Susan
Wojciechowski

I was born in Rochester, NY, a long time ago and spent a normal childhood dreaming of being a Mouseketeer. By the time I got to Nazareth College of Rochester, I had given up that dream and instead, decided I wanted to be a teacher. Wanting to be a teacher turned out to be a lot easier than actually being one. So, after teaching for a few years, I quit. It was too hard a job. I decided I would find an easier profession--maybe air traffic controller.

I went through life having all kinds of jobs, searching for the right one. Finally, almost by accident, I discovered writing. I became a writer because my neighbor had a story published in a magazine. I got jealous. I wanted MY name in a magazine. So I wrote an essay about being skinny. It got published and I got my name in a magazine. I also got paid $50! I've been writing ever since.

I usually do my writing while lying in bed at night, or sitting in a big squishy chair in my living room, or doing the dishes, or driving the car. My characters talk inside my head and the stories unfold. Then I write them in longhand. Only when they are almost ready to go to the publisher do my stories get typed into the computer.

In case you're wondering, Patty Dillman, the star of my first three books, is really me, and the character Beany is really my daughter, Mary. My son Christian is the kid who got all the rotten Halloween costumes.

In between writing books, I am a wife to Paul and a mother to Joel, Christian and Mary, all of whom appear, whether they like it or not, in my books. In my spare time I like to--you guessed it--read. I also like to play tennis, though I try hard not be seen in short, pleated skirts and socks with little puffy balls on the backs. I also LOVE doing the Sunday New York Times Magazine crossword puzzle. I love word games and word puzzles of all kinds. And I especially like visiting schools and meeting kids. I don't like: cooking, getting up early in the morning, and people who are intolerant of others.

I love to read good books. I hope you do, too. And I hope some of your favorite books are the ones I've written.