Tracey West has been an author for eleven years. While she recently wrote the Pokémon chapter books for Scholastic, she is perhaps best well known for her series, Pixie Tricks.
After spending an idyllic childhood reading library books under the trees and watching Saturday morning cartoons, she attended Rutgers University and studied English and Journalism. She says: “When I was a kid, I loved to read more than anything. I still do. I thought it would be great if I could make up stories that would entertain people as much as other writers entertained me.”
She decided to focus on journalism, as she wanted to be a writer, and figured that if she was a journalist, she could write and get paid for it. After spending some time on the college newspaper and taking her turn as a reporter, she got a job working as an editorial assistant and learned quite a bit about how the market works and how to sell books. (I wish that was required training for all new authors – think of all the pitfalls we could avoid!)
After she left that job, she took another, writing plot outlines and ideas for other authors. They would take what she started and turn it into a full-fledged book. At last, it was her turn – she wrote a Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys Supermystery called Spies and Lies.
Meanwhile, she and two friends, Bonnie and Lisa, co-authored a book called Great Uncle Dracula, which they marketed under the pen name Jayne Harvey. Tracey says she loved the feeling of having an original idea of hers turned into a book.
The Pixie Tricks series now contains eight volumes and is beloved by little girls ages 6-8 everywhere.
In 2005, she got married to Bill Hancock, a friend from high school, and became a step-mom to Bill’s three great kids, Will, Shannon, and Zane. Her hobbies include taking walks, collecting comic books and rubber stamps, and playing board games with her family.
Sources: The Pixie Tricks Website
Tracey West’s Website