Author Ann M. Martin participated in a conversation with Scholastic students and teachers. Martin’s books include A Corner of the Universe, Belle Teal and A Dog’s Life. You can also read her transcript from our Online Reading Club chat or the transcript from a more recent chat from October 2005.

Why did you start writing the Baby-sitters Club books?
The idea was suggested to me by my editor who asked for a short series (just four books) about a group of girls who form a baby-sitting business, and it just took off from there.

What are the future plans for Baby-sitters Little Sister?
I'm sorry but all of the series have ended, so at the moment we have no plans for future books in any of the series.

When did you decide to end your BSC series and why?
All of the series ended in the fall of 2000. We had been publishing the Baby-sitters Club for almost 15 years. I felt that it was time to move on and work on other kinds of stories, but I'll never forget the characters from the Baby-sitters Club.

What was the transition from the BSC series to non-series books like?
I had always continued writing non-series books while the series books were being published. But now it feels like a great luxury to be able to devote all my writing time to new non-series projects.

Will you ever have a "reunion" book for the BSC? I miss those girls a lot!
I miss them too, but at the moment, we don't have plans for any books in any of the series. Although I think a reunion book is a great idea.

Do you see yourself writing another series?
Not at the moment. I loved writing the series. I loved creating characters that I could turn to again and again. But right now, I'm really enjoying exploring new characters and new voices. I want to be able to experiment with that for a while.

Did you ever get tired of writing about the same characters in the series books?
Sometimes I guess I did. Certainly one of the most fun things about writing is creating new characters. On the other hand, when I reached the end of each series book, I didn't have to say good-bye to characters I liked. And understanding their personalities and histories made writing subsequent books easier.

I'm a fan of your BSC books (my favorite character was Abby). I myself have written a book that I want published. Any suggestions on how I should go about doing that?
I know that there are some magazines that publish kids' work. One of them is called Stone Soup . You might ask your teacher or librarian if he or she knows of any publications that publish kids' works.

What was your first published book?
My first published book was called Bummer Summer . It came out in 1983. Since it was my first book, I took a lot longer writing it. I worked on it for three years before it was published. The series books had to be written in a month each. My novels take about a year to a year and a half.

At what age did you start writing books?
I always enjoyed writing even when I was very young. I didn't begin writing seriously until I was in college. I was 25 when I started working on Bummer Summer .

What was the first non-series book you wrote after the BSC series?
Good question. I think that it was The Doll People , which I was working on while the series were finishing up. But I wrote A Corner of the Universe when the series was completely finished. I started it a few months after the series ended.

What is your favorite book that you've written?
My favorite changes from time to time. Currently, it's the newest book, which is called A Corner of the Universe . It's a little bit hard to let go of a book when it comes out. So whichever book is freshest in my mind tends to be my favorite until I start working on something else.

I have a question about A Corner of the Universe . What did your family say when you told them you were going to write a book based on your uncle and the family secret?
Well, I didn't tell anybody until after the book was almost finished. The person I would've been most nervous talking to is my mother, but she has Alzheimer's and doesn't understand about the book. I ended up having really good conversations with my father and with my cousin — who is also one of Steven's (the character Adam is based on) nieces. Everyone has been very supportive.

When you were writing A Corner of the Universe , did the fact that it was inspired by your own personal life make it easier or harder to write?
Both. It made it easier in that the story was personal to me, that I had a very easy time finding my way into Hattie's head. But it was difficult because I wasn't sure how my family was going to react to it. I also felt that I learned a lot about myself by writing Hattie's story.

Do you ever go on tour?
I have been on tour. I used to go on big tours. I do much less touring now, although I am going to a number of local bookstores to promote A Corner of the Universe .

If you could be a character from any of your books, who would it be? And what inspired you to write The Doll People ?
I think it would a lot of fun to be Annabelle from The Doll People . I like fantasy and magic, and I think it could be fun to live Annabelle's magical life. Lauren Godwin, the co-author of The Doll People , and I worked the story out together. When we were little we both believed that our dolls came to life when we weren't around. We thought it would be fun to write a story about that.

Was it fun to work with Paula Danziger? I love her books too! Was it hard to do alternating chapters for P.S. Longer Letter Later and Snail Mail No More ?
Working with Paula Danziger was great fun. She's just as funny in person as she is in her books. Actually telling the stories in alternating chapters was the easiest way for us to work, since each of us could tell the story in her own voice.

