General Questions • Homework Help Questions • Baby-sitters Club Questions
Smile Questions • Sisters Questions • Guts Questions • Drama Questions • Ghosts Questions

How do you say your name?

You can listen to me say my name here.

When did you start reading comics? Did you always want to make them?

I started reading the funnies in my local newspaper, The San Francisco Chronicle, when I was nine. My favorites were Calvin and Hobbes and For Better or For Worse. I started making my own comic strips around the same time, and realized I liked putting pictures and words together to tell stories.

Can you send me a free book?

Believe it or not, authors don't usually have extra copies of their books lying around! Books cost me money, too, and other people buying my books is how I make my living. I would recommend that you ask your school or public library to order my books if they don't already have them in stock.

Okay, I want to buy your book! Can you sign it?

If you'd like to order a signed copy of my books through the mail, my local independent bookstore Rakestraw Books would be happy to ship them to you! Or, you can try to catch me at a public appearance. Check out my Events Page for a list of upcoming events.

You should make a Smile movie! Are they making a Smile movie? What about a Drama movie?

Haha, I have no control over that. If a film or television studio wants to purchase the rights to make any of my books into a TV show or a movie, they are welcome to do so, but that means entering a crazy Hollywood process that I would have very little to do with. If there is ever news on this front, you can bet I'll announce it here on my site!

Can I see some pictures of you when you were a kid?

I've got a few photos posted over here.

Can you give me some advice on a personal issue?

I wish I could, but I'm really not in a position to do that. If you're being bullied by kids at school, or you're worried about a friend's behavior, or something is really bothering you, it's best to talk to an adult you know and trust. Those know know you best will know the best way to help!

I'd like to be an author/cartoonist/illustrator. Can you give me any advice?

Sure! Here is my Essay: Advice for Budding Cartoonists.

Would you be willing to read my story/comic/essay/novel?

I'm sorry, but I can't. I've only got so many hours in a day, and I devote most of them to working on my own books and projects. You can join a writers' community online, or at your school or library, though!

What do you use to make your comics?

I sketch out all my pages on plain 8.5 x 11 paper, and then create a full-sized version of those sketches on Bristol board, using a Col-erase light blue colored pencil. Over that, I pencil each panel pretty tightly with a Papermate #2 graphite pencil. Finally, I ink over the penciled drawings with Dr. Martin's waterproof India ink and a no. 2 Windsor & Newton sable brush, and erase the pencil lines with a Staedtler Mars plastic eraser. My finished pages are scanned into a computer, and panel borders, lettering, and colors are all added digitally. I wrote all about the tools I use in this essay and it contains lots of pictures and examples!

Are you interested in collaborating on graphic novels in the future?

Serious queries should go through my agent, Judy Hansen.

Will you come speak at my school/library/conference/convention/company picnic?

Maybe! Please see my Contact Page for more information.

Can I interview you for a class project/homework/school paper/author study?

Unfortunately I don’t have time for individual requests of this nature. Here are some links to essays I’ve written that answer some of my most commonly asked questions, followed by a Homework Help section! 

Essay: Where Do You Get Your Inspiration?

Essay: Writing From Life (The Good and the Bad)

Essay: How Did You Develop Your Art Style?

Essay: How Do You Make a Graphic Novel (and, Why Do They Take So Long?)

Essay: Advice for Budding Cartoonists
 

What year were you born?

1977.

Where Do You Get Your Inspiration?

Mostly from my own life, but the answer is more complex than just that! Please see my Essay: Where Do You Get Your Inspiration?

How do you make a graphic novel?

Please see my Essay: How Do You Make a Graphic Novel?

What genre are your books?

Please note that graphic novels are a format and a medium, but not a genre. There are many genres WITHIN graphic novels! Smile, Sisters, and Guts are considered autobiography and memoir, and sometimes non-fiction. Drama and the BSC graphic novels are considered realistic fiction and slice-of-life. Ghosts is realistic fiction with a supernatural flavor. 

Do you have any pets?

When I was growing up my family had goldfish, hamsters, a chameleon, a parakeet, a cockatiel, a snake (yuck!) and eventually a cat. Right now I have one cat, a fluffy ginger boy named Kiku! I sometimes post cat pictures on my instagram.

Do you have any siblings?

If you read my books Smile, Sisters, or Guts, they will give you a clue!

Do you have any kids?

Nope!

Do you have any hobbies?

My hobby was always drawing, but now that I draw professionally for a living, I like to spend my spare time cooking, reading, hiking, swimming, camping, and watching documentaries. My favorite guilty pleasure TV show is Top Chef, partly because I enjoy watching talented, hardworking, creative people rise to the top, and partly because it gives me inspiration in the kitchen! I also like to listen to music and podcasts, and travel!

