Kids sometimes ask me what I like to do for fun. Well, besides writing books for kids and young adults, I like to write emails, and receive them...hint, hint. I also like to write postcards and letters—the old–fashioned kind, with a stamp and everything. I like to take my dog, Lucky, to the dog park here in Eugene, Oregon. (There are three dog parks here!)

I like to do yoga, bike along the Willamette River bike paths, go camping, and walk in the woods. I love to watch movies, on video or at the theater. I also like to hang out with my friends and family and keep up with the happenings of my nieces: Jen, Lindsay, Sarah, Hannah and Rosie, my nephew, Jackson, and my great nephew Markie and his new baby sister, Lucy Jo.

I love to go to the beach, or the coast as they call it here in Oregon. The Pacific Ocean is only a short (hour or so) drive from Eugene. It seems like the Oregon coast is often rainy, windy, and cold—unlike the California coast or the Atlantic coast, for instance. But I like it anyway.

The ocean smells good, plus it’s beautiful. I've seen lots of interesting things at the coast: whales, sea lions, sea urchins in tide pools...and windblown, out–of–town visitors!