I was painfully shy, and I had tremendous difficulty making friends. So, lacking friends, I watched other people. Watching is something all writers must do, and it was in junior high that I learned to do it.

Every girl pretends she is a princess at one point, no matter how little her life is like that.

Each of my books took roughly one and a half years to write. Some may have taken a shorter time to write the draft and a longer time to revise, while others were the opposite.

Anyone else feel like that? Like your life's a big act. Like you're trying to be a man when you're just a scared kid, trying to keep under control when you really want to scream, cry, or maybe hit someone. Ever feel like you're breathing underwater and you have to stop because you're gulping in too much fluid.

Sometimes, unexpected things can happen.

Maybe you actually do need to face obstacles with someone to know that they're the one you'd sacrifice for.

It would be so great to have someone my own age to talk to, even if it was just about books.