Years ago I was teaching preschool. One cold winter day, one of my students asked her mom to stop at the flower shop so she could buy a flower to put in her room. She thought it would seem more like spring. I had been watching a lot of Sesame Street with my youngest son, Andy. It seemed natural to use those characters to create a story about flowers and spring. But I decided to have the main character give away the flowers instead of keeping all of them to himself.

Are you going to write any other books?

Yes, I'm writing new books all the time. Right now I'm working on a nonfiction book about the famous church that sailed across the ocean. I'm also writing a childrens play.

Did you write the title of the book?

Yes, except that my version was called Ernie Brings Spring to Sesame Street. I originally wrote the story with Ernie giving away the flowers, but the people at Childrens Television Workshop thought it was something Big Bird would do so we changed the main character.

How did you become a writer?

I started writing when I was in grade school. I remember writing an eleven page story about a monster which really impressed my teacher. (I think it was the length of the story that impressed him the most.) My first book wasn't published until I was in my thirties, so I had to wait a long time. It taught me not to give up and to be patient.

I like your writing. How do you know how?

Right now you're just beginning to write your own stories. Its hard because you haven't done a lot of writing. But the more you write, the easier it will be. My advice would be to write as much as you can. The more you write the better you will become. After awhile, you will develop your own writing style and you'll know exactly what you want to say and how you want to say it.

What is it like to be a writer?

I'm always thinking about my stories even when I'm taking a walk, driving to the store or cooking dinner. I get a lot of ideas visiting different places around the country. I often write down ideas or snatches of dialogue on little pieces of paper so I don't forget them. I do my actual writing at home on a computer.

If you would like to ask Lauren a question, you can reach her at questions@laurencollierswindler.com. She would love to hear from you.