Pam Muñoz Ryan - About the Author
Born and raised in California's San Joaquin Valley, Pam Muñoz Ryan comes from a background that is an ethnic mix of Spanish, Mexican, Basque, Italian and Oklahoman. "When I was with one grandmother, I ate enchiladas, rice, and beans," she says. "When I was with the other, I ate black-eyed peas, fried okra, and peach cobblers."
Pam received her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees at San Diego State University. After college, she knew that she wanted to work in a profession that had something to do with books, and she thought that would be teaching. She became a bilingual teacher and an administrator, and then a full-time mom, raising her four children. Eventually she went back to school to get her master's degree in education, and it was then that a professor suggested she consider writing.
Today Pam is a full-time writer and lives about 30 miles north of San Diego, near the Pacific Ocean with her husband, her grown children who frequently come and go, and their two dogs. She says, "Maybe it's the teacher in me, but I want to make sure children everywhere are excited about reading, so I go to conferences to speak about reading and literacy. I want kids to be hooked on reading and books, like I was."
On March 15, 2006, award-winning author Pam Muñoz Ryan participated in a chat with Scholastic students and teachers. Portions are excerpted below.
Where do you get ideas to write books?
- An idea for a book is like a confluence of rivers coming together in my mind. I am inspired by what I read, events in my life, and subjects that intrigue me.
Do you speak fluent Spanish?
- Yes. My grandmother spoke only Spanish to me.
What is your writing process like? Do you sit down to work at the same time every day, or just when the inspiration strikes?
- If I am working on a novel or a book, I write every single day. I tend to be a morning person. I'll get up early and start early and work until the afternoon, but that's just my personal habit. Every author is going to be different. I revisit the manuscript every single day when I'm working on a novel. From the time I start writing a book until the time it is published, I have probably rewritten it between 20 and 30 times.
What was your favorite class in elementary school, and what were some of your favorite books?
- My favorite subject was reading. I remember reading the Little House on the Prairie books, Swiss Family Robinson, Treasure Island, and Anne of Green Gables.
What are some of your hobbies?
- Horseback riding, taking walks on the beach, traveling, reading, and I love the Sudoku puzzles. In fact, I am going horseback riding today and if you go to my Web site, you can see a photo of the horse I train on.
Can you give any advice on how to make a character stand out or come alive?
- As a writer, I try to depict the character as a whole - their good points, their bad points, and their sensitivities as well as their fears - and in that way, I hope to give the character dimension, which will hopefully give the reader something with which they can identify. One tip is that I always imagine the character in my mind as if I were watching them in a movie.
Do you have any advice for kids who want to be published authors?
- I have been asked this many times. I've created a page on my Web site. If you go to there and click on the ADVICE icon, you will find a page of direction for young writers as well as links that will answer frequently asked questions.
Which type of books do you prefer to write - novels or picture books?
- I like changing channels in my mind, so that's why I enjoy writing both novels and picture books.
To learn more about author Pam Muñoz Ryan visit her Web site at http://www.pammunozryan.com/.
--Courtesy of Scholastic Books
