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~TEN FACTS ABOUT ME~
When I was 12, I was on a game show in Philadelphia called CHALLENGE. I came in third place and won a camera.
When I was nine, I was hit by a car and spent a LONG time in the hospital. I was in the hospital for every single holiday including my birthday. (Hey, at least I survived to celebrate my next birthday!)
I checked a quarter of a million books out to children when I was a school librarian from 1997-2005. Okay, it was really 350,000 books but doesn't a quarter million sound more impressive?
My first chapter book series, Katharine the Almost Great, was released in January 2009. My next six Katharine books will be released in January 2012! Less than a year away! My dream is to have a picture book published. One day! Look for my nonfiction Cheerleading Series in 2010 from Enslow Publishers as well as my adaptations of seventeen classics from ABDO/Magic Wagon: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Red Badge of Courage, The Wind in the Willows, Peter Pan, King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table, Call of the Wild, Phantom of the Opera, Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, White Fang, and The Invisible Man, Heidi, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, Anne of Green Gables.
My secret desire is to star in Les Miserables on Broadway! When I was on my honeymoon, my husband surprised me with tickets to see Les Mis in London. In a strange twist of events, we were invited to the producer's private room during intermission. We never met Mr. McIntosh but I saw his Tony Awards in the bathroom! NOTE: John and I took the kids to see the National Tour kick-off at The Paper Mill Playhouse in December, 2010. AMAZING!
I don't eat many veggies. When I was four, my parents tried to make me eat broccoli so I stuffed it down my underwear. Okay, I was seven but don't tell anyone! (For the record, I LOVE fruit!)
I love to read, write, play Wii, decorate cakes, scrapbook, go to Disney, garden, and buy picture frames by the dozen. I have frames all over my house. Most have my kids (Hi, Sarah and Matthew!) in them or one of my 14 nieces and nephews: Zach, Alexandra, Sam, Caroline, Elizabeth, Matthew, Julia, Jack, Haley, Alex, Addison, Emmie, Lea, and Aurelia!
I am terrified of cats, centipedes, mice, and pretty much all creepy crawlies. Yep, all true. If I come to your school, I have the most- um- oddest centipede story to share with you. I can sum it up in one word...GROSS!
I once won $10,000 in a church raffle. Cha-Ching!
I love tea! It reminds me of my grandmother. We used to drink tea together every day. She believed that tea could make you feel better if you were sad or sick. She was right! The next time you drink a cup of tea, think of all the ways your grandmother is special to you.
I worked at James Salt Water Taffy on the Atlantic City Boardwalk when I was a kid. Guess who worked there for 35 years and got me the job? If you said my Grandmother, you may pass go and collect 200 dollars.
I come from a family of teachers. My mom taught for 27 years and my dad was a Principal. My parents are two smart cookies. Maybe that's why they discovered the broccoli in my underwear! My sisters are teachers, too. In fact, I have lots of aunts and uncles, cousins, and a brother-in-law who teach. Oh, and John (my husband) is a sixth grade teacher. In 1993, my mom was named Teacher of the Year in her school and I was named Teacher of the Year in mine. We were both teaching first grade. The Atlantic City Press sent a reporter to interview us. How cool is that? Want to see a picture? Click here.
I love to write stories that will make kids laugh. Guess which part of the writing process is my favorite part? REVISING! I don't mind getting notes from my editors because I enjoy the challenge of tweaking a scene so it's "just right." Editors are very wise people!
I stunk-a-roo in math when I was your age. It was so, so, so hard for me! Now? I'm a math whiz! I can tell you what 2,465 X 78,412 equals in 2.2 seconds.
Welllll...I've been known to exaggerate a bit about my math ability. I'm NOT a math whiz. You probably already knew that, huh? Did my Ten Facts About Me list- filled with fifteen facts- give it away?? (But I do HEART math now!)