Above: Roo, my 15-year-old
tabby, loves to sleep in the middle
of the bed. At left: Bernadette, my
calico, getting in her afternoon
catnap. Top left: Kira at 12 weeks
of age. Lower left : Kira, today,
weighing in at 17 pounds (ragdolls
are among the biggest cats in the
world, and  the sweetest, too).
I was born and raised in the Seattle area, and still live
there with my best friend/husband, Bill, a high school
photography teacher. In my life, I've been a television
news reporter, weather anchor, media specialist, and
freelance writer. But writing books for children tops
them all! Now, I write fiction and non-fiction full-time
(when I am not obeying the commands of our three cats:
Bernadette, Kira, and Roo).

Here are a few more tidbits about me:

  • As a kid, I loved writing plays and rehearsing them
    with my friends during recess. My fourth-grade
    teacher, Mrs. Zielinski, let us perform our shows
    for the class, and sometimes, the whole school!

  • At age 13, I began writing a column for teens in my
    hometown newspaper of Kent, WA.

  • To help me overcome my shyness, I took debate
    class in high school (and loved it!). It must have
    worked, because I became a television news
    reporter and weather forecaster.

  • Like my character, Julep O'Toole, I am a middle
    child with an older sister and a younger brother
    (who has asthma).

  • My first book, Clouds, was published by Scholastic
    in 2002 (I have a passion for all things weather).

  • Since 2002, I have published more than 45 books!
    You get bonus points if you can name them all.
    Hint: check the Nonfiction Page.
            FAVORITE THINGS

Books: Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Pride & Prejudice,
Kidnapped, Little Women, anything on weather

Food: croissants, blueberries, Cherries Jubilee,
Yorkshire pudding (yum!)

Music: Kathy Mattea, The Corrs, Carly Simon

Movies: A Room With a View, Enchanted April, A Bug's Life
(great story!), All About Eve, Rear Window
Photos by Bill Trueit, copyright 2009, used with permission
Click HERE to
read Trudi's blog
Learn more about Trudi
at Simon and Schuster's
Authors Revealed.
Click HERE!