The Short Version
P. J. Hoover first fell in love with Greek mythology in sixth grade thanks to the book Mythology by Edith Hamilton.
After a fifteen year bout as an electrical engineer designing computer chips for a living, P. J. decided to take her own stab
at mythology and started writing books for kids and teens. P. J. is a member of
THE TEXAS SWEETHEARTS & SCOUNDRELS.
When not writing, P. J. spends time with her husband and two
kids and enjoys practicing Kung Fu, solving Rubik's cubes, and watching Star Trek.
Her first novel for teens, Solstice, takes place in a Global Warming future and explores the parallel world of mythology beside our own.
Her middle grade fantasy novels, The Emerald Tablet, The Navel of the World, and The Necropolis,
chronicle the adventures of a boy who discovers he’s part of two feuding worlds hidden beneath the sea.
Download press photos here.
The Longer Version
Let's see...
My best memories from elementary school include dressing up as Betsy Ross for the Bicentennial (first grade for me), The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, (third grade here), and dissecting a frog (on to fourth grade).
Middle school brought "Punk Day" (only three people dressed up - including me), school dances,
and Gone With The Wind (I read it seven times and dressed up
as Scarlett O'Hara).
In high school, I led the Varsity cheerleading squad, took Astronomy (yes, we had a planetarium), and dissected a pig (what is it about dissection)?
I dreamed about digging up Pompeii, but I never did.
After graduating high school, I headed to Virginia Tech for a Computer Engineering degree. (I had fun, but did manage to study also.) And, just before graduating, I decided I wanted to be an archaeologist, so I spent another year getting a History degree. Then it dawned on me engineering may pay better, so I went on to get my Electrical Engineering Masters degree.
What do I do now? I live in Austin, TX with my husband, two kids, Yorkshire Terrier Cissy, and two sulcata tortoises, King Tort and Nefertorti.
I used to design chips (not the baked variety, and certainly not
ruffled), but now I write full time (along with spending lots of time with the family). Sure, I'm still tempted to head out to
one-hundred-degree heat to dig up bits of clay pottery; that urge will probably never go away. Or maybe I'll go to Egypt. I've heard there are mummies basically popping out of the ground there.
Or India to see the Indus River valley.
Or South America, to look up the Incas.
I guess I better stop.
Five fun things
1) I collect Smurfs, Bicentennial quarters, Star Trek Christmas ornaments, and antique bricks. If you find an old brick with words on it, please let me know!
2) Favorite consumables include Brie Cheese, Red Wine, and Strong Coffee.
And of course chocolate, but that goes without saying, doesn't it?
3) I can solve a Rubik's Cube in under 2 minutes. And I have a black belt* in Kung Fu. The first took 2 weeks to achieve.
The second took 2 years. Both make for good party tricks. (And if you've ever thought about starting Kung Fu yourself, I
go to Austin Shaolin-Do Kung Fu & Tai Chi.)
4) I plan to hike on the Great Wall of China someday. And of course drag the family on an archaeological dig.
5) Jobs I've had include Donut Seller, Car Assessor, Dorm Security Monitor, and of course, Chip Designer.
*Actually, now, I have a 2nd degree black belt in Kung Fu, but who's keeping track?
Media interviews
