A writer with heart: yakking with Sharon Creech.(Celebrate Reading Month)(Interview)

Sharon Creech has written some of our favorite books, including "Bloomability," "Ruby Holler," and "Walk Two Moons," which won her a Newbery Award.

Her latest book, written for older readers, is "Heartbeat." The book is written in what is called free verse. Free verse is a type of poetry that doesn't have regular rhyme but does have a special rhythm all its own. The verse makes "Heartbeat" read like a fast conversation.

The story is about a 12-year-old girl named Annie who loves to run, especially when lots of things in her life are changing.

Sharon lives in New Jersey with her family. We yakked with Sharon about her new book.

Did you plan to write another novel in free verse, like "Love That Dog," or did "Heartbeat" come to life on its own? What inspired the book?

I hadn't planned to write another novel in free verse, but that's how the voice of Annie, the narrator, arrived--in a distinctive, lyrical rhythm--and free verse is the way it arranged itself on the page.

I had the title first, ever since I accompanied my daughter to an appointment when she was pregnant, and we first heard the baby's heartbeat. It was a powerful moment, and both the sound of the heartbeat and the word "heartbeat" stayed with me.