Guest blog at books a la mode. It can happen to you!

Quora questions featured in Huff Post.

Today I had the honor of speaking at West Boca Raton High School to the 11th grade Honors English class. Their amazing teacher, Lauren Schneider, decided to change things up. The kids read THE MOURNING AFTER in class this past month, and we had a thoughtful discussion about the book and how it came to life. I had a feeling the kids were going to teach me more than I could ever teach them. They did not disappoint.

One of my greatest pleasures is connecting good people with good products. Your Teen is one of my absolute favorite magazines. Anyone with teenage children should be reading this publication, which goes beyond the fluff of adolescent angst and gets to the root of major issues concerning our teens today. Nothing is sugar-coated. Being a teenager is real, heavy stuff, and with modern technology and the overwhelming pressures on our children, we, as parents, must stay informed.

One of the questions I’m most often asked at a book signing is how much of What We Leave Behind is based on my real life experiences. The answer is this: I write what I know. Beginning with an idea, I embellish, tweak, and toss it around. There it simmers. The meat—memories and experiences—are the heart, and the fictional elements season and flavor.