1) "Little House on the Prairie: These Golden Years" by Laura Ingalls Wilder
I did things kind of backwards, and fell in love with the television show prior to reading the books. When I did finally get them one Christmas, I loved them just as much, if not more. Having had a HUGE crush on Dean Butler's portrayal of Almanzo Wilder, I was pretty partial to that part of Laura's story, and I can distinctly remember how giddy I was to read the more accurate presentation of how that relationship came to be. I was SO committed to loving these characters, as a matter of fact, that I ran around our backyard clad in a long dress and bonnet, and refused to answer to anything but "Laura." (Miss Ingalls, if you're nasty.)

2) "Anne of Green Gables" by L.M. Montgomery
Anne is one of the most amazing characters I've ever read in a book. She's like an extra-strength dose of Laura Ingalls Wilder - a feisty spitfire of a girl who blazes her own trail. The only reason I didn't run around our backyard in a red wig was that I was technically too old to do something like that by the time I read these books. Don't think it didn't cross my mind, though.

3) "Wasted" by Marya Hornbacher
I find Marya's writing to be blunt - almost crass - in such an appealing way. She doesn't sugar coat anything with pretty adjectives, she doesn't soften the edges of what she's saying, and even though she doesn't always paint a visual picture with words, you can conjure the scene in your mind, anyway, by the sheer power of the little bit she does reveal. I also admire her extreme transparency in sharing her struggles. If you have to battle something so terrible, I imagine helping others through their own battles afterward must be cathartic and rewarding.

4) "Fifteen" by Beverly Cleary
This was the first teen romance book that I connected with. I was a bit of a late bloomer in that I'd much rather have played video games with a boy than kissed him. But, as the relationship between the two main characters unfolded, I could hardly wait for the day when some guy inspired the same kind of crush that Jane was experiencing. There was the added bonus of it having been first published in the 50s, so the boys were exceptionally respectful and well-mannered. Even though that wasn't necessarily characteristic of the boys my age, it helped to set the tone for what I should expect from a boyfriend. A kind boy is more than worth the wait!

5) "The Pistachio Prescription" by Paula Danziger
I can't even tell you how many times I must have read this book during my adolescence. The main character, Cassie, is quirky and sassy, and her vice is just downright weird. What's not to love?! (I also credit this book with my love of pistachio nuts.)

I grew up in Houston, TX, but absolutely idolized the West Coast. I somehow stumbled upon re-runs of the Monkees and Gidget when I was six years old and instantly became obsessed. I figured if I could get to California and learn how to surf, I could probably land Davy Jones as a prom date. (Seriously. This is how my mind works.) While I wouldn't live in California until my late 30s (a place I, ironically enough, despised almost immediately), my fascination with the state played a huge part in this series. I was 18 when I began writing it, and what better place to set an idyllic story staring idyllic teenagers than idyllic California? Granted, the story has taken a much different turn over the past two decades than what I envisioned it would (which has made the characters MUCH more interesting than they used to be), but the setting remained the same. Just think how complicated their lives will be when they graduate from college and have to pay California taxes!

When I was younger, my dream was to land a publisher and become a famous author. And don't get me wrong - that would still be super cool. I did learn, though, both through research and having friends go through the process as the client of a big publisher, that there's often a lot of control that you relinquish to have the financial and promotional backing that comes with your deal. It was very important to me that this story and these characters not be compromised in any way. I grew up reading a lot of Sweet Valley High, and while it's a pretty vanilla series (lovably vanilla, of course), I could identify with something in each book I read. If I was a teenager now, I think a book series like that would be hard to come by. There's a lot of paranormal stuff to read, there are plenty of dystopian books, and there is more than enough bad behavior that has absolutely no consequence. There isn't a whole lot of real-life, ups-and-downs stuff, though. And, while I'm a Christian, I wanted to steer clear of the "Christian teen fiction" label, because people make assumptions about books like that. Those are the paperbacks your mom grabs when she's at Scripture House, and you may or may not read it. I wanted to offer teenagers a series that, while maintaining my Christian integrity, would still explore real-life situations, real-life consequences, and real-life crises. My hope is that of the seven main characters, the reader will be able to point to one of them and say, "Him! That's how I feel!" Or, "I know exactly what she's dealing with! I've been through that!" Overall, this is a group of good kids dealing with the things that life throws at all of us.

