Month of Letters: February 7 & 8

I am a published author of 28 books, mostly for children and young adults; a former magazine editor; and the mother of an eleventh-grader. I've written 20 books for Sweet Valley High and other teen series, all under pseudonyms. My nonfiction kids' books, under my own name, are on topics ranging from Dragons to Stonehenge to the Cherokee Indians. Currently, I'm writing a science fiction novel. I'm a member of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, the Society of Children Book Writers and Illustrators, and the National Federation of Press Women.

In my spare time, I enjoy reading, drawing, traveling, taking photographs, and ruining my son's life by making him do homework instead of letting him play video games all day. Other hobbies include releasing books into the wild for BookCrossing, filling my Little Free Library with books, and sending postcards all over the world through Postcrossing. I also run an arts contest for children and teens at 220 schools across Northern Virginia, and help arrange fundraising and communications for the high school orchestra.