Although my other ambition was to be a musical theater star (and I would attend college on a voice scholarship), writing was never far from my mind.

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.

Good to know: Doctors can't cure you of being a beast.

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

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.

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

I enjoy people who aren't afraid to say what they mean. It makes life so much easier!