JOAN HOLUB says... I graduated from college in Texas, then freelanced as an Art Director at a graphic design firm for 8 years. I dreamed of working in children's books, so I moved to New York City and became Associate Art Director at Scholastic, where I designed books for children and worked with editors and illustrators. I illustrated my first published children's book in 1992 and soon began illustrating full time. I began completing manuscripts and mailing them out to publishers in the early 1990s. In 1996, I sold my first two manuscripts -- Boo Who? A Spooky Lift-the-Flap Book (Scholastic) and Pen Pals (Grosset & Dunlap). Yippee! Now I write full time and have authored and/or illustrated over 120 children's books. Creating books that entertain, inform, and interest children (and me, too) is a fabulous job!

Answers to questions people sometimes ask me:

1. Where do you get your ideas?
Sometimes, ideas pop into my head. I listen to and watch people around me for ideas. I read, brainstorm, and daydream to get ideas. Ideas are the easy part of writing. Developing an idea into a book with a beginning, a middle, and a satisfying end can be hard or easy. You just never know if an idea will work until you try it. If I have an idea I really like, I never give up on it even when people tell me to. I keep on and on and on until I've turned it into a story.

2. When and why did you decide to become an author and artist?
We didn't have many books at home when I was a girl, but my mother took me to the library often. I began writing because I had story ideas that I thought would make good books. In 1991, I began regularly submitting manuscripts to publishers. They began regularly rejecting me. Back then, I called manuscripts I sent out 'boomerangs' because I'd mail them out, then they'd come right back, marked "no." Eventually a wonderful editor named Jane O'Connor said yes.

3. Why don't you illustrate all of the books you write?
I don't have time to illustrate all of the books I write. Or sometimes an editor thinks that another artist would be a better choice for a particular book I've written. I write way more than I illustrate these days and I've been very happy with the work of the artists who have illustrated my books (Kathy Couri, Michael Slack, Debbie Palen, Regan Dunnick, Anna DiVito, Paul Meisel, Theresa Smythe, and lots of others.) I think it's just as much fun to illustrate a book written by someone else as it is to illustrate a book I write.

4. Did you like school when you were a kid?
Pretty much. I got bored during the summer, so I was glad when school started. I loved getting a new lunchbox and choosing what I would wear the first day. I like to read and I made good grades, so school was mostly fun for me.

5. How do you develop your characters and plot?
I've usually already decided on most of the characters, the ending, and some a plot before I start writing a book. I work out the rest as I go along. For chapter books, I write a 1 to 2 page description of what will happen before I start writing the book. I learn the rhythm and structure of stories by reading books and thinking about how they are structured.

6. How hard was it to get published?
It was hard to sell the first manuscript. Then in 1996, I suddenly sold three manuscripts in three months to Grosset & Dunlap and Scholastic.

7. What are your favorite books besides the one(s) you have written?
A Friend for Dragon; Chrysanthemum; Ruby the Copycat; Marvin Redpost; Holes; Joey Pigza; Judy Moody series; Junie B Jones; Feed; Officer Buckle and Gloria; Stargirl; Eloise; Horace and Morris; Amelia's Notebook; and many, many, many, many more!

8. What do you look for in a good book?
Humor or emotions I strongly identify with. An unusual plot idea and characters I care about.

9. Do you have kids, pets, or hobbies?
No kids, but we do have 2 cats, Scout and Boo (named after To Kill A Mockingbird characters). I like to hike, bikeride, read, go to the gym, make quilts, read, shop, hang out, travel, read, and eat chocolate. And did I mention I like to read?

10. Can I write to you?
You can email me at joanholub@aol.com or write to me in care of my publishers. You can find each publisher's address online or in this library book: The Children's Writers Market. Please include an SASE if you can. Thanks!