What is your favorite color?

Yellow.

What is your favorite book?

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien.

Who is your favorite author?

I don't have one favorite author. Some authors I love include Ann M. Martin, Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, and Margaret Atwood. My favorite cartoonists include Bill Watterson, Lynn Johnston, Bill Amend, Greg Evans, Lynda Barry, Keiji Nakazawa, Kiyohiko Azuma, and Jeff Smith. Look them up!

What is your favorite movie?

Pee-wee's Big Adventure.

What is your favorite food?

I could eat a burrito from La Taqueria in San Francisco every day of my life! And their agua frescas...oh man...

You didn't answer my questions here! Where can I find out more?

Check out my Resources page!

How'd you get a job drawing Baby-sitters Club comics for Scholastic? Was it your idea?

Kind of! I met the editors at Scholastic when they were starting up the Graphix imprint in 2003, and they were looking for new artists to do projects with. I brought a few original ideas to them (I had been self publishing mini-comics for a few years), but nothing that was really "ready to go." So they asked what I read when I was young, and when I said I'd been a BSC fan, their eyes lit up and they said, "That might make a good graphic novel! Want to do some sketches?" And that was that.

Will you be drawing more Baby-sitters Club comics?

I will not be drawing more BSC Graphix. BUT!! There are new Baby-sitters Club graphic novels illustrated by my friend Gale Galligan, who...believe it or not...used to be my production assistant! She helped me out in the studio when I was working on Drama, and now she's taking the torch on BSC Graphix! BSC Graphix #7, Boy-Crazy Stacey, is out now!

Did you really knock your two front teeth out? Is this a true story? What inspired you to write this book?

It's all true! I was in sixth grade when I fell and knocked out my teeth, and I have been dealing with the consequences ever since. I had braces, a lot of surgery, and a lot of awkward smiles as a result. The comic SMILE was born out of a need to get the whole experience down on paper, since I spent so much time telling people about it.

How about the other stuff? The earthquake, the incident with your skirt in high school...is it all true?

I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried. Earthquakes happen pretty frequently in San Francisco, and I happened to live there during the last big one, in October of 1989. As for my friends doing mean things to me...let's just say, I'm not friends with those people anymore. One incident involving my skirt was enough!

I'm getting braces soon. Can you tell me what it's like?

I tried to convey what braces were like, for me, as accurately as possible in Smile. This is how I remember it. Chances are, your experience won't be so bad, unless you also knocked out your two front teeth and need to get your whole mouth reconstructed!

Is Sisters a true story?

Yep. I really do have a sister. My family really did take a road trip from San Francisco to Colorado Springs when I was 14. And Amara really did have a pet snake named Mango that got loose in the car.

Do you and Amara get along now?

Much better than we used to! But we also live in different states, and I only see her every so often. When I do, I'm always kind of shocked by how similar we are in so many ways!

I need to know what happened with your parents. The ending of Sisters was so open-ended!

Okay, the thing is, my parents did eventually get divorced...but not for another six years after the story takes place! They tried really hard to make it work, and honestly, there's no "story" to their breakup, so I didn't want to include an epilogue in Sisters that took the reader into the future, or explain their grown-up issues. I found out my parents' marriage was struggling when I was 14, and was confused and disoriented for the next six years of my life. I wanted to capture that confusion and uncertainty from the point of view of my teen self, without a narrator explaining everything. Perhaps it doesn't make for the best 'ending' to a story...but real life doesn't always create neat endings. (My parents are still good friends, by the way! They're both great people, and everyone is much happier now.)

Is Guts a true story?

Yep. I really did struggle with anxiety that showed up as stomach trouble — and I still do! I really did develop emetophobia, and it all really did coincide with my trouble with friends at school. Like Smile and Sisters, Guts is a memoir about my life.

Wait, what’s emetophobia? Where can I find out more?

Emetophobia is the extreme fear of vomiting. I was sick thanks in part to anxiety, and then I had more anxiety about getting sick! You can read more about it in this article about Guts.

When does Guts take place in relation to Smile and Sisters? Is it a sequel?

Guts is my third memoir about my life growing up in San Francisco, but it actually takes place first, before Smile and Sisters. I wrote Smile first, and then Sisters actually takes place during Smile, with flashbacks to when my sister and I were younger. Most recently I released Guts, which takes place when I was in fourth grade — a few years before the dental drama that inspired Smile! Because of that, Guts is a prequel, not a sequel.

How do you manage your anxiety now?