Is it difficult to write a book with someone else?
Every time I've collaborated with somebody, the collaboration has been different. Paula and I each wrote in our own voices. Laura Godwin and I worked differently. Laura created the characters for The Doll People and outlined the story, and then I wrote from her outline. Working with Brian Selznick, who illustrated The Doll People , was another kind of collaboration. Brian brought our characters to life visually, which brought them to light in other ways for Laura and me.

What college did you go to? What did you study to become an author?
I went to Smith College, where I double-majored in Psychology and Elementary Education because I wanted to be a teacher. I only took one writing course while I was there. If you are interested in becoming a writer yourself, lots of colleges have wonderful creative writing programs or journalism programs.

What is your favorite book to read?
I have a number of favorite books; I can't narrow it down to one. Two of my favorites are To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers.

Where do you get your inspiration from?
I get my ideas from all over the place — from reading the paper, from talking to kids. Some books like A Corner of the Universe are based on family stories or things that happened to me when I was a child.

Are you making a Halloween book?
I don't have any plans at the moment, although I love Halloween. But I am working on a Christmas story since I like writing about holiday stories in general.

What is fun about being an author?
For me the most fun thing about being an author is being able to delve into other roles and become other characters for a while. I especially like finding their voices. For me, the hardest thing about writing is plotting the story.

Do you ever use a thesaurus when you write?
Sometimes. A thesaurus and a dictionary are very handy tools. Sometimes I need the encyclopedia too.

How much research did/do you have to do for some of your books — like explaining Stacey's diabetes?
It depends on the book, and it depends on the subject. For Stacey I did some research in books, but I also spoke to several doctors. And later, I asked one doctor to read the manuscripts for accuracy.

Do you make an outline of the whole book first or just start writing?
I always outline. Outlining for me is the most important part of writing every story. Every author works differently. Paula Danziger never outlines. But for me, an outline is like a map, and I'd be lost without it. I outline extensively, but I don't always stick to the outline. Sometimes things change when I'm writing, but it's helpful to have the map to guide me.

Have you written any nonfiction books?
No, I've never written any nonfiction. I guess, just because all the ideas that come to me are fiction. I've never written for adults either.

What books did you read when you were young?
I loved to read. I read lots and lots of books. I read some series — Nancy Drew and The Bobbsey Twins. I liked the Horse Stories by Marguerite Henry. I especially liked books that involved light fantasy or magic, such as the Mary Poppins books, the Dr. Dolittle books, and the Wizard of Oz books.

Is Belle Teal based on your childhood too? If so, how true to life is it?
Belle Teal is not really based on my childhood, but it takes place during the years when I would have been in elementary school like Belle Teal. I do remember when the first African-American student was going to join our class and how our teacher told us about that. It was something I've never forgotten, and I think that's what made me think of Darryl and Belle Teal. The rest of the story is completely made up.

Do you use a computer, typewriter, or pen or pencil when you write?
I used to use a pen and a pad of paper exclusively but finally made the switch to the computer — although I still edit on paper.

What made you want to be an author?
Good question. I had always enjoyed writing and reading. My parents made sure that my sister and I grew up in a house that was filled with books. I spent so many wonderful hours reading, that when I grew up, I wanted to write books that other kids would enjoy reading.

You've written lots of books from the point of view of girls. Do you ever plan to write from the point of view of a boy?
I have written two books from the point of view from boys. One is called Inside Out , and the other is called Ma and Pa Dracula . Since I usually write in the first person, it's easier for me to write from a girl's point of view.

How many books have you written?
I don't truly know. Apart from the series books, I would say 20. If you totaled up all of the books in all of the series it would be over 300.

Do you ever get frustrated when trying to write? How do you get started on a story, and where do you usually write?
I can write anywhere as long as I have my computer and it's absolutely silent. No music, no noise. Usually, the very beginning of a story is just an idea that comes to me. It might be as simple as a sentence. I spend weeks or months thinking about the idea until I'm ready to start outlining it. Once I'm working on the outline, I feel that the story is on its way. And yes, sometimes I feel frustrated when I'm writing, but the outline helps with that because I always know where the story is going.

What do you like to do when you're not writing? Do you have any hobbies?
My favorite hobby is sewing. I love sewing and needlework. And I also like to read, of course.

