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I am the author of the verse novels Caminar and To Stay Alive, as well as the picture book Slickety Quick: Poems about Sharks, all with Candlewick Press. I received an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. I grew up in Kentucky and Tennessee and now live in Indiana, where I write books for readers of all ages.
About My Work – A Behind the Scenes Look:
I write most of my first drafts by hand and edit them later on the computer.
Caminar was my homework! I wrote it while I was in grad school getting an MFA.
I watched a lot of sharks swimming on YouTube while I was writing poems about them for Slickety Quick.
I got sucked into the story of the Donner Party after I listened to a Stuff You Should Know podcast about them. After I watched documentaries and read some books, I still had to learn more. So I turned to letters and diary accounts of survivors. Before I realized what I was doing, I had started writing a book about it, even though I never intended to do so.
Three Things You Didn't Know About Me:
1. My first job was selling hot dogs from the window of a train's caboose.
2. I've never learned to ride a bike.
3. I'm terrified of frogs.
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