Humiliation, by the way, is a truly terrible emotion. It's at the bottom of the pile.

When I first thought of the idea for 'Sweet Valley High,' I loved the idea of high school as microcosm of the real world. And what I really liked was how it moved things on from 'Sleeping Beauty'-esque romance novels where the girl had to wait for the hero. This would be girl-driven, very different, I decided - and indeed it is.

Luck doesn't shine her light on each of us equally. She is arbitrary, irrational, unfair and sometimes downright cruel.

Humiliation, by the way, is a truly terrible emotion. It's at the bottom of the pile.

It's so trendy, almost bleeding to death. All the cool girls are doing it.

But the way I see it, dying without knowing love would be a tragedy.

No matter when you were born or where, puberty is the same. It's the same for your parents as it is for you - what's happening in your body dictates everything.