1. How long have you owned Motel 6?

I don't own them. I rent them like everybody else. Although, after eighteen years as their corporate spokesman, I do sometimes get a deal. I was once given a basket of fruit in Oklahoma City, and found an M&M on my pillow in Minneapolis. The peanut kind. This job certainly has its perks.

2. Who did the music for the commercials, and where can I get a copy?

A talented fellow in Dallas by the name of Tom Faulkner did that little ditty just for us. Sorry, there's no way to get it otherwise. Catchy tune, isn't it? I know I've got it permanently stuck in my head.

3. Where did the line "We’ll leave the light on for you" come from?

In the very first recording session in 1986 we were working through some ideas for a spot that was running short. It didn't really have an ending; it sort of just stopped. That line is one of those old things you hear every now and then that makes you feel welcome and secure. I tossed it in as an ad-lib and accidentally nailed precisely what Motel 6 was trying to say to their guests. I’ve been saying it for a long time now and we still mean it.

4. Why did you decide to become a writer?

In the third grade my teacher at Holy Angels School whacked my hand with a ruler for holding my pen wrong. I thought I was holding it right, and set out on a lifelong quest to disprove Sister Maria Santina. She’s probably dead by now, and I’m left with horrible handwriting and chronic writer’s cramp. But, the bright side is that I’ve churned out book after book in my stubborn effort to redeem myself.

5. Why did you decide to start writing books for kids?

After living in Alaska for twenty-three years and raising a son there I finally came to realize that growing up in a place like Alaska is not very normal. My son grew up among some of the most incredible scenery and dramatic wilderness in the world. But to him, it seemed ordinary. I wanted to write some stories of what everyday life might be like for kids growing up on The Last Frontier. My young characters, Ivan and September Crane in Williwaw! live a much more rustic lifestyle than our family did, but their daily lives are not so unusual in Alaska. I wanted to show other young people that the simple day to day business of being alive can be an incredible adventure in a place like Alaska.

6. Do you still live in Alaska?

No. Thinking it would be warmer in Vermont because it is further south, I now live there with my family. Unless I'm deluded, if I put an empty pickle jar to my ear I can hear the waters of Kachemak Bay all the way from Vermont.

7. How can people get in touch with you?

You can dial the phone at random until you happen to stumble upon my number – or – you could write to me at P.O. Box 268, Putney, VT 05346.