Fire on the Mountain was released March 2022

Do you like to keep busy? I find the busier I am, the busier I get. It’s not unusual for me to have three or four projects going at once — thank goodness for coloured file folders! I think a diversity of subjects and genres keeps me from getting bored. Moving from a Kindergarten non-fiction series to a chapter book to a rhyming picture book to a biography for Grade 5 students is a lot like cross-training in the gym. I’m flexing many different writing muscles, relying on the coaching of my personal trainers (my editors), and sweating a lot. Some projects are easy, like sit-ups, and others are excruciatingly difficult, like chin-ups.

Writing is just like exercise: the more you do it, the more you can do it. And for me, the tighter the deadline, the more efficient I get. So am I busy? Yup — and loving every minute of it!

Visiting elementary schools to talk about the slinky, scaly, feathered, and furry animals featured in my chapter book series is great fun and helps to remind me why I write.