Crave (Harlequin Teen)

through in this book. I also know how angry I get at things that scare me. Unfortunately, I didn’t have as clear an explanation as she does for the bullying. But at its heart, I think bullying comes from fear and insecurities in the tormentor’s mind. Maybe they are going through really bad things at home, or learned how to bully others from their parents or family. In Savannah’s case, Dylan and the Brat Twins are acting out of fear (and a little bit of unwanted attraction, on Dylan’s part)…they know Savannah is dangerous, and that fear drives them to push her. If they can make her “crack” and show her dangerous side at school, then the Clann will be convinced to kick her out of Jacksonville and away from them.
    Q: Tell us about one of your favorite memories from high school.
    A: It’s tough to choose just one favorite memory from high school. I loved the slumber parties and pasture parties my friends and I would have. I really enjoyed serving on the production staff of the annual creative-writing magazine…reading poems and short stories by my peers was such an eye-opening experience, because they gave me amazing insights into people who until then I couldn’t relate to at all. But my single favorite moment was the day one of my essays actually made my senior English teacher cry. To be able to move even one reader like that is what makes writing and revisions worth every second!
    Q: We would guess that you’ve never actually met a vampire or a Clann magic user (but if you have, do tell!). How did you develop the mythology behind their paranormal abilities for Crave ?
    A: While I’ve never met a real vampire, I’ve often felt like one! My Irish ancestry gifted me with super pale skin that is next to impossible to tan but will freckle and burn in a nanosecond…not a great thing when you live in the land of the tan! I also have naturally pointy incisors that I used to get teased about in junior high…like Savannah’s mother, I looked like a vampire when vampires weren’t cool! LOL. I have pale gray eyes that actually do look more blue, dark gray or green depending on my moods and what I’m wearing. Plus, having lupus means that spending time in the sun can actually make me sick. So while I can’t imagine wanting to drink anyone’s blood, I can definitely relate to that alien feeling of physically not fitting in with others.
    As for magic, seeing ghosts and experiencing bits of ESP does actually run in my family on my mother’s side, so it wasn’t much of a stretch to take it even further and imagine full-blown magic taking place!
    Q: Tell us a little about your journey to publication. Did you always want to be a writer?
    A: Ever since I taught myself how to read when I was four, I have been fascinated with books and the writer’s ability to take their thoughts and share them with others. I have been writing ever since. And yet, there is something about writing fiction that requires a whole new level of courage!
    When I was in the sixth grade, I submitted a poem that was chosen for publication in an international anthology. That same year, I also entered an essay contest and won a horse. Afterward, I had a lot of encouragement from family, friends and teachers to keep writing, and I wrote several nonfiction books. But I never believed I could become a published novelist and make an actual career out of it. It took meeting my husband and years of listening to his supportive nagging to finally get the courage to submit a story for publication seventeen years later!
    Now I can’t seem to STOP writing stories! LOL.
    Q: What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
    A: Believe in yourself. You hear this all the time, but it is absolutely true. If you can’t not write, if it takes more effort to ignore the stories inside your head than it would to just write them down, then don’t wait for others to tell you to go for it. Start writing! Then be prepared to revise, both before and after your story finds a home. Writing is a solitary pursuit. Getting published is all about teamwork!
    Also, don’t aim for perfection. If you’re like me, you’ll find yourself revising the same scenes or even the entire manuscript fifty times, just endlessly tinkering with it while trying to achieve some crazy idea of perfection. There’s no such thing! Make it as good as you can for now . Learn something new from every story you write so that you’re constantly improving and growing as a writer. Read