I remember being three houses up the block in my friend’s backyard playhouse, which was shaded by an old loquat tree that we often climbed. My friend, my twin sister, and I were pretending that the playhouse was a two-story house by building a staircase inside it with big wooden blocks. This led to the top of a built-in cabinet. Even then, I was captivated by staircases–am still am!
Q: What is your favorite childhood memory?
A: My grandparents lived in my house when I was growing up. I loved that because we could be close and get to know each other. Before I started school, my grandmother always found fun ways to entertain my twin and me on rainy days. Often, she would gather us around the dining room china cabinet, open the glass door, and tell us stories about her dishes—where she got them, the scenes on them, and which relatives ate from them. Then, we would go to the kitchen and make cinnamon rolls from scratch and put them on one of those fancy “company” dishes from the cabinet—after sampling a few of the treats, or course. And I can’t leave out my grandfather, who could blow and link cigar smoke rings in the air on command from his overstuffed living room chair.
Q: What was your favorite subject in school?
A: Reading, writing, language, and spelling. In higher grades, those were called English. I got my college bachelor’s degree in English literature.
Q: Which of the detectives is most like you?
A: Well, all four to some extent: I have Lanny’s love of reading, words, old movies, and detective stories. Lexi and I are both emotional, “hands-on,” and love poetry. I have Moki’s dry sense of humor, love of pineapple, and fear of snakes. And Rani and I are both lexical-gustatory synesthetes. But all four of our detectives have much more courage and poise than I had at their age. I hope that you take after them!
Q: Why did you decide to write for kids instead of for adults?
A: When I retired in 2013 after many years of teaching, I missed seeing kids on a daily basis. I decided that writing for children would keep me in touch with them–and maybe I could visit them in their classrooms! I also wanted to use my books to help promote childhood literacy and lifelong reading, and to deliver powerful messages in the guise of fun mysteries. But the main reason was because KIDS ROCK! I wish they ran the world. I truly believe our planet would be better off if kids were in charge. I love their honesty and fresh approaches to problem solving. In addition, I wanted to give kids a voice since all too often, they aren’t listened to or taken seriously enough by adults. I hope I’m accomplishing these goals via my four detectives. And kids, thanks for keeping me young and up-to-date with life! As I said, you rock!
Q: Will you ever add more detectives to your books?
A: I have! Check out the “temporary sleuth helpers” who appear in Books 3, 4, 6, and 7. Some were humans. Some were not! What? Read those books and see what that means! I will probably add more helpers, human or otherwise, in future books. Stay tuned . . .
Q: Will we ever see the detectives’ faces on your book covers?
A: I like to show only the backs of their heads or a partial side view. That way, you can use your imagination to fill in the details and make them look as you like!
Q: Have you ever thrown out part or all of what you wrote?
A: Yes! When I wrote Book 1, Nutmeg Street: Egyptian Secrets, my editor told me to delete the first seven chapters and start over. Wowzers! But after I rewrote the beginning of the book, I agreed that it was great advice! Even professional writers need to improve to keep their writing crisp and on point.
Q: When I try to write a story, I discover that it’s already been done! How can I write something brand new?
A: Fabulous question! Published authors ask that with each new book. We want originality, not recycled ideas. So . . . Here are seven suggestions: 1) Start with what delights or obsesses you. Research it. Find its strange or mysterious aspects to spark a writing idea. 2) Look for what conflicts or bothers you. Tension creates originality! 3) Consider shifting the perspective on a subject, e.g., use a different narrator, scale, time period, or emotional tone. 4) Combine and/or twist ideas that don’t seem to belong together, e.g., What if a seemingly fun or happy story about birds was written by someone who was afraid of them? 5) Ask what’s missing in a conversation or other actions going on around you, e.g., What’s the big question no one is asking? What’s the subtle clue no one sees? 6) Read a variety of genres and look for the major or minor connections between them that you can use to generate a new idea, e.g., real science and science fiction; fantasy and realistic fiction. 7) Ask, the 5 W’s + How in various ways: “What if . . . ?” “Where did/is/might . . .?” “How come/can/will . . . ?” “When did/does/will/should/could/would . . . ?” “Who was/is/will . . .?” “Why does/doesn’t/is/isn’t/will/won’t . . .?” You will probably discover that you’ll end up using more than one of these ideas for a single book. And that’s okay!
