I heart YA

Sorry. I don't do heroines. Even in my one finished adult novel, I have the anti-heroine. So, I'm going to tell you why I write YA.

When I was in school--many, many moons ago--I was super shy. Super duper shy. I never spoke up in class unless a teacher picked on me and even then I answered in a barely audiable mumble.

Usually I had a couple of best friends and hung out on the fringe of the group they belonged to, not really getting involved. Being on the school paper was the one thing that brought me out of my comfort zone. I could interview anyone or attend an event because I was on "assignment".

And honestly, I'm not bitter. It was my own cowardice that created that shy monster who lived within me.

I think a part of me likes--loves---writing a character who has the right comeback at just the right moment and isn't afraid to voice it. Bix is my repressed alter-ego set free.

There are a myriad of other reasons I write YA:

It's where my natural voice fits. I've tried to write other fiction, but always find myself gravitating back to the teen voice.

Kids are fearless and in my head, that's what I desire most of all. To not be afraid to try new things and have new adventures. Although at this point, I tend to do most of them on the page, not in real life.

I simply haven't grown up. Ask anyone who knows me. My favorite gift is a complex Lego set. My office is adorned with Toy Story figurines, especially the alien (the claw, the claawww) and next to a bookstore, a toy store is my favorite place to spend time.

And most of all, I think young adults deserve good books to read. And hopefully, one day, they'll be reading mine.