I’ve loved to read for as long as I can remember. When I was nine or ten, I decided that if reading books was so much fun, writing my own stories would be even better. In a few months my 30th title will be published!
That’s me, lost in a book.
People often ask if my editors at American Girl tell me what to write. No, they don’t. Although I work with a great team of people who help make each book the best it can be, I make up my own stories. I decide what my characters should do.
Here’s Peg Ross, my editor, making notes on one of my manuscripts.
Until now, that is. Catch The Wind: My Journey With Caroline offers many opportunities for you to decide what the characters should do!
Imagine yourself transported back to Sackets Harbor during the War of 1812. Would you want to leave at once, or would you stay a while? If you saw an enemy ship, would you give chase or go for help? If your best friend was going on a raid, would you tag along or decide it was too dangerous?
In Catch The Wind, you get to decide all of those things—and make lots more choices too. When you finish the book, you might even want to go back and see what happens if you make different choices.
Catch The Wind was the first Choose Your Own Adventure story I’ve ever written. I drew diagrams to help keep everything straight.
Here’s one of my early diagrams. The numbers refer to different scenes.
Here’s part of the graphic organizer my editor made to help us make sure the story flowed properly.
I loved having the opportunity to explore lots of plot ideas and possibilities. I was able to include some situations I didn’t have room to include in the original Caroline stories.
So settle down with the book, and settle in for an adventure that has lots of twists and turns. It’s all up to you!
Sites and Stories 