I think this title is appropriate because it sounds like something I would write if I wrote greeting cards, and then someone would point out that it’s supposed to be “thinking of you on YOUR birthday,” and I would walk out mad because I like it better this way and besides, I’ve always known I wasn’t cut out for writing greeting cards.

It’s not my birthday, but it IS my book birthday. Today my book comes out into the world, but that’s not what I’m thinking about. I’m thinking about the people who helped me write the book. Here’s the super-sad news: through some kind of mix-up not entirely understood, my acknowledgments never made it into BACK WHEN YOU WERE EASIER TO LOVE. And I have a lot of people to thank! And I want to do it in public but really, this is the most public forum I have access to. Maybe someday when my cover band, The Barely Manilows, makes it big. But until then:

PEOPLE ASK ME HOW I WROTE THIS BOOK

People ask me how  I wrote this book, and I tell them it wasn’t without help.  Thanks to the people who made Back When You Were Easier to Love possible:

Sara Zarr, Anne Bowen and James Dashner—the best writing posse a girl could have.

The SIX:  Bree Despain, Brodi Ashton, Kim Reid, Sara Bolton and Valynne Nagamatsu—the best critique group a girl could have.

Utah writer-mentors Louise Plummer, who saw this novel in its earliest draft, and Ann Cannon, who saw it in its final one.

My family—Pops, Mom, Juliana, Reo, Holden, Ethan, Cami, Andy and Hannah.  And my family-in-law—Brent, Yoriko, Shannon, Mike, Josiah, Ha, Andrea and Brian.

Julie Strauss-Gabel, rock star editor; Abby Kuperstock and Lori Thorn , for their mad cover (and spine) design skills; Lisa Yoskowitz; Rosanna Lauer and the rest of the Dutton team.

Michael Bourret.  Not every agent would entertain the notion of attending a Barry Manilow concert with a client.  Michael would.  I am lucky to have him.

Daniel.  My hero.

And Sabrina–for being so much better than Ismene.

Thank you.

There was this poster hanging in my junior high:  The best vitamin for making friends is B1. You know how sometimes when you read something to yourself, it doesn’t sound the way it sounds when you read it out loud?  So the first time I saw it, I was thinking, “Seriously, B1 helps you make [...]

Lately I’ve had a lot of time to remember.  Or just ruminate in general.   When I haven’t been confined to bed, I’ve been somewhere much worse–the dental chair.  My itty-bitty baby bad tooth–right lateral incisor 7– needed to be replaced.  Real  7  simply never showed up to the party that is my mouth, so it [...]

It’s just ONE MONTH until the release of BACK WHEN YOU WERE EASIER TO LOVE! So it’s time for the launch of…. If that doesn’t make you want to pre-order your own copy of the book, I don’t know what will. P.S Along with trusty video editing from Animoto, I made this trailer completely by [...]

I first came to the Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers conference (WIFYR) the summer of 2000, after my freshman year in college.  I come back for the same reason people become counselors at their old summer camp–I want to share the magic, but I also want, in some way, to reclaim it. I remember [...]