I was born in New Britain, Connecticut, and grew up in Atlanta, Georgia.  I also spent a year (5th grade) in Montgomery, Alabama, and a year in Ann Arbor, Michigan(8th grade).  As a child, I always wanted to be a writer, but I had lots of other ambitions too.  I wanted to be a teacher, a librarian, a movie star, the president of the United States, and a ballerina.  

I didn't achieve all my goals.  I never became a movie star, the president of the U.S., or a ballerina.  But I've been a teacher and a librarian and most of all, a writer.  I've been writing for as long as I can remember.  Growing up, I always kept a diary.  I wrote poems, stories, plays, songs and lots of letters.  Writing wasn't easy for me, but it felt natural and right.

I've always read a lot, too.  I was an English major at Emory University (I love Shakespeare), and I also received a master's degree in library science at Emory.  I earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Chicago, and I taught children's and teen literature at St. John's University in New York for over 20 years.  Now, I'm a full-time writer, living in Paris, France - the most beautiful city in the world.

Readers are always asking me about my “favorites”, so here are a few.

Color:  red

Flower:  yellow tulips (lilies of the valley are a close runner-up)

Tree: weeping willow

Food: pizza (New York-style, with a thin crust, but Chicago-style deep dish is good too)

I like watching movies – serious movies, funny movies, sad, scary, romantic, and even silly movies.  I listen to all kinds of music too, from classical to hip-hop.  And I love to travel.  I’ve been all around France, I’ve traveled in England and Wales, and I’ve visited places in Italy, Spain, Holland and the Scandinavian countries.  Several years ago, I went on a safari in Kenya, Africa, where I saw my first real wildebeest, and here he is! 

You can write me at mjk719@hotmail.com.