I was born in Brooklyn, New York, a shy child who hid behind books when her parents thought she should have been engaging in socializing, sports, and other more extroverted activities.   I was fascinated with reading, for both the stories and characters that took such vivid form and shape in my mind, and the gathering of information from far and wide.   It was the old black-and-white magic of the printed page that had me in thrall from the start!