Nikki Grimes — American Author born on October 20, 1950,

Nikki Grimes is an American author of books written for children and young adults, as well as a poet and journalist... (wikipedia)

Writing is a muscle that needs to be exercised.
I spent many hours ensconced in the local library, reading - nay, devouring - book after book after book. Books were my soul's delight.
It seemed uncanny that words, spread across a page just so, had the power to transport me to another time or place. But they could.
Something about your life always makes its way into your stories. That's just the nature of the beast.
Originally I had planned to write just a couple of children's books and then, return the focus on adult literature. A funny thing happened along the way - I kept having new ideas, and then I looked up one day, and 30 years had passed!