I write about the things that haunt or obsess me.

Do what you love. Live fearlessly and take risks. Don't take no for an answer from anyone - go ahead and prove the naysayers wrong. Believe that anything can be possible.

I had a nervous breakdown at 17 when my first love left me, and he was a typical bad boy, albeit a charismatic one, with a string of broken hearts trailing behind him.

I write about the things that haunt or obsess me.

Everyone thinks that a new place or a new identity will jumpstart a new life.

A haunting, harrowing punch to the heart, Among the Missing is flat-out brilliant. About the secrets we keep, the lives we are desperate to live, and the chances we miss, it's a psychological dazzler. Truly, one of my favorite books of this year-or any year.

I think it's crucial to live, play and work passionately. I'm inspired by my husband, my son and the sense of possibility in the world.