What inspired you to become a writer and author?
I have dyslexia and didn’t learn to read until I was 9 — taught myself with big fat novels. Once I got hooked on reading I decided to write the books I couldn’t find — on topics that others didn’t write about, and also the way I like to read them, which is action-paced.
What do you do when a new idea jumps out at you, while you’re still working on a book?
Make a note of it and go back when I have time.
What was your favorite book to write and publish? Why?
My picture book Enough. I talk about that here.
What do you want to be known for or remembered for?
For honoring those who have been forgotten.
When did you publish your first book and how many books have you published?
To be clear, I don’t “publish” books. I write them. A publisher publishes them. There is a lot of misinformation online about what it means to publish a book. If you google it, the first 5 or more pages of your search are all scams and ads. In reality, an author submits a book to a publishing house. They look at thousands of submissions a year and out of all that, select a few for publication. The author signs a contract and is paid a percentage from each book sold — usually 10% of the list price. What you see online is really often people having their book printed, not published, and that means you can write anything of any quality, pay money, and have it made into a book.
Now, back to your original question, here are all my books:
Some have been republished in different editions and different titles and languages so hard to count them all. For example, my first book, Silver Threads, was published first in 1996, then in 2003, and again in 2023, and in Ukrainian and Korean editions too.