FAQ:
Q: What is your birthday?
A: March 26, 1955
And yes, I'm a total Aries!
Bio
To quote Kristina from Crank,
"So you want to know all about
me?"

Okay, as promised, I was adopted as
a baby and grew up in Palm Springs,
California. I went to a great private
school, where my teachers
convinced me I could become
anything I wanted. I knew from age 9,
when I published my first poem in the
Palm Springs Desert Sun, that I
wanted to be a writer.

Interesting Factoids:

Q: Where were you born?

A: Long Beach, CA.

Q: Who were your parents?

A: I was adopted by Albert and
Valeria Wagner. At the time, he was
72; she was 42. Having older
parents definitely presented some
challenges, as well as many, many
great things. In 2000, I found my
biological mother, Toni Chandler.

Q: Nature or nurture?

A:A:
not for a living) and poet. From
not for a living) and poet. From
Valeria, I received a true love of
language. She read to me every
night when I was young, and had me
reading chapter books before
kindergarten. From Albert, I learned an exceptional work ethic.
an exceptional work ethic.


Q: Brothers and sisters:
A: One little brother, Albert Jr.,
adopted separately.
High School and College

We moved to the Santa Ynez
Valley for my freshman year of
high school. It's a beautiful piece
of California, just inland from
Santa Barbara.

High school was neither awful
nor wonderful for me. Making
friends was hard at first. But
once I made them, I enjoyed
spending time with them. Most
leaned toward creative activities
like dance, theater, creative
writing and choir. So did I.

As for sports, not really. I ran
some middle distance track like
the 220 and 440. Did okay, but
wasn't a star.

I went to UCSB and studied
Journalism, but left school to
marry, have three children and
start my own business. That
marriage crumbled. When I met
my husband, John, in 1984, I
sold my business and decided to
pursue my dream of writing.

Q: What are your children's
names and ages?

A: Jason (31), Cristal (29) and
Kelly (27). My husband, John
Hopkins, and I adopted Orion,
who is now 11 and doing great.
Yes, he's the baby at the back
of Crank.

To see some family photos
and learn more interesting
factoids, please visit my
Album page:

Album
roots, going to work for a
roots, going to work for a
small newspaper.
small newspaper.



I continue to freelance articles
for newspapers and magazines
today. But in 1998, I visited Air
& Space Smithsonian, where I
saw an exhibit on Women in
Aviation. I decided the subject
would make a great children's
book, and thus was born my
dream of writing for children.

I published my first two
nonfiction titles, Air Devils
and Orcas, High Seas
Supermen, in 2000.

Since then I have published 20
nonfiction books for children. I
also continued to write fiction,
including picture books and
short stories. In 2002, I began
a novel, loosely based on my
oldest daughter's story of
addiction to methamphetamine
or crystal meth.
I met my first fabulous editor,
Julia Richardson, at a book
festival.

She read the first few pages of
my novel and liked them enough
to take a chance on them. Crank
published in October 2004 and
quickly drew readers, rising to top
10 lists within six weeks of
publication. Thanks to my
wonderful readers, my debut
novel, written in a unique poetic
style, and its sequel Glass, are
touching lives across the country
and around the world.

My other novels, Burned and
Impulse, are on totally different
subjects, but have touched as
many lives as the first. All four
novels have found berths on the
NY Times Bestseller list.
Speaking of children

My grown children live in Albuquerque, Las Vegas and San
Antonio. We see them a few times a year, usually at holidays.  
Orion lives at home with my husband and me in a beautiful
place called Washoe Valley, Nevada. It is between Reno and
Carson City, Nevada's capital.

For fun, we hike, bike, ski, fish, camp, garden and raise
German Shepherds.
Sunset
view,
Washoe
Valley
Arson, with her last litter
Early Childhood Memories:

* Palm Springs really is home to
movie stars. I grew up in an upscale
neighborhood, with neighbors like
Kirk Douglas, Elvis Presley, Arnold
Palmer and other film, TV and
sports stars.

* We once lived next door to Bob
Hope and I used to ride horses with
Valentina Skelton, daughter of Red
Skelton (who was allergic to
horses!).

* I not only rode horses, I showed
them and also did gymkhana. Loved
running those barrels! My horse,
Tony, was my best friend. Danny
ran a close second.

* I studied dance: ballet, tap, jazz,
modern, and even hula.

* Summer temps in Palm Springs
can go over 120 degrees. We
summered in Napa CA, and later
Tahoe.