Meet Jane Kurtz, Author, Traveler, Teacher

Jane: When I started out, I thought about the fact that if I were going to be a doctor or a lawyer, I would assume my education and training would take about 10 years and would involve a great investment of my time and money. Why would I think that writing books would be any easier? Why should I give any less respect to books and reading, things that shaped my entire life? At some point, I decided to give my all...for ten years...and not give up unless I still couldn't break into "the business" after that. I have to say it did take almost ten years to get that first two-book contract from a major publisher, but I learned so much along the way about the craft of writing and the intricacies of the business side of things. What a great way to spend ten years (now that I can look back with satisfaction and not despair :>).

9.Sue: When a reader has finished the last page of your books what do you hope they take away from the experience?

Jane: One of the themes I see over and over in my books is the strength of the human spirit to survive extremely tough and sometimes even horrible experiences. I, myself, like to finish a book with a feeling of hope, something to cling to in the face of how difficult life can be. So I'm happy if readers take away a sense of hope--and a better understanding of what life is like in different time periods and different places from the ones they themselves inhabit.

10.Sue: What are you reading at the moment?

Jane: I'm just finishing two nonfiction books written for adults, Dancing With the Witchdoctor: One Woman's Stories of Mystery and Adventure in Africa by Kelly James (amazing and complex stories!) and Secrets of Saffron: the Vagabond Life of the World's Most Seductive Spice by Pat Willard. I'm also reading lots of books about ancient Egypt for my next novel.

11.Sue: What is the most satisfying to you about writing for children?

Jane: The first work I ever published was poetry in literary journals. Though it felt exciting to have my words in print, I was disappointed to real no sense of an audience. It was like throwing a stone into a pond and seeing

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