Q: What other books are you working on?
A: Right now I have a few projects in the works, including a book on teenage girl relationships and friendships–seriously important issues. That’s actually next on the list so if you have stories about mean girls and not-so-mean girls (I want it to cover everything!) send them my way. I’m also outlining a series of teen novels which I can’t wait to get started on!
Q: Who did the cool illustrations in How to Raise Your Parents and Boyology?
A: I was really lucky to work with two incredible artists for these books. Bella Pilar did the illustrations for How to Raise Your Parents and Keri Smith illustrated Boyology. They’re both really talented women and their interpretations of the stories make each book stand out. I can’t thank them enough for putting such amazing creativity in to their work.
Q: What made you want to write for teenagers instead of adults?
A: Because teenagers are incredible, that’s why. I think sometimes teenagers as a whole get a bad rap from the media because of the mistakes of just a few teenagers. I have been really lucky to meet the coolest, smartest, kindest girls while I’ve been working on my book. You inspire me!
Q: What were you like as a teenager?
A: Well, that depends who you ask! No really, I was a pretty typical teenager. I had my moments of trouble-making but nothing serious. For the most part, I was just a normal girl, hanging out with my friends, crushing on various guys at school, and trying to make my way through life. I see a lot of myself in the girls I’ve gotten to know through writing my books.
Q: What is your relationship with your parents like?
A: My parents are amazing. We definitely had our issues (they inspired How to Raise Your Parents
Q: Did you have a boyfriend in high school?
A: Yes, I had a few boyfriends in high school and in college. And I learned something different from each of them, but mostly I learned what I really wanted and I think that’s the whole point of dating. You want to have fun and find someone who makes you feel good about yourself. A guy who inspires you to try new things and that you can be yourself around. If I could go back and tell my teenage-self one thing it would be, “trust yourself.” Trust yourself and be good to yourself. And don’t put up with any less than that with any guy, either.
Q: What do you like to do besides writing?
A: What don’t I like to do?! I’m constantly finding new ways to entertain myself, from learning how to sew to downloading random bands on iTunes. I also love to ride my Vespa (it’s candy-apple-red and I have a silver helmet!), see the newest chick-flicks with my girlfriends, eat all flavors of frozen yogurt, talk to my fam on the phone, and hang out with my husband. I can also spend hours (and tons of cash!) in a bookstore. Oh, and then there’s my pet canary, Avey. I actually can’t really do anything with him since he hates to get out of his cage (scaredy-bird) but it’s amazing how much time I can spend just staring at him. OK, maybe that’s TMI, but this is a tell-all!
Q: What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
A: Keep writing! There’s nothing better than actually sitting down to write to become a better writer. And believe me, practice definitely gets you closer to perfect. Keep a journal, write a blog, save emails to friends. Write poetry, short stories, articles. And definitely keep a notebook in your bag at all times – you never know when inspiration will strike!
Offer to write stories for your school newspaper and then, when you go to college, sign up for creative writing classes. There are tons of internships at local magazines and newspapers that are set up for college students.
Once you have your novel or book idea hammered out, it’s time to find a literary agent. (Unfortunately, publishers don’t accept unsolicited manuscripts.) You can find a list of literary agents in Writer’s Market, a book that’s updated every year and available at bookstores and libraries. It will tell you what agents are looking for and how to reach them. It also has hints on submitting manuscripts and book proposals.
Remember that getting published can be a time-consuming process, so don’t get discouraged – it’s worth all the hard work when you finally see your masterpiece in print. So keep writing and keep trying. You can do it!
