Librarians save lives by handing the right book at the right time to a kid in need.

When I was growing up, I dreamed about becoming a cowgirl, a detective, a spy, a great actress, or a ballerina. Not a dentist, like my father, or a homemaker, like my mother - and certainly not a writer, although I always loved to read.

I use a computer, but before I begin each new book I keep a notebook. I write down everything that comes to mind during that period before I actually begin. It might take months or weeks. That notebook is my security blanket so that I never have to face a blank screen (or blank page). But I print out often and my best ideas usually come with a pencil in my hand.

That's good when you don't know what you're doing. But you're doing it and it's spontaneous and you're not afraid.

Caitlyn isn't someone to get over. She's someone to come to terms with, the way you have to come to terms with your parents, your siblings. You can't deny they ever happened. You can't deny you ever loved them, love them still, even if loving them causes you pain.

some changes happen deep down inside of you. And the truth is, only you know about them. Maybe that's the way it's supposed to be.

The child from 9 to 12 interests me very much. And so, those were the years that I like to write about, when I'm writing.