Meet Tricia

Here's a little about me. If you're doing a report, and need the hard facts, please click on Frequently Asked Questions.

I was born a looong time ago, when girls had to wear dresses to school and no one had heard of soccer. I was the oldest of five kids, and there's a rumor I was very bossy, though you shouldn't believe everything you hear. (It's true that when we put on shows, I was always the director.) Our neighborhood was a little like the Wild West–no sidewalks, fences, or street lights. We played baseball in the street, with our mailbox for first base. One of my favorite things was going to the beach. My father taught me to swim in beautiful Long Island Sound.

I learned to read in first grade. Our class took turns reading aloud, and we were not allowed to peek ahead. I always got in trouble for turning the page, but I couldn't help it--I had to find out what happened next! 

As I grew up, I did many jobs. I was a (really bad) waitress, a (really fun) Head Start teacher, a (really lucky) mama, and some other things, too. But the part of me that's never changed is, I'm a reader. I’m dying to know not just what happens next, but why. 

When I was in my late twenties, I began wanting not only to read stories, but to live inside them. I started to write my own. After a slew of rejections, which taught me a good deal, I had the thrill of being published for the first time. Years later, nothing but nothing compares to the happiness I feel when one of my stories goes out into the world--to you! 

The world is a wonderful place, but it's got its share of gritty bits, too. For me, writing is a window on the world near and far. Every day I look out to see what I can see. I hope you'll stand beside me, or even perch on my shoulders, and look out with me.