1. I 100% believe in Leprechauns!
Yep, I do! Why you ask? Because I saw one when I was in First
Grade at St. James School in Ventnor, NJ a LONG time ago! It left behind such a
mess in the classroom! I so strongly believe in them that I offer my own
First Grade students $100 for each one they catch in a trap every St. Patrick's
Day. The traps have been A-M-A-Z-I-N-G but, sadly, no one has been able
to collect the money. I suppose those pesky leprechauns are too clever for the
traps. What will we do IF one is caught? Release it safely into the
Fairy Forest, of course! Here are some of the traps my students have made.
2. When
I was 12, I was on a game show in Philadelphia called CHALLENGE.
I came in third place and won a camera. I love watching Jeopardy and
Wheel of Fortune with my family. When we watch Wheel of Fortune, my son,
Matthew crushes me.
Every.
Single.
Time.
3. When
I was nine, I was hit by a car and spent a LONG time in the hospital. I was in
the hospital for every single holiday including my birthday. When I was in the
hospital, I became a HUGE reader! I couldn't stop reading books and I
haven't stopped since!
4. I
checked a quarter of a million books out to children when I was a school
librarian for 9 years. Okay, it was really 350,000 books but doesn't a
quarter million sound more impressive?
5. Can
you keep a secret? If I couldn't be a teacher or an author, I'd want to be a
BROADWAY STAR! When I'm in the shower, I sing Broadway tunes all the time.
My favorite show? Les Miserables! I've seen it over a dozen
times. I saw it in Connecticut in June 2026. They were getting ready to break down the set and put everything in these boxes.
6. Can
you keep an even bigger secret? I am terrified of cats, centipedes, mice, and
pretty much all creepy crawlies. Yep, all true. If I come to your school,
I have the most- um- oddest centipede story to share with you. I can sum it up
in one word...GROSS! (I get a lot of mail from kids saying that if I met
THEIR cat, I'd feel differently. Ummm...Nope. I wouldn't!)
7. I
once won $10,000 in a church raffle. Cha-Ching! My husband loves to
enter contests. He's won a ton of stuff but most notable: Yankee World
Series Tickets, 4 grills, and a years' supply of cereal. (FYI: Who knew
that a years worth of cereal is only 38 boxes. Not in this house! We are cereal lovers!)
8. I
love tea! It reminds me of my grandmother. We used to drink tea together
every day. She believed that tea could make you feel better if you were sad or
sick. She was right! The next time you drink a cup of tea, think of all the
ways your grandmother is special to you.
9. I
worked at James Salt Water Taffy on the Atlantic City Boardwalk when I was a
teenager. Guess who worked there for 35 years and got me the job? If
you said my Grandmother, you may pass go and collect 200 dollars. (By the way, salt water is NOT used to make Salt Water Taffy!)
10. I come from a family of teachers. My mom taught for 27 years
and my dad was a Principal. My sisters are teachers, too. In fact, I have lots
of aunts and uncles, cousins, and a brother-in-law who teach. Oh, and John is a
teacher, too. One year, my mom was named Teacher of the Year in
her school and I was named Teacher of the Year in mine. We
were both teaching first grade. My Dad was a Superintendent in another school district so he was there, too. The Atlantic City Press sent a
reporter to interview us. How cool is that? Here we are (Mom, Dad and me!) 35 years ago!
11. I get asked ALL THE TIME where I get my ideas from. My
own kids have inspired whole stories! (Sarah is 29 and Matthew is 27.)
My First Grade kids do and say funny things, too. Sometimes they
inspire me to write my stories. Maybe we'll meet one day and YOU WILL END UP IN
MY STORY! You never know!!
12. Guess which part of the writing process is my favorite
part? REVISING! I don't mind getting notes from my editors because
I enjoy the challenge of tweaking a scene so it's "just right."
Editors are very wise people!
13. I stunk-a-roo in math when I was your age. It was so, so, so
hard for me! Now? I'm a math whiz! I can tell you what 2,465 X 78,412
equals in 2.2 seconds.
14. Wellllll...I've been known to exaggerate a bit about my math
ability. I'm NOT a math whiz. You probably already knew that, huh? Did my Ten
Facts About Me list- filled with fourteen facts- give it away?? (But I
do HEART math now!)
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