SHORTLY AFTER BIRTH, I DECIDED TO BE A WRITER (HOLLY SCHINDLER)

I've been writing as long as I could hold a pen.  That's really not much of an exaggeration, either.  I was a really shy kid--I used to cry when my parents took me to playgrounds, because I was afraid of having to interact with the rest of the kids.  Sometimes, I wonder if writing wasn't initially a way for a shy girl to "talk."

But it's more than that, too--there's something about making up stories that just fits.  Here are a few early examples:

This is one of my mom's favorite early "stories," about a kicking machine that kicks you when you're mad at yourself...

Another early story, this one illustrated, about a rabbit searching for his next meal.  (He did live "happily ever after" with that full belly of his...)


My earliest fan (Mom, who saved those first stories) is also now my first reader.  She read all eleven billion drafts of THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY--a process that took the story from picture book to full-length novel.  I'm celebrating those fabulous people like my own mom--librarians and teachers and parents--who are right now encouraging their own children to read and play with words.  Get in on the giveaway for a signed copy.  (And, if you're a teacher or librarian, feel free to get in on my giveaway for a Skype visit!)

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