I got my first library card when I was four – my six-year-old sister had taught me how to read!  From then on, I brought home books by the armload, and I also tried my hand at writing. I was very proud when I won a prize for a poem in the AMERICAN GIRL magazine at age eleven.

I never stopped writing, but it wasn’t till much later, after I was married with two little daughters, that I decided to make writing my profession. I began jotting down ideas for children’s books and stories, and then I wrote an entire book, A FAIRY CALLED HILARY. It didn’t get published for almost twenty years, but I didn’t let that stop me – I just kept on writing. 

In 1988, I got my first acceptance letter for a novel, THE ALEXANDRA INGREDIENT, and also for a non-fiction book, COPING WHEN A PARENT HAS CANCER.  Other books and stories followed, some of which won awards or were translated into other languages—French, Italian, Swedish, and German.  My latest publications are THE PRINCESS GOWN (Houghton Mifflin, 2008), PRESCHOOL DAY HOORAY! (Scholastic Cartwheel, 2010), and DROP EVERYTHING AND WRITE! (E&E Publishing, 2010). And I have still another book, THE ELIJAH DOOR, coming out in 2012.

I still love both writing and reading, so it’s not surprising that one of my favorite things is to see someone happily reading my books.  One third-grader, whose teacher read A FAIRY CALLED HILARY to her class, told me how much fun it was to laugh with her friends at Hilary’s adventures. That’s exactly what a writer wants to hear!

I’m a perfectionist, so I do a lot of crossing out and re-writing. After one school visit, a student sent me a letter that said, “Dear Mrs. Strauss, Before you came I thought writing was neat and easy.  Now I know it’s hard and messy.” And that boy was right: Writing is hard and messy, but fortunately it’s also fun and challenging and magical and thoroughly satisfying – except on days when I get rejection letters!

I live with my husband in Wyoming, Ohio, and I write on the top floor of our tall, skinny house. If you want to ask me questions or tell me what you think of my books, you can . Chances are I’ll be at my computer to get your e-mail!