I love to read, and I love to play video games. Like, violent video games. I'm not even going to tell you what my favorite is because it's an awful game and I'm embarrassed by the fact that I'm completely addicted to it! Even funnier is that I've found myself smack dab in the middle of a group of high school kids that I play game missions with regularly. They are amazingly colorful characters, and I get a huge kick out of them. Who knows? Maybe they'll inspire my next series!

I hear other authors talk about their "process" a lot, and I feel sometimes like maybe that's what I'm lacking to be a real author. Because, truthfully...I don't have one. I don't sit and map out the back stories of my characters. I don't fill out character questionnaires in an effort to define them. I don't take a hard look at all of the elements that most people would agree defines a person. But I think that this is because this series has taken shape over a 20-year period. I know these kids inside and out at this point - not because of any process I took to get to know them, but because they just developed naturally over the many incarnations of this story line. They were established long before the direction of the series was, as a matter of fact. Maybe it's because they're all loosely based on people that were special to me when I was in college, or maybe it's because in the past 20 years, I've lived many of the problems they'll encounter. I'm honestly not sure how I'm so close to them. I love them as much as if they were real people, though. When I assembled my group for the photo shoot for the covers, I actually cried a little. It was like I'd written these people to life. (No offense to their mothers and fathers, who, as we know, actually gave them life.)

I don't have a specific genre that I gravitate toward. I read a lot of YA, to see what's out there, and man, there are some great young adult authors! (I'm looking at you, John Green!) Right now, I'm reading "Going Clear," which takes a look at the very bizarre rise of the Church of Scientology. I love great memoirs, too. My Goodreads list is more or less completely out of control. I'd need ten lifetimes to read everything I have listed (and I'm sure I'll add another ten books tomorrow)!

"Inside, Outside, Upside Down" had a pretty profound effect on me when I was a toddler. What better book to illustrate the angst of life? We're all just Brother Bears, crawling into boxes we don't belong in, trying to survive in a truck headed for town.

Honestly, I would much prefer an unknown. There are so many amazing young actresses that I love, but whenever I try to insert any of them into the role of Mindy Carmichael, something just doesn't quite fit. She's a very smart girl. She's super intense, but tries to mask that intensity with wit and humor. She has a flair for drama, but not in a theatrical way. And while she's a very strong personality, Mindy also has this extreme vulnerability about her, too. I can also admit that maybe I'm just too close to the character to be able to fit her into a known actress.

If this ever DID turn into a movie or television series, I'd love to be in the room when "Mindy" walks in. I know that I'd just grab her and hug her and weep.

And possibly discourage her from ever auditioning for anything ever again.

I am working on a series with my friend, Judi, who is amazingly talented and just an inspiration overall. She fostered the central idea for the series (also YA), and having never written WITH anyone before, I was kind of floored at the writing chemistry that we had. The side stories that began to develop as we wrote was so much more complicated than anything I think I could come up with on my own. I'm sincerely hoping that we can get the first book out this year.

I will readily admit that I don't have a very tough skin, and the inevitable bad reviews (because you can NEVER please everyone; people have different tastes in style and content) will sting. The last thing I want to concentrate on, though, are bad reviews. This series has been so long in the making and I am so in love with these kids that I'm not about to let the words of people who don't appreciate them the way I do define me or limit me. Maybe I'll write something down the road that you'll like. If the SMU series isn't for you, that's cool. My inspiration is hinged on those who will find a piece of themselves in the real-life struggles of these characters. 5-star reviews would be awesome, but if one kid picks up this series and feels less alone in this world, then it's worth it.