I've Got A Good Right Hook.

Hopefully, I Brought People A Certain Joy. That Will Be A Wonderful Legacy.

Can I Give Them What They Think They're Going To Get From Me? That's Always The Big Question.

As My Mother Said, I Never Sprang Out Of Bed With A Glad Shout! My Voice Needed Oiling And Then It Took Off.

Because I Come From The Theater, I Use The Images Of The Theater And Of Movies A Great Deal When I Write. I See The Story In My Head. I Have To Break Down The Outline Of A Story First. I Have To Know Where I'm Going. Usually I Have A Good Beginning And A Good Ending, And Then I Think, "now I Have To Find My Way Through It."

When I Read To Children, I Try To Become The Characters. It's Great If You Can Make A Separate Voice For Each Character. Sometimes You Can Lower Your Voice With Excitement Or Get More Intimate About It: You Can Lean Forward And Engage The Children As A Narrator Or As A Reader. It's Particularly Important That You Find The Voice That You Want To Use For Each Character, Because Then Children Can Imagine That Person As You're Reading Aloud. And Of Course, The Illustrations Help Enormously.