[MOD-APRYL] Author Note: Gertler lives in a New York suburb with her husband, three children and five dogs.

[peanut] ?

[MOD-CINDY] Go ahead, Peanut.

[peanut] Have you found it hard to balance home life with your writing life?

[LadyBug] ?

[Nessie] ?

[SGertler] YES!! Especially this summer when my daughter went off to college -- I have two sons and then HER and it was wrenching -- and then there's the dry cleaners and shopping and cooking...

[MOD-CINDY] Go ahead, LadyBug.

[LadyBug] How did you go about getting your agent?

[TheWord] ?

[SGertler] I met her through a friend. She liked my columns and told me to write a novel -- I told her that wasn't possible! Then I did and she sold it. I was very lucky!

[SGertler] For those of you who are looking for agents, there are very good guides out there - one by Herman in particular....

[MOD-APRYL] Author Note: Gertler will soon begin working on the synopsis of her fourth book.

[MOD-CINDY] Go ahead, Nessie.

[Nessie] In your opinion, can authors really make a living writing?

[SGertler] Nessie, I'm not sure. Again, it's luck...but I would recommend a back-up job/career. It's not easy...

[SGertler] I wrote for newspaper and magazines for years - it's hard work for low pay....it's a calling

[MOD-APRYL] Go ahead with your question TheWord

[TheWord] How many hours a day do you spend writing?

[FictionFan] ?

[SGertler] I write from roughly 7:30 a.m. until 2:30 when I pick up my son from school - then I go back to my desk until dinner....sometimes I write in the middle of the night, though - I guess about seven-nine hours/day

[MOD-CINDY] Go ahead, Fiction Fan

[FictionFan] Do you outline your novel before you begin writing?

[peanut] ?

[SGertler] I didn't for Jimmy's Girl. For the other books, I've had synopses. But sometimes I outline WHILE I'm writing -- in Book 3 I did a rough outline for the last 7 chapters -- but the ending was a complete surprise to me as it was in Jimmy's Girl-- for PBTREE, I knew the ending....