The Origin Of Each Story Is Unique.

For Children: I'm Writing A Picture Book About The Big Dipper And A Novel About A Cricket, A Firefly And A Vole. For Grownups: I'm Writing Poems.

Mercy Watson Is Obsessed With Toast. What Was Blocking Me Was The Challenge Of Trying To Understand What She Loves, What Motivates Her. That Was The Missing Piece. Toast Became The Physical Symbol Of Mercy's Hopefully Endearing Greed And Obsession. Without That Element In Place, It Didn't Make Sense.

To Me The Book Is Like Having A Kid. I Have To Let It Go Out In The World, And Great Things Will Happen. Maybe They Won't, But It Has To Keep On Moving.

The Way We Started Was, Alison [mcghee] Said, 'tall Girl, Short Girl.' We Had No Plans Beyond That.

But Let's Not Speak Of What Might Have Been. Let Us Speak Instead Of What Is. You Are Whole.