Where did you grow up?

I grew up in New York City! And then when I was 7, my family moved to Connecticut, about 1 hour away. 

 

Did you always want to be a writer?

I didn’t! When I was younger, I wanted to be a lot of different things. A marine biologist, a ballet dancer, an actress. But when I was in college I got a job at a bookstore and fell in love with children’s literature! I started writing books for teenagers first – I have written 8 books for teens. The Firefly Summer was my first book for kids.

 

Where did the idea of The Firefly Summer come from?

I used to spend summers in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. It’s a wonderful place – and I even set my second book for teens, Second Chance Summer, there. I loved the idea of writing a character who loved mysteries and then discovered she was part of one. I wanted to write about a big family, and I thought it would be really fun to have a character suddenly discover she has a ton of relatives all at once. And plus, I love mysteries and treasure hunts – and s’mores. So writing this book was a way to explore all those things!

 

Do you have any pets?

Yes! I have one dog, Murphy. He likes to lie at my feet when I write.