Janet Reed Ahearn or.... DON'T CALL ME PRUNEFACE!

I was born in New York City and grew up in the suburbs. In my family, my parents and my brother were great athletes and I wasn't. But I always loved acting, writing, and drawing and dreamed that I would be able to spend my life doing fun, creative things. I've been lucky that many of these dreams have come true. I've written plays for the theater, Soap Operas for television, and a screenplay for the movies. And now, DON'T CALL ME PRUNEFACE is here!

I work as an editor and love my job. I live in Manhattan with my husband Dan and our dog Bailey.

HOW PRUNEFACE CAME TO BE: I set out to write a book about kids and friendship and why it's sometimes hard to make friends.

When I explained the story of Pruneface to my brother Rob, he just smiled at me as if to say, "Wonder where that idea came from, Jan." My brother Rob had a winning smile and was just the sweetest kid on Earth. But I teased him and bossed him around. So looking back on it, Don’t Call Me Pruneface! obviously was born out of guilt.

But while I may have bossed my brother around a bit, I was also bullied by mean girls at Day Camp. So I can really see the point of view of both characters in Don’t Call Me Pruneface!

I don’t think I would have written a picture book without my friend Doreen Cronin’s encouragement. It was really hard work but I’m very happy with the way the book turned out. And I love Drazen Kozjan's terrific illustrations! Drazen brought the characters to life. And they're EXACTLY as I pictured them in my mind.

I hope you enjoy reading Don’t Call Me Pruneface!