 ABOUT JILL
Hi, and welcome to my website. Here you can find out about me, my books (including the newest, Cold Hands, Warm Heart) and my work as a journalist. If you’re looking for book report help or for information about school visits, you’ve come to the right place.
For the most up-to-date info, including my schedule, contests (with prizes!) and random stuff that’s on my mind, check out my blogs. And don’t forget to take a peak in my junk drawer.
 1. What did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be so many different things. A dancer. A director. A teacher. The weather anchor on TV. A spy. A photographer. For about a week, I wanted to be a veterinarian. I couldn’t make up my mind. Strangely enough, I entered college as a math and physics major (I was really good at puzzles), then graduated four years later with a degree in English and documentary film.
2. Most embarrassing childhood memory?
Being stuck in a car in the Lincoln Tunnel in New York and needing to pee. Really, really, really needing to pee. When we finally got to a gas station, I dashed out of the car but didn’t make it through the parking lot. I just sat down on the cold concrete. Mortifying. After that, my family kept a pot in the car for such emergencies. Even more mortifying.
 3. Inspiration for your writing?
When you’re writing, your story is everywhere. Who wrote that? Someone famous, I think. For me, that’s the way it works. When I’m in the process of creating a story, I find material everywhere—in the way a stranger in a restaurant eats, an overheard snippet of conversation. Most directly, my inspiration comes from two sources: my own kids and my memory of my own 13-year-old self.
4. If you were stranded on a desert island, who would you want for company?
My friends and I play this game all the time. Desert Island books. Desert Island music and meals. Of course, we always name each other first as Desert Island company, but then we stop the politeness and get serious. My choices always tend to be long dead, for example, Mark Twain, Jane Austen and the Buddha. Plus, I’d invite any great woman surfer because since I’m on an island, the Buddha and I might as well ride the waves.
 5. Most surprising thing to learn about you?
I was co-captain of the high school cheerleaders, pom-poms on my shoes. Embarrassing. But I can still do the splits. Almost.
Jill Wolfson was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After attending Temple University, she worked as a journalist for newspapers and magazines around the country, such as the Fort Lauderdale (Florida) Sun-Sentinel and San Jose (California) Mercury News. Her award-winning novels for young people include What I Call Life; Home, and Other Big, Fat Lies; and Cold Hands, Warm Heart, all published by Henry Holt.
Jill has taught writing at several universities and is a long-time volunteer in a writing program for incarcerated youth. She lives in Santa Cruz, California, and has two college-aged children, Alex and Gwen. |
