About Me
I was born in New York. We lived on a busy street in Brooklyn. One of my earliest memories is going downstairs to buy an ice cream cone at the candy store. Maybe that’s why I called my first novel Ice Cream Town. When I was six years old, my family moved to Los Angeles. Growing up there was fun. My friends and I would take the bus into Hollywood to watch live tapings of television shows. My two favorite places were the local movie theater, where we went for the double matinee every Saturday, and the library. I loved books and still do. I decided that when I grew up, I would write children’s books.
I went to university and became an elementary school teacher. I spent a year in Israel and traveled through Europe. When I returned to Los Angeles, I met my husband Paul. After we got married we moved to Toronto. We had three children, Alise, Debbie and Daniel. I loved reading to them and telling them fun stories that I made up. One of those stories is now a book, Mrs. Kaputnik’s Pool Hall and Matzo Ball Emporium.
While my kids were growing up, I started writing professionally. I wrote articles for newspapers and magazines. I wrote press releases and advertising copy for companies and charities. I even wrote blurbs that you read on the sides of packages. Once my children were grown, I decided it was time to work on those kids’ books I’d always wanted to write. And guess what? Publishers published my books and now I’m what I’ve always wanted to be – a children’s author!
I write fiction and non-fiction. History was my second favorite subject, after English, so I write historical fiction. I like to do research and learn how kids lived in different times and places. Some of my books are biographies – the lives of real people who inspire me. I hope they will inspire you too.