The child of Hungarian immigrants, I was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio in an extended family with three generations under one roof.  We spoke Hungarian and English at home. 

After graduating with a BA in English from Cornell University, I went to Switzerland, where I apprenticed to a bookbinder, attended a school of bookbinding called The Centro del Bel Libro, and learned French.  Upon my return, I went back to Cornell to study Chinese and got my MS in linguistics.  Now I teach English as a Second Language at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College and write children’s books including Grandfather Counts, Marika, The Key Collection, Honeysuckle House, Where the Steps Were, The Bear Makers, and Brushing Mom’s Hair.

I am married to Jim Cheng and we have three children, Nicholas age 24, Jane age 22, and Ann age 19.