April Lurie |
I was born and raised in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn - a great
place to live because there was always so much to do. I
could hop a bus or a train to just about anywhere -
Coney Island, China Town, Manhattan Beach or
Greenwich Village.
Every summer our family rented a tiny bungalow in the
Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. For two
fabulous months we enjoyed the countryside - swimming
in the lake, hiking, catching frogs, and listening to the
crickets at night. We didn't have a television, so my
brother, Mark, and I spent a lot of time reading stacks
and stacks of comic books.
My younger brother, Adam, was born when I was
thirteen, so one of my favorite things to do was buckle
him in his stroller and cart him all over the city. My mom
was, and still is, an animal lover, and while I was growing
up, our Yorkie, Muffy, had two litters of puppies. Each
time we kept one (I got to choose!). My dad was a
tugboat captain, and he was out at sea a lot, but when
he came home we jogged and played tennis together.
When I was young, I had no idea I would ever
become a writer, but I always loved to read. Besides
comics, some of my favorite books were, Are You There
God? It's Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume, The Changeling,
by Zilpha Keatley Snyder, and The Pigman, by Paul
Zindel.
In high school my greatest love was gymnastics. I
adored Cathy Rigby and Olga Korbut, and when I was a
junior I competed in the All-City Championship on
balance beam.
After high school I attended Hunter College/Bellevue
School of Nursing in Manhattan, and worked several
years as a neonatal ICU nurse. During college I met my
husband, Ed. We've lived in Brooklyn, New Jersey, and
even Japan! Now, we make our home in Austin, Texas,
with our four kids - Liz, Daniel, Jonny, and Korina.
My interest in writing for children and young adults
began several years ago when I was scouring library
shelves looking for great books for my kids to read. I
discovered that I was the one who absolutely loved
reading about teenagers. So, I set to work and got my
first book published in 2002. Now, I can't imagine doing
anything else.
place to live because there was always so much to do. I
could hop a bus or a train to just about anywhere -
Coney Island, China Town, Manhattan Beach or
Greenwich Village.
Every summer our family rented a tiny bungalow in the
Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. For two
fabulous months we enjoyed the countryside - swimming
in the lake, hiking, catching frogs, and listening to the
crickets at night. We didn't have a television, so my
brother, Mark, and I spent a lot of time reading stacks
and stacks of comic books.
My younger brother, Adam, was born when I was
thirteen, so one of my favorite things to do was buckle
him in his stroller and cart him all over the city. My mom
was, and still is, an animal lover, and while I was growing
up, our Yorkie, Muffy, had two litters of puppies. Each
time we kept one (I got to choose!). My dad was a
tugboat captain, and he was out at sea a lot, but when
he came home we jogged and played tennis together.
When I was young, I had no idea I would ever
become a writer, but I always loved to read. Besides
comics, some of my favorite books were, Are You There
God? It's Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume, The Changeling,
by Zilpha Keatley Snyder, and The Pigman, by Paul
Zindel.
In high school my greatest love was gymnastics. I
adored Cathy Rigby and Olga Korbut, and when I was a
junior I competed in the All-City Championship on
balance beam.
After high school I attended Hunter College/Bellevue
School of Nursing in Manhattan, and worked several
years as a neonatal ICU nurse. During college I met my
husband, Ed. We've lived in Brooklyn, New Jersey, and
even Japan! Now, we make our home in Austin, Texas,
with our four kids - Liz, Daniel, Jonny, and Korina.
My interest in writing for children and young adults
began several years ago when I was scouring library
shelves looking for great books for my kids to read. I
discovered that I was the one who absolutely loved
reading about teenagers. So, I set to work and got my
first book published in 2002. Now, I can't imagine doing
anything else.
Two years old, Catskill Mountains, 1963
Twelve years old, with my puppy, Dino
Our kids - Daniel, Liz, Korina and Jonny
On vacation in Destin, Florida
