I’ve always known I was shy. As a child and well into my thirties, I always felt “less than,” uncomfortable in my own skin, so hyper aware of my own flaws that it was hard to make friends and almost impossible to feel at ease in social situations. That’s a hard way to live, and I’m happy to say I’ve gotten better over the years. But I’m still somewhat shy and it still affects my life. I was reminded of that recently when I attended a breakfast at my son’s school. I already knew many of the parents, but stillRead More »

I would argue that every protagonist in fiction needs a major character flaw. Part of the satisfaction of reading comes from finding out how a character changes for the better. Of course some character flaws are greater than others, and when you make your protagonist seriously flawed (as I like to do), the question becomes: How do I keep the reader invested in the story? How do I keep the reader from wanting to throw the book across the room? The answer is: I don’t. In my first novel, A WORK OF ART, my main character, Tera, refuses to believeRead More »

I’m a member of SCBWI, which stands for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. This international organization holds regional conferences throughout the year where writers and illustrators of children’s books (and here “children” includes young adult) gather to learn from and schmooze with more famous writers, illustrators, agents, and editors. Florida has two conferences a year, plus “boot camp” workshops throughout the state. I’ve been attending SCBWI conferences since 2013, and I can’t say enough about how much I’ve learned from attending all the workshops and hearing all the inspirational speeches. The conferences have also helped me gainRead More »

I want to write about something that’s uncomfortable—something that’s been a source of shame for most of my life, something I’ve kept secret. When I was a child, I was sexually assaulted—not raped, but I was repeatedly fondled and kissed by an adult male who was supposed to be someone I trust. That does something to a person. Why, you might wonder, is there shame attached to being sexually assaulted? I honestly can’t answer that, but until the “Me Too” movement I felt like, if people knew what had happened to me, they would think I was weak or patheticRead More »

As a novelist for young adults, I spend a lot of time trying to recapture the emotions I had in high school. For me, there wasn’t much joy in being a teen. I wrote poetry back then, and a lot of what I wrote captures my self-loathing and fear and confusion. I sometimes wrote about wanting to get life over with. But I also wrote about hope. I hoped things would get better. I only half-believed they would. So if I could go back in time and talk to my teenage self, this is what I’d say: All those feelingsRead More »