Born in the Netherlands before World War II, the story about that war is what I always knew I must write, so I finally did, in The Apple Eater. But writing has always been part of my life: as a teacher, during weekends I spent in a cabin in the Cascades, as a traveler around Europe and the United States. Through the years, I've written many short stories and essays that were influenced by these experiences and by family and people I've met throughout my life.