I wrote "Once Upon A Springtime" after I moved to a country road in New York State. We saw deer often in the spring, summer and fall, but rarely in the winter. Heavy snow would fall, and I would wonder where the deer went for protection. So I did some research at the library, found out how deer survived winter, and wrote my story. Scholastic picked Jacqueline Rogers to illustrate it. She did a wonderful job. I think her paintings look better than ever on Storia, Scholastic's eReader for kids.