This photograph of Sing Down the Rain illustrator Mike Chiago
and author Judi Moreillon was taken at the Indian Market in Santa Fe, August 2012.

1. I was born in St. Louis, Missouri on September 5, 1950. How old am I?
   
   
2. Our family home is in Tucson, Arizona. My husband Nick, dogs Pearl and Teddy, and two Sonoran Desert tortoises live there full time. Where is Tucson?
   
   
3. My daughter Siri is thirty-eight and my step-son Justin is thirty-six. Siri is a world traveler. She and her husband Tal and our grandson live in Menlo Park, California. Justin lives in Washington, D.C. He was born on my birthday. When was he born?
   
   
4. We had a wonderful dog named Sierra. He was the inspiration for the "old dogs wake up from their naps" line from the poem. He lived for 14 years. If every "dog year" is equal to seven "human years," how many years did he live in human terms?
   
   
5. We also care for two adult desert tortoises Tortellini and Lucy. Tortellini was given to us by someone who had raised him as a pet. Lucy hatched at our home on September 10th, 2011. Her mother Boris-Doris died in 2009. Sonoran Desert tortoises hibernate from November through March or April. We feed our tortoises food from the desert as well as alfalfa, dark leafy greens, and fruits. What was Boris-Doris's favorite fruit? Take a guess.
   
   
6. Thanks to a great teacher, Miss Schwab, I've loved writing, especially poetry, since third grade (8 years old). How long have a loved writing poems?
   
   
7. Besides writing and walking, I love telling stories, reading, taking photographs, swimming, and visiting new places. Sing Down the Rain is my first published book. It was published in 1997. How long did it take from the time I thought I was an accomplished poet (1958!) until my first book was published?