Q & A

How did you get the idea for DESERT WILD: MONSOON’S REVENGE?

There once was a crested saguaro cactus, named Numero Uno, in the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, AZ. The crest on the top of his trunk looked like a tribal headdress. When I saw him, stories of cactus kings and magical seeds filled my head. 

Are there really monsoons in the desert?

Yes, in the Sonoran Desert of the Southwest! Every early July to mid September in Arizona brings the summer monsoon, a season where the change in the wind direction can create thunderstorms, flash floods, and dust storms.

Phillips, S. J., & Wentworth Comus, P. (Eds.). (2000). A natural history of the Sonoran Desert. Tucson, AZ: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Press.

What was your dream job as a kid?

I wanted to write books like the Chronicles of Narnia (or be a rock star, archeologist, or win the Guinness World Record for the most sea urchin fossils.)

Why do you write?

I write because I made a promise to my characters to tell their stories. Those little guys can be very demanding. They always interrupt me when I’m busy with something else: driving, in the bathroom, washing the dishes, or generally minding my own business (usually without any place to write down their demands).

What keeps you motivated to write?

By my writing chair, I keep a photo collage of my characters, my imagined future readers, and Neil Gaiman. I can’t look into the cute faces of my characters and say I’m quitting on them. And Neil Gaiman? He’s my writing rock star. (If I ever meet him, I will probably fangirl faint like someone at a 1960s Beatles concert.)