Born May 13, 1938, in New York City. "When I was about five, my parents moved from Manhattan to Jamaica, Queens. The neighborhood we lived in was essentially the one in which Cici of Hangin' Out with Cici grew up. The houses had yards, and it was safe enough for kids to play unattended in the street. If it weren't for the subway station on the corner, it would almost have been like living in a small town. In fact, back then, when people moved to Jamaica, they said they were 'going to the country.'

"Like Cici, I adored movies and went to the cinema every Saturday for the afternoon double feature with my friends. It was always exciting, because it was the one place kids could go to on their own. I also loved reading comic books--Sheena of the Jungle, and other high adventure series. Fairy tales...