About Kay
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I remember the day I learned to read. I was four. We lived in Trenton, New Jersey, where I was born. Stretched out on the floor, I looked at the Nancy and Sluggo comics. Suddenly I knew what those letters said. The words came alive! Stories have always been magic to me. My parents read to me every night. I was an only child who moved 11 times and was in three first grades. Books were my constant companions. Going to the library was a big adventure. I’d fasten my roller skates, hang the key around my neck, and zoom off holding a big blue bag to stuff with books.
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| Off to Kindergarten |
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I spent my early years in schools in the Middle Atlantic States,
went to high school in Swarthmore, PA , and then received a BS in
Education at Arcadia
University. This was later followed by a MS in Education from Wheelock
College, and further graduate work at Lehigh University.
Between Arcadia and Wheelock, I worked in the Public Relations Office at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. And there I met Earl Winters who was getting his PhD in Physical Chemistry. We married that August, and I began teaching second grade in the Newton Public Schools. Three years later, our daughter, Linda Lee, was born. |
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| Our Wedding |
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then writing for publication began to surface.
Highlights Magazine published my first article, and I had several
poems and stories published in the Instructor Magazine, Grade
Teacher, and the Science Research Associates reading series. But
five dollars for a poem now and then didn’t buy much baby food. And
making a living from writing children’s books didn’t seem possible. After Earl’s MIT graduation, we moved to Pennsylvania where Earl worked at Bell Labs (now Lucent), and I was a teacher, reading specialist, elementary supervisor, and college instructor. I also worked as a consultant at the American International Schools in Cairo and Alexandria, Egypt; Israel; Jordan; Turino and Milan, Italy; India; and Nepal. I loved it! I spoke at many conferences. But always, at every reading or curriculum conference that I attended, I slipped off to hear the authors speak. That dream would not be denied. While I was still teaching, I co-authored with Marta Felber, The Teacher's Copebook: How to End the Year Better Than You Started. To do that, I had to get up at 4 AM, creep downstairs in the cold, clad in a red wool robe, fur boots and gloves and type until it was time for school. I taught all day, came home and wrote until 10 PM. Not a schedule I could repeat year after year. When Peter Catalanotto, a local author, came to one of my schools, I talked to him about my dream of writing children’s books. He said,” Give yourself five years to break in.” I thought to myself, I’d better get going! I left my lovely job in the Palisades School District and started all over again, writing children’s books full time. I took classes in New York City at the New School, went to conferences, and wrote every day. A brand new career! After many manuscript submissions and an equal number of rejections, I got my first contract from HarperCollins for the Teeny Tiny Ghost. Two weeks later, the second contract was offered by Simon & Schuster for Wolf Watch. And then a third contract offer for Did You See What I Saw? Poems about School came from Viking. Today, we continue to live in our old farmhouse in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and I divide my working time between writing, school visits, and speaking at conferences. Most of my school visits and conferences are in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. But I have also presented in Texas, Georgia, Virginia, Connecticut, Maryland, Ohio, New York, Alabama, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Arizona, Indiana, Florida, and Kansas. It’s a lovely life! |
| Honors and Awards |
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My husband is a wonderful editor, and does all my promotion and publicity pieces. My daughter, Linda, works with pop-up and novelty books. Her husband, Jason Taback, is in marketing and advertising production and Jason's father, Simms Taback, won the Caldecott in July, 2000, for Joseph Had a Little Overcoat. My mother-in-law, Marguerite Winters, cheers me on and enjoys going along on our research trips. Our grandchildren Oliver and Nelson sometimes star in my books. |
The magic of story weaves in and out of our lives.
I can be contacted by email at AuthorK@aol.com.