Curse False-hand-holding Boys!

You Know, This Technology That We Have, And The Internet And Twitter And Facebook - I Get So Many Of Those Emails That Talk About Hard Times That Kids Have Gone Through, How Books Have Helped Them, But Also Happy Times.

But You Have To Live In The Present. You Have To Take The Old And Make It New -- That's My Point.

Also, As An Author, Character Has Always Been What I'm Most Interested In - Much More So Than Plot Or Setting, Although Those Are Good Things Too.

And They Just Slam The Door. And They Don't Peek Into That Land Any More. And They Forget That Teens And Tweens Are People, Absolutely Just As Much As Adults Are. And Their Problems May Play Out On A Smaller Scale, But The Things They Go Through Are Equally As Valid As A Ceo Trying To Figure Out How To Deal With A Crisis At Work. I Just Write For Teens Because I Love 'em.

Yes, That Man Acted Ugly," She Told Us In Plain English. "but Throwing More Ugliness Back At Him Ain't The Answer.