"A rebel. That was me when I was younger. What was a rebel from New Jersey? A rebel was moving to the..." — Judith Viorst

My first published writings were trying to take scientific concepts and make them clear for a general audience.

I not only wanted to write when I was 7 and 8, but I sent stuff out when I was 7 and 8. I sent it out... and I couldn't believe that they would turn down my poems about faithful dogs.

I actually sat down and started three Alexanders at the same time. Two of them went in the trash and got stomped on because I hated the idea so much. And the one I came up with, I got very excited by. And that's 'Alexander, Who's Trying His Best to Be the Best Boy Ever'.

It's very hard when I've seen a couple of people very beloved in my life with terrible degenerative diseases.