In the years since the stories in Guts took place, I’ve done talk therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness training, EMDR, and exposure therapy. I tried anxiety medication. I use meditation apps. They’ve all helped, but I’ve also realized that my phobias and worries are just part of who I am, so I do my best to manage them!

I want to make sure you know that this is my personal story, and what works for me may not work for you. I want to encourage you to talk to people in your life about how you feel! You can write it down, draw pictures or comics, make music or plays, or simply share with your friends. It takes guts to admit how you feel on the inside, but chances are, others will be able to relate. You won’t know unless you try!

Is Drama a true story?

Drama is not a true story! Unlike Smile, Sisters, and Guts, Drama is fiction.

I did participate in my school theater programs in middle school and high school, and I channeled some of my experiences into Drama, but the story itself is fictionalized.

However, some of the characters in the story are inspired by real people in my life! For example, two of my best friends are gay twin brothers (really!), and our real-life friendship has some things in common with Callie, Jesse, and Justin's friendship! But I was never on stage crew, and I am terrible at building things. They always come out crooked.

What inspired your book Ghosts?

Many, many things inspired Ghosts. I missed the landscapes of my northern California childhood (and I've since moved back!). I've lost a few people I loved in the last few years. I'm interested in holidays (like Halloween and Día de los Muertos) that celebrate spirits in different ways. I like exploring old abandoned places and mysterious towns. I love skeletons. I love stories with magic realism in them. I wanted to write about sisters who were different from me and my own sister. So many things.

Is Maya based on someone real?

Yes and no. I had a young cousin who passed away a few years ago from cancer, and she was also a very bright, optimistic, and loving kid. But Maya is her own unique character. She's got bits and pieces of kids I've babysat for and kids I've met as an author and my friends' kids, but she is still her own unique self. I'd like to be her friend.

How about Cat?

Cat is a little more like me. A little skeptical, a little protective, a little nervous and anxious. But she also cares about Maya more than anything. Just like a lot of other big sisters I know.

Why did you choose to write about Cystic Fibrosis?

Cystic Fibrosis is an incurable disease that affects breathing. Maya can't breathe very well, and ghosts don't breathe at all, so she finds she can relate to them. Cat's lungs work normally, but she suffers from anxiety, which means that she often needs to be reminded to stop and breathe deeply. The theme of breathing weaves its way all through the story.

What's your connection with Día de los Muertos/Day of the Dead? What made you want to write about a culture different than your own?

San Francisco is a uniquely American melting pot of many cultures, and I was lucky to grow up in the midst of all of them. I have a lot of first- and second-generation Latin American friends and family, many of whom don't speak much Spanish. I was curious why that was, and my loved ones all had interesting stories to share. The traditions that get handed down through generations—as well as the ones that don't—fascinate me. Ghosts is a fictional story full of fictional characters, but it was inspired and guided by the very personal stories told to me by people I care about.

Part of why I wrote Ghosts in the first place is because I was looking for a way to deal with loss in my own life. My hometown of San Francisco is enmeshed in the imagery of Día de los Muertos, and its unique attitudes about celebrating the dead and the healing it brings. Upon returning home after many years away, I was finally able to attend my city's Día de los Muertos procession and Festival of Altars in the Mission District. I was overwhelmed by the beauty and reverence of the whole experience, and how welcoming and inclusive everyone was. I wanted to bring that feeling to my readers with Ghosts.

While many common themes and motifs of Día de los Muertos have roots in traditional Mexican and indigenous culture, every town and region has their own take on it. The fictional town of Bahía de la Luna celebrates it in its own unique way. I encourage you to learn more about this special holiday!

You can read more of my thoughts on the subject here.

Can you recommend some further reading material about Día de los Muertos/Day of the Dead?

I like this article by Christine Delsol, La Catrina: Mexico’s Grand Dame of Death (SF Gate, 2011).

FUNNY BONES is a fantastic picture book about José Guadelupe Posada, the artist who created the famous calaveras images, including La Catrina.

ROSITA Y CONCHITA is a picture book presented in both English and Spanish about two twin sisters, one of whom is no longer alive.

THE SKELETON AT THE FEAST is a great book about Day of the Dead, with tons of information, history, interviews, and photographs!

Can you recommend some further reading about Cystic Fibrosis?

The Bell Curve by Atul Gawande (The New Yorker, 2004)

Doorway to a Cure For Cystic Fibrosis by Bijal P. Trivedi (Discover Magazine, 2013)

Living Life from a Hospital Room by Claire Wineland (CNN, 2014)

General Questions • Homework Help Questions • Baby-sitters Club Questions
Smile Questions • Sisters Questions • Guts Questions • Drama Questions • Ghosts Questions