ABOUT ME

SHORT VERSION: Born in Cambridge, MA.to artist parents.
Grew up in Hampton Falls, N.H. with one brother. Graduated from U.N.H. with Elementary Education degree. Attended Rhode Island School of Design for two years. Met Steven Lindblom there. We lived in Boston, Stratham, N.H., Hampton Falls, N.H., Henniker, N.H. and Warner, N.H. Daughter Jada Lindblom born in 1983. Began work in advertising illustration; then educational publishing. First book written and illustrated by myself and Steve, published in 1980, THE MOUSE'S TERRIBLE CHRISTMAS. Published over 100 books since then.

LONG VERSION: I was lucky to be born into a quirky and funny family. My parents were both professional artists.(My 90 year old mother is still a painter.) When I was about four years old I published my first illustrated story (about chickens) in CHILD LIFE magazine. It was very helpful to my early career that my dad was the art director there.

My brother Mark and I grew up on a farm in Hampton Falls, N.H. We had an old barn to play in which I later showed in my book THE MYSTERY OF THE STRANGER IN THE BARN. We had quite a few animals: chickens, ducks, turkeys, a horse, dogs and once we had twelve cats living in the barn.

Since our parents were artists, we had loads of art supplies around and were encouraged to use them. But after seeing how hard my parents worked I was sure being an artist was not something I wanted to do! I thought it would be better to be something easy...like a teacher or a writer!

After high school, I went to the University of New Hampshire, majoring in Elementary Education. I practice-taught in the sixth grade. I was starting to get the idea that teaching might not be easier than being an artist after all!

Fortunately, I was accepted at The Rhode Island School of Design as an Illustration major. After two years there, I cautiously became a freelance artist in Boston. I did some advertising art, but gravitated towards children's books. I hung around my dad's studio which he shared with Jerry Pinkney. Jerry inspired me greatly. I also loved my father's work. Dad was a master of expressive and humorous drawing. I was always amazed at how he could do a drawing just as if he were writing it.

I illustrated my first book for Little, Brown, I SAW A PURPLE COW, now in a 25th anniversary edition. By then I was living in Boston with Steve and Jub the Cat. Steve and I loved to travel - the first trip being on an old Vincent motorcycle all over Europe, followed by trips to Turkey, India and the Caribbean - all done on a very low budget. We moved and built a house in my old hometown, Hampton Falls.

In 1980 I illustrated and wrote my first book with Steve, THE MOUSES' TERRIBLE CHRISTMAS. What a feeling it was when I held that first published book in my hands! Over one hundred books later, I still get excited when I hold a first printed copy.

We moved to Henniker, N.H. Our daughter, Jada, was born about a month later. While in Henniker, we designed and built our solar gothic house on a hilltop in Warner, N.H. Steve worked on the house while I stayed with Jada and tried to work on books. Babies are very distracting. But Jada was the inspiration for many of my books and still is. I often use my old photo albums as reference. Jada is now a naturalist out west.

Today we still live in the wonderful town of Warner. I like to play piano, hike, bicycle, cross country ski, birdwatch, canoe,and camp out. And, of course, I do a lot of drawing and painting and writing.