What did you study as a scientist?

I was a botanist and molecular biologist. In a nutshell, that means I did experiments with plants to understand how their DNA (their genes) helps them grow and survive. The type of plant I studied is called Arabidopsis thaliana. It’s small and grows quickly, which makes it easy to use for experiments.

For a short time, I studied a tiny worm called C. elegans. It is smaller than an eyelash. But I found those worms kind of creepy, and I didn’t enjoy studying them. So I returned to plants.

How did you become a writer?

I began keeping a diary when I was in third grade. That habit got made me a writer, although I didn’t really think of myself that way. I never imagined I would grow up to become a writer. Instead I went to college, and then graduate school, to study science. For several years I worked as a scientist.

After I had children, I decided I wanted a job that gave me more time with my children. By that time, I had come to realize how much I enjoyed writing. I decided to try my hand at writing books about science for kids.

Where do you get your ideas?

A lot of my ideas come from spending time in nature and observing and asking questions. I also get ideas from books or from newspaper articles I read. Or from an interesting fact someone shares with me. Or from an editor who asks me to write a book on a certain subject.

One thing I’ve learned is how important it is to keep track of my ideas. I keep a binder where I jot them all down. If I don’t write them down, they can just float away.

What do you like best about being a writer?

I love learning new things about science and nature. Learning is probably one of my favorite things to do. I also love sharing what I’m learning with young readers. And I love spending time outdoors — maybe walking in the woods or working in my garden — and thinking about ideas for new books.

How long does it take to write a book?

On the short end of the spectrum, I've written books that take a few weeks or maybe a few months. On the long end, I’ve written books that take many years. Though during that time, I'm working on them on-and-off, not steadily.

Once I've written (and rewritten and rewritten) the words, then I send the text to my editors. They make comments and send the text back to me with requests for more revisions.

After I’ve got the words nailed down, it's time for someone else to add images. That work is done by an illustrator or a photo researcher, depending on the type of book. If an illustrator is creating the images, it can take them a year to complete all the illustrations. A book designer is the person who puts the words and images together so everything reads smoothly. Then the book has to be printed and that takes a few more months. So all in all, it’s a long process.

What is your favorite animal?

I’ll start with my pets. I have a golden retriever Sadie, who keeps me company when I write and takes walks in the woods with me. I have two kitties, Cleo and Cosmo. I call Cleo “The Queen,” because she’s bossy and whiny and loves to be pampered. Cosmo is “Little Miss Trouble,” because she can’t help herself from sneaking up and pouncing on Cleo, which Cleo does NOT like. I also have a flock of chickens. They each have their own unique personalities, and they always make me laugh.

If you’re asking what wild animal is my favorite, I love black bears. And polar bears. And sea turtles, and owls, and Arctic terns, and penguins, and bumblebees, and monarch butterflies. The list goes on.

What is your favorite book that you’ve written?

I really, truly love all of my books! But the book that I’m currently working on is always at the top of the list. If I didn’t absolutely love my current book project, it would be hard to keep going with it.

A few books that I’ve written do hold a special place in my heart. They include Top 50 Reasons to Care About Polar Bears, which was my very first authored book, and Plants Can't Sit Still, which was my first picture book and took many years for me to write.

What is your favorite book that you’ve read?

This is another hard question, because I’ve read so many books that I love. Really, I could make a list of 100 favorite books and it wouldn’t be complete. But I will say Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey is one of my favorite books.

Where did you grow up?

I was born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. I had a big sister and two younger brothers. My mother was a nurse, but she spent most of her time raising four kids. My father was a diesel mechanic, as well as a naturalist at heart.

When I was eight my family moved to a house in the country near Clarion, Pennsylvania. There were fields, streams, and woods, all of which I explored in a pair of worn-out sneakers. It was a magical place to be a kid.

What were you like as a girl?

I loved to play outdoors with my sister, Jennifer. We waded in streams, built tree houses, and took long expeditions through the woods. We loved pretending to be witches, and we had a knack for getting into scrapes, and the two things often went hand-in-hand. Like the time we tried to “fly” by riding our bikes down a steep hill and ended up crashing into a ditch full of briars. That kind of thing happened a lot.

I also loved to draw and read and write. I was a good student and I loved learning new things in school. My best subjects were English, art, and science. My least favorite class was gym, especially when we played dodge-ball.