Connie Goldsmith

Connie Goldsmith is a registered nurse with a bachelor of science degree in nursing and a master of public administration degree in health care. She has written numerous books for YA readers and nearly two hundred magazine articles. Her recent books include Kiyo Sato: From a WWII Japanese Internment Camp to a Life of Service (2020), a Junior Library Guild selection; Running on Empty: Sleeplessness in American Teens (2021); Understanding Coronaviruses: SARS, MERS, and the COVID-19 Pandemic (2021); and Bombs Over Bikini: The World’s First Nuclear Disaster (2014), a Junior Library Guild selection, a Children’s Book Committee at Bank Street College Best Children’s Book of the Year, an Association of Children’s Librarians of Northern California Distinguished Book, and an SCBWI Crystal Kite Winner. She lives in Sacramento, California. Visit her website at http://www.conniegoldsmith.com/.

Interview

What was your favorite book when you were a child?: SO many, but perhaps Heidi and Arabian Nights.
What’s your favorite line from a book?: Hmm, can’t think of just one.
Who are your top three favorite authors or illustrators?: Writers Maggie Stiefvater and Libba Bray, and illustrator Pamela Zagarenski.
Why did you want to become an author or illustrator?: I started writing for professional journals, then for children’s magazines, and my nonfiction kept turning out better than my fiction. I knew I had found my writing home in teen nonfiction.
Do you have any advice for future authors or illustrators?: Learn the basics through classes and conferences. Join SCBWI and Authors Guild. Don’t give up!