- What's your favorite picture book?
I Want my Hat Back by Jon Klassen. Also love, Whatever by William Bee. Little Pea by Amy Krause Rosenthal. Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen and so many more.
- What's your favorite chapter book?
The Tale of Desperaux by Kate Di Camillo and many others.
What was your favorite book as a child?
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White. Also, Are you there
God? It's me Margaret. These books spoke to me.
- What was your first story about?
A wild horse and a Himalayan cat.
- Do you collect stuff?
Freckles, ideas, nesting dolls, and hand-painted Dala horses from Sweden.
- How would your mother describe you in one word?
Unforgettable.
- What's the most insane question you've ever been asked?
Can I pick your brain?
- What word do you wish you had invented?
- Characters always have a flaw. What's the main flaw in your character?
My sick sense of humor.
- What embarrassed you as a kid?
My weight.
Were you ever teased as a kid?
Kids used to ask, "If the U.S. adopted the metric system, would you become Alison Centimeters...?
- What is your favorite expression?
"It only takes one bad actor!"
- What did you love most about childhood?
Childhood.
I also loved to play with my Miss Mouse house, sail on my Dad's boat, eat candy, and ski with my family.
- Do you have any hobbies?
I love to cook, read, and run in the hills with my girlfriends.
- What's your favorite food?
Pizza.
- What's your favorite breakfast?
Almond croissant.
- What's your favorite vegetable?
Heirloom tomatoes from my garden.
- Do you own any pets?
Two rag doll cats: Mario Le Mew and Noel. I also have a British Shorthair named, Coco.
- Do you have any pet peeves?
Whistling.
- What's your favorite sport?
To do: Skiing.
To watch: Hockey.
- What's your favorite thing to do on the weekend?
Be with my family and friends.
- What's your favorite holiday?
Christmas! I love twinkly lights.
- What's the best present you ever received?
A diamond necklace from Mom and Dad.
- What's the best present you ever gave?
A special necklace for my mom—something she'd always wanted.
- What's the funniest thing that's ever happened to you?
In 5th grade I did the splits in the library and the crotch of my pants ripped. You could see my underwear.
- What do you look for in a friend?
Trust and a wicked sense of humor.
- What kind of music do you like?
Rock n' roll! I also love classical, Broadway, acoustical, and blue grass.
- What's your favorite place to go?
The woods behind my house.
- What kind of house do you live in?
A FUN house with swings hanging from the rafters and trampolines inside and out.
- Did you have a favorite stuffed animal when you were little?
Mortimer. A mouse.
- What's your favorite game?
Balderdash.
- How did you know you wanted to become a writer?
A little voice inside told me.
- What was the worst thing that ever happened to you as a child?
The day my brother chopped down my swing set. He built a "No Girls Allowed" tree fort with the wood. I bumped into a hornet's nest on the way down from the fort and got stings all over my body.
- What was the most exciting moment of your life?
When the 1980 men's hockey team won the gold medal.
