Blogfest 2009

For me, my first book, I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME was actually fairly easy to write. Of course, every book will have its own set of challenges. But the beauty of that first book or any book before publication is that it’s just you and the story. You aren’t worried about what your agent or editor is going to think and how it compares to what you’ve written previously, or what your readers are going to think, or what kind of reviews the book might get. If you mean, does it get easier with each book because I’ve learned things about writing I didn’t know before, I think my answer would be, not really. With each book, I learn more about plot, story arc, pacing, character development, etc. I always feel like there’s so much to learn and so many ways to improve. And with each book, I certainly want to improve.

So far, my YA books have basically been about moving on from death. I think I write about it for a couple of reasons. First of all, every one of us, at some point in our lives, will experience the loss of a loved one. We might not be 16 when it happens, but it will happen. And I think I want to show that it’s hard and it hurts, but it is possible to move on, and to find happiness again. And I really believe that those who leave us want that for us. They want us to be happy, not sad. And of course we are sad, because we miss them. But ultimately, we have to move on and let them go, and make the most out of the life we’ve been given. So, I suppose I like writing about coming through that pain, to the other side, to a place of hope.

The other reason I write about loss is I have this deep belief that every day, we should give thanks for the family and friends in our life. Life is precious. Love is precious. And I hope at the end of my books, a reader will close the book and give thanks for the people in his/her life.

Well, I got Rock Band for the Wii for my birthday, so lately I’ve been doing a lot of singing. And a little guitar playing. Yeah, I’ve secretly wanted to be a rock star pretty much my whole life, so thank you Rock Band!! Other than that, my free time is spent watching movies courtesy of Netflix, playing word games on Facebook, reading amazing books while simultaneously trying not to be depressed about just how amazing those books are, and running through my neighborhood with my dog.

Oh yeah, absolutely. This is a tough business. Every day it gets more and more competitive, with so many amazing books on the YA shelves. And I’m not able to quit my day job at this point in time, so I work, I have a family to care for, and I squeeze writing in there somewhere too. It’s craziness! But then I get an e-mail from a teen who tells me how much one of my books has touched her and ends the note with something like – “Keep writing!!!” And that’s all I need to keep going. Besides, I love the process of writing, of telling a story. So even if I wanted to quit, I’m not sure I’d be able to.