My latest series, The Santa Diaries...my 77th, 78th and 79th published novels...asks a lot of questions about what goes on in Santa's world.
Everyone just assumes that Santa has it made. Life is pretty ho-hum. He and his elves make toys, load them into the sleigh or Christmas Eve and deliver them by Christmas morning. Wrong!
Did you know that Santa has had to pull off his deliveries in spite of rip-roaring disasters? Things a jolly old elf shouldn't have to deal with? His life doesn't begin to match his rosy cheeks. Much less Rudolph's bright red nose. Still he's succeeded evey time! Find out how in this hearwarming series. Go to column 1 of the My Works page to read the first chapters of each book.
My humorous novel, THE GREAT MOM SWAP, became an ABC Saturday Night Movie and my funny/scarey series, BONE CHILLERS, became a Saturday morning ABC TV series.
I've received numerous honors and awards beginning with my first book, COWSLIP, which was named to the national list of Books for Brotherhood, to my latest young adult mystery, DEADLY DECEPTION, which was named ALA Quick Pick, the New York Library Books for the Teen Age and was on the Texas Lone Star Reading List in 1994. My books have been translated into seventeen languages. I've spoken at schools and writers conferences all over the U.S.A. and in Spain and Portugal, where I spent a month as a guest of the American Schools. I was also an instructor for the Institute of Children's Literature and am now teaching "Writing the Middle Grade Novel", "Writing the Young Adult Novel" and "Creating Awesome Characters" for UCLA Extension on line.
I graduated from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and later was named Journalism Alumnus of the Year. I'm a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Authors Guild, Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. I, and my husband Jim, were named Members of the Year and Life Time Members by SCBWI National. I've been a five-time member of the Mystery Writers selection committee for the Juvenile Division of the Edgar Allen Poe Award, which is given annually, and a three-time member of the selection committee for the annual SCBWI award.
