Gratefully Yours

I work as a reference librarian at the Meadville Pa. Public Library. It’s an interesting job. I get to help students find answers to all kinds of questions. Sometimes I find story ideas while I’m working.I have an office in my house, which is where I write. It has a purple rug. (I love purple.) I write on a Macintosh computer. (I love Macs.) My new computer has a speedy modem, which is nice because I go online a lot. It’s what I do when I need a break from writing. It’s also what I do to warm up and get ready to write in the morning. I have a lot of writer friends who are online, and we give each other support. Writing can be a lonely business. It’s good to have someone to share it with.I have been writing for children since 1985. My first book, Gratefully Yours, was published in 1997 — 12 years later. I began writing professionally in 1978, after graduating from Simmons College in Boston. I am also an alumnus of Greenfield Community College. I worked as a newspaper journalist for several years, doing everything from writing and editing, to pasteup and photography. My stories and articles for adults and children have been published in FamilyFun, My Friend and Byline magazines, as well as numerous newspapers.I live in Meadville, Pennsylvania with my husband, Ed Blaguszewski, who works at Penn State Erie, and my two teenage children, Michael and Laura.