Where were you born?
Toronto, Ontario.
Where do you live now?
Pacific Grove, California.
Do you have any pets? If so, what are their names?
I have good friends who have good dogs that they are good enough to let me borrow. My dog buddies’ names are Buddy, Keilor and (my favorite) Kelsey!
What were your favorite subjects when you were in school?
Writing, science, and public speaking.
What was your favorite book when you were a child?
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken.
What’s your favorite book now? Why?
Doctor De Soto, Pete’s a Pizza...anything by William Steig. He is a fabulous writer.
What do you do for fun in your spare time?
I play predator/prey games of chase with my 6 year old son, Kip and my 3 year old daughter, Esme.
What do you like most about being an author?
I LOVE to interview scientists about their work. Talking about new and creative ideas is so thrilling it makes the hair stand up on my skin. I also love the hard work of trying to find the most compelling stories that are sitting within all that rich research, and the challenge of stretching genres to accommodate different ways of portraying science and natural history.
Why do you write children’s books?
True democracies require open and transparent access to ideas. I love kids and I love nature and I am excited to share the most current ideas from science with young people who will ultimately have the most influence on how life on Earth unfolds.
Where do you do your writing? Is there a special place where you like to work?
My husband and children made me a studio from an old carriage house. The walls are covered with wildly bright fabric and it has the world’s best completely contained composting toilet (made in Canada no less)—so I can write in comfortable luxury! I also like to take my laptop computer and write by the ocean or in a forest or in a crowded coffee shop or a children’s library—wherever the context fits what I am working on.
Can you describe the types of research you do when you’re writing a book? How do you keep track of it all?
I travel to many parts of the world and I interview scientists directly. I tape record their interviews and then type them out on my computer so I can refer back to what they said. I also use the web and scientific journals to get more background. I keep all of my notes and interviews on my computer.
What’s the most interesting thing that’s ever happened to you?
I find life endlessly interesting, but one of the most interesting experiences was eating raw clam siphons from the intestine of a freshly killed walrus. Tasted a lot like pickled sushi. Yum.
What’s your personal motto?
Celebrate life!
