Today we sit down with author Elizabeth Vollstadt to hear about her work, her inspiration and to learn a bit about her.

Please enjoy this edition of 20 Questions:

Q1) When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

Very early. As child, I wrote stories and poems, and I even started a Nancy Drew-type mystery when I was in fifth grade. In high school, I was thrilled to become Features Editor for the school newspaper. From then on, I knew I wanted to be a writer, and my jobs always involved writing, editing, or teaching writing.  My decision to write for children came later.

Q2) How long does it typically take you to write a book?

It depends on the book and if I have a deadline.  When I wrote books on contract, the book went from start to published in less than a year.  But my…