What is the first thing ever that you remember writing?
In third grade, I wrote a report about the health benefits of the apple.
It was kind of bossy, really.
Credit: Deborah Feingold; Penguin
What is the last book that made you cry?
The Book of Lost Names, by Kristin Harmel.
The final scene gave me the chills and left me quite weepy, in the best of ways.
Which book is at the top of your current to-read list?
Hamnet, byMaggie O’Farrell.
And I’m very excited for Asha Lemmie’sFifty Words for Rainto come out in September.
Where do you write?
I work in the home office of my apartment in New York City.
When I’m stuck, it’s soothing to watch the barges slice their way through the water.
Which book made you a forever reader?
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, byAgatha Christie.
She broke all the rules, and as a young reader, my literary world was blown wide open.
What is a snack you couldn’t write without?
This time of year, I love cherries.
The mix of sweet and tart nothing better.
If you could change one thing about any of your books, what would it be?
So I’d catch that before it goes out for printing.
What is your favorite part ofThe Lions of Fifth Avenue?
What was the hardest plot point or character to write?
