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I worked for a publishing company in Hollywood.

After seven years of writing - and working many jobs to support my family - I finally got published.

I wrote a novel in my early twenties; I won a high school prize - my short story got published, and I got 50 dollars, which was a huge deal.

In college, I wrote newspaper articles and songs. Then, on my 21st birthday, I sold my first book. It was a nonfiction book about women pirates - 'Pirates in Petticoats.' After that, I was a book writer for good.

I think my first story sold for $550. This was in 1954, and it seemed like quite a lot of money, and I said to myself, 'Hey, I'm a professional writer now.'

I sold my very first novel when I was 24 or 25 years old.

For most of my career I illustrated books for other people.

I got a couple of stories published, but the kind of money you were making for publishing a short story, I could see I wasn't going to make a living at it.

And then I wrote my first autobiography when I - well, it was 23 years ago. And since then I've written about one book every two years.