How do you get your dialogue paragraphs so perfect, that they tell exactly what's going on? I have a hard time with doing that when I write.
I love writing in dialogue. I spend a lot of time listening to the way people speak, and I try to incorporate what I learn from that when I'm writing in dialogue.

Do you get to visit schools?
No, but only because I'm very shy. I love meeting kids and having a chance to talk about books with them, but I'm very shy and do almost no public speaking.

Do you enjoy meeting your fans, reading their fan mail, and doing online interviews like this?
Yes, to all three things. I especially take fan mail seriously. Every piece of fan mail I receive is answered as long as it has a return address on it. If you would like to write a letter send it to: Ann M. Martin c/o Scholastic 557 Broadway, NY, NY 10012-3999.

Do you allow yourself any downtime between writing books?
No, I don't allow myself downtime between books. But I allow myself a lot of downtime all the time. Monday is generally sewing time, and I work Tuesday through Friday. So I have plenty of free time. But I don't like to have downtime between books; it makes me nervous.

Why don't you write a book that's about a boys' club?
I think it's a nice idea, but at the moment I'm not interested in working on series books. I'm having so much fun working on single titles and being able to create new characters with each book.

How far in advance do you plan books? Like, do you do the outlines for books while you're still writing others? If yes, then what books do you have planned for the future?
Usually, I don't have ideas for more than one or two books beyond what I'm working on at the moment. For instance, A Corner of the Universe just came out, but meanwhile Laura Godwin and I have just finished the manuscript for a sequel to The Doll People , which will be out in fall 2003. Currently, I'm working on the Christmas story, and I'm just beginning to get an idea for the book that I'll work on when that is finished.

How long does it take to get a book published, from the time you send it to the publishers, to the time it lands on the shelves?
Good question, but it depends. A book can be published almost instantly, but that's unusual. It also depends on if the book contains illustrations. Illustrated books take longer. Generally, it takes one to two years after a manuscript is handed in before it appears on the shelves.

Were you happy with the movie version of the Baby-sitter's Club? Are any of your other books going to be movies?
Yes, I was very a happy with the movie version. I thought it was a lot of fun. No, no other books have been made into movies.

Have you ever not liked the illustrations for one of your books?
Luckily, I've liked the illustrations in all of the books. Emily McCully did wonderful artwork for Leo the Magnificat . Laura and I particularly like Brian Selznick's illustrations for The Doll People .

What was your best-selling book?
I'm not sure, but I would guess that it was the first book in the Baby-sitters Club series called Kristy's Great Idea .

How does it feel to be famous?
I don't think of myself as famous, but it's really fun to go to bookstores and see my books on the shelves and to meet readers and to receive letters from them. It's all been a lot of fun.

Were you a schoolteacher?
I did teach for one year at a very small school in Connecticut. It was a mixed fourth/fifth-grade class, and I really enjoyed it.

What was your very first published work? Have you done any poems or articles?
I did a little bit of writing for our campus newspaper when I was in college. I did write some poetry while I was growing up, but apart from school newspapers (I mean my second grade newspaper), I don't think anything was ever published.

Do you have any new book characters we have not met yet?
There are a lot of hilarious new characters, created mostly by Laura Godwin for the new Doll People book. There will be new characters in the Christmas story; I don't know when that is going to be published.

Do you ever get writer's block? What do you do to overcome it?
Sometimes I get blocked trying to figure out how I want to say something, but having that outline saves me from getting too blocked. Sometimes if I'm having trouble with something, I'll put it away or stop right in the middle of a sentence, and I won't look at it again until the next day. Sometimes finishing that sentence is all I need to get me going again.

What authors do you admire? Are any of them friends?
Yes, I admire lots of authors: Karen Hesse, who is a friend. Jackie Woodson. Of course I admire Paula Danziger. And illustrators too, such as Brian Selznick. I'm happy to call all of these people my friends.

Do you ever read what you've written after it's been published?
Sometimes I do. I don't usually go back and read a book cover to cover because I've already read it so many times while I was editing it, but it's fun to see a book in print at last. Sometimes I do read parts of them.

What was it like getting your first piece of fan mail?
One of the nicest things about being an author is making connections between kids and books and reading. I love getting letters from kids. The first piece of fan mail I ever received was very exciting.