Bio

Not only do I have the fun of getting to play and work with words, I also get to spend time with some great writers and illustrators—like Vivian Vande Velde, MJ Auch, Alice DeLacroix, Robin Pulver, Ellen Stoll Walsh, and Linda Sue Park.

We meet regularly to work on our writing together—usually over some tasty dessert.

I’m also in an on-line group with Dori Chaconas, Stacy DeKeyser, Kelly DiPucchio, Shirley Neitzel, and Lisa Wheeler. Sorry, I don’t have any pictures of these friends since we never, ever get to work together in person!

Finally, I’ve been very fortunate to work with illustrator Donna Farrell on several projects—including our book Here’s a Cheer for Our Childfirst Day and this web site—and with author and reading specialist Judy Bradbury on presentations to foster reading.

Spending time with my writer and illustrator friends has proven to be one of the greatest rewards of my career as a children’s author.

I was born in Rochester, Minnesota,

and now live in Rochester, New York.

Here I am at four years old with my family

--my sisters Mary and Marjorie and

my parents, Mayme and Al Hayles.

I have always liked to make up stories and poems. Fortunately, I had wonderful teachers who encouraged me to write.

Home

Mrs.Blaufox, my second grade teacher at Folwell Elementary School, made improving our vocabulary fun. Each day she would introduce us to a new word, calling this our Word-A-Day-Diet. If we used the word correctly in a sentence, we would get the word with a little star below it. We all wanted those shiny stars very much. I’ve still kept many of mine!

Thanks to such great teachers, I wanted to become a teacher as well when I grew up. And I did. I taught junior high and high school English for many years.

Then once I had kids of my own, I rediscovered children’s books. Reading aloud books by Shirley Hughes, Patricia Hutchins, Ashley Woolf, Audrey and Don Wood, Margaret

Mahy, and Denise Fleming among others inspired me to become a writer.

And even though my own kids have grown up now, I still love reading and writing books for young people.

Top Row: Alice DeLacroix, MJ Auch, Marsha Hayles, Vivian Vande Velde

Row 2: (left) Linda Sue Park, (right) Donna Farrell, Marsha Hayles

Row 3: Robin Pulver, Judy Bradbury, Marsha Hayles

Bottom: Ellen Stoll Walsh