I have been writing novels, picture books and essays for three decades now and I plan to keep writing for as long as I live. My father was a visual artist and his long life as a creative person is an ongoing inspiration to me. My parents met in Chicago, where I was born, and soon afterwards, we moved to St. Joseph, Michigan, where my family grew to eventually include six brothers and four sisters. This large family, and my role in it as the eldest daughter, led me to a life-long interest in the world of children and the special task of authors who write for them.

I have written 7 novels for young adults and 6 picture books - among them The Bigger Book of Lydia and Facing the Music for teenagers, and Clever Beatrice and The Three Bears and Goldilocks for younger readers. I have received many awards for my books, among them The Charlotte Zolotow Award and the Anne Izard Storyteller's Choice Award, along with many awards from the American Library Association. I have a MFA in Creative Writing from Bowling Green State University in Ohio and a BA from Grand Valley State University here in Michigan. I enjoy teaching introductory level writing and creative writing courses at the college level.

I am a lifetime resident of Michigan, where all of my books are set, including A Summer of Silk Moths, which is set very lovingly on the shores of the St. Joseph River in Buchanan, Michigan, near where I grew up.

I have a daughter and a son and two grandsons and I live with my husband of 30 years in Grand Haven, Michigan, near enough to Lake Michigan to hear the waves on windy nights.