April offers great advice on writing and has information on her school visits and presentations. She and her husband also lead ecotours to exciting and distant places.
1.SR: What experiences or people from your childhood were influential in your becoming a writer?
AS: My Dad was a great influence because he loved me unconditionally and believed I could do anything. My mom was influential because she briefly taught a class on children's literature so we ended up having all sorts of wonderful books around the house. My elementary school teacher, Mrs. Barbara Ottewell, was very literary. She and her kids, who were my friends, loved to read and write.
2.SR: Did you read a lot as a child and what were some of your favorite books?
AS: As a child I was a bookworm. I loved BLUEBERRIES FOR SAL. I loved fantasy books such as THE HIGH KING, by Lloyd Alexander.
3. SR: What is your typical writing day like?
AS: I'm a morning person. I get up around 4 or 5 am and start writing. I write very productively until 11 am. The rest of my day is unpredictable. I write in spurts then wander off to do laundry or errands. I spend hours doing paperwork, phone calls, and e-mails. I exercise. I watch T.V. I read. Then around 4 p.m, I suddenly get inspired and write for two more hours. My husband and I also run ecotours. So this, and organizing school visits, which I adore doing, also take up a lot of my time.
4.SR: What is the hardest part of writing for you?
AS: Not eating a truckload of candy bars while doing the writing. The hardest part of writing for me is sitting still to do it and being indoors. I love being outside and enjoying nature. Last year, for the first time ever, I set up an outdoor desk in our prairie. I've never been happier. I wrote with woodchucks walking underneath my chair and hawks flying overhead. It was great!
5.SR: What drew you to write nonfiction for children?
AS: I write nonfiction for children because kids know cool stuff when they hear it. They understand that anteaters are amazing. They still gasp with wonder when they find out a table is made of atoms. I also like to write in a brief but poetic way about the world and this fits well
