The older I get, the more I find myself reaching back into my youth. While in college, I waited impatiently for the summer to roll around so I could return to summer camp. Now, I'm writing young-adult fantasy, trying to recapture some of the excitement and anticipation of having a new world at your fingertips.   And I try and bring some of that spell-binding wonder into my everyday life. For the last two years, I've been living in Japan, trying to become familiar with a different culture and see everything Southeast Asia has to offer. I particularly recommend Thailand--beautiful and amazing!   But soon I'll be returning home to the United States, where the next adventure is doubtlessly waiting for me. I think it'll be strange not being a foreigner anymore, difficult to be always blending in and completely aware of what's going on. I'll always have a passion for international exchange, especially when it comes to young people who are just figuring out what the world really is. We'll all see how it evolves together.

Glimmer Train finalist, Webb Weaver 2010 Writer's Competition Award Winner