Q and A
What was your favorite book when you were a kid?
My first book crush was Madeline. She is such a plucky character, and the jewel-toned illustrations by Ludwig Bemelmans are gorgeous. I read all the Madeline books, and they deeply affected me. Many years later, when I went to college, I majored in French (BA, USC; MA, UCLA)! Picture books can change your life.
When did you start writing for children?
While raising my daughters, I read lots of wonderful picture books, and was inspired to create some of my own. By then I had experience as a freelance writer. I interned at The Los Angeles Times while earning a BA in Journalism from California State University, Northridge, then sold articles to The Wall Street Journal, and other publications.
Where do you get your ideas?
All kinds of places. You need to have your antennae up. Hanukkah Hamster was inspired by a story my daughter told me about her Uber driver!
Why do you write biographies for kids?
I want to empower them with true stories about amazing achievers. I want them to know that it’s possible to pursue their dreams and change the world, without fairy godmothers. The people I have written about – including Clara Lemlich, Henri Rousseau and Eleanor Roosevelt – continue to inspire me.
How do you pick your illustrators?
That’s typically the job of the editor and art director of the publishing companies. However, illustrator Amanda Hall and I collaborated on Out of This World and submitted it to publishers as a joint project. Amanda had created the art for The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau, and we wanted to make another book together. You can learn more by checking out this video: Youtube: Artists in Conversation with Amanda Hall and Michelle Markel (Katonah Museum of Art)
What’s the best thing about writing nonfiction?
I love doing the research, immersing myself in the worlds my subjects lived in. Then spinning out a little movie in my head, picturing the images for each page of the story. But I also love to share my writer’s journey with kids and grown ups! And I must confess it’s a thrill to be honored for the hard work that goes into my books.
If you want to know more, check out my selections in Nonfiction Writers Dig Deep, edited by Melissa Stewart, and Reading and Writing Pathways through Children’s and Young Adult Literature by Dr. Alicia Curtin.
