Baptiste, Tracey N. 1972-

PERSONAL:

Surname is pronounced "buh-teest;" born March 7, 1972, in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago; naturalized U.S. citizen; daughter of Roland and Gloria Hosein; married Darryl Baptiste (an information technology executive), August 21, 1999; children: Alyssa, Adam. Ethnicity: "African/East Indian." Education: New York University, B.A., 1993, M.A., 1994. Religion: Roman Catholic. Hobbies and other interests: Knitting, painting, gardening, dancing.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Englewood, NJ. Agent—Barbara S. Kouts, Barbara S. Kouts Agency, P.O. Box 560, Bellport, NY 11713-0560. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Substitute teacher at public schools in New York, NY, 1994-95; Cornerstone School, Jersey City, NJ, elementary teacher, 1995-97; elementary teacher at public schools in Brooklyn, NY, 1997-99; Macmillan/McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, senior project editor, 1999-2006.

MEMBER:

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Cited among 100 Best Books for Reading and Sharing, New York Public Library, 2005, for Angel's Grace.

WRITINGS:

Angel's Grace (young adult fiction), Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2005.

Jerry Spinelli (Who Wrote That?) (biography), Chelsea House Publications (New York, NY), 2007.

Madeleine L'Engle (Who Wrote That?) (biography), Chelsea House Publications (New York, NY), 2007.

Also editor of third-grade teacher's edition, Treasures, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY).

SIDELIGHTS:

Tracey N. Baptiste told CA: "I have always loved books. My favorite was an oversized, complete Grimm's Fairy Tales with beautiful illustrations, which I lost when my family moved to the United States. I was fascinated by the stories of the tailor who went up against a giant, and clever Hans, who wasn't so clever. When I was about thirteen, after spending a summer in the library reading Paul Zindel and Judy Blume books among other authors, I announced to my best friends that I was going to be a writer. I didn't decide what I wanted to write until I read The Friends by Rosa Guy. I had recently moved to Brooklyn, New York, and the book spoke to my situation precisely. I fell in love. It remains one of my favorite books. I started writing for children then and never stopped. I had early interest from publishers from the moment I began submitting stories at the age of twenty-one, but I didn't put in the work necessary to become published until my late twenties."