I have always written stories, ever since I learned how to write. My creative and wacky family, most of whom are artists, actors, storytellers, and writers, helped me along. My childhood was never dull. I grew up in the oldest house in Princeton, New Jersey, with three brothers and one sister.
 

There were four cousins who lived with us after their mother died. Computers weren’t invented yet and we didn’t own a television until I was eight years old. We had loads of time to play. We nourished our imaginations by writing and illustrating stories and performing plays. Reading was a big part of our childhood, and we enjoyed visiting the Princeton Public Library. I also grew up hearing that our house was haunted by a Hessian soldier. Hessian soldiers, hired by the British during the Revolutionary War, used our house as an army barracks during The Battle of Princeton. We didn't believe in the ghost, but many people in Princeton told us stories about it. These stories inspired one of my books, The Battlefield Ghost. I LOVE to write stories that can be enjoyed on Halloween, and my skeleton stories seem to be especially popular. I enjoy laughing with children—and I think they’re the best people in the whole world! Even though I have the body of an older woman, I’m still five years old inside.
 

I’ve also worked at the executive level for a number of publishers, including Holiday House, Henry Holt/Macmillan, and Amazon Publishing.
 

I live in Princeton, NJ, five miles from the historic house where I grew up. My husband, John Perkins, lives with me, and we have two grown sons—Thomas and Timothy. I also have a wonderful stepdaughter named Sarah and a grand-dog named Hickory.
 

In case you stumble over the pronunciation of my last name, it sounds like “Kyler."