I have written seriously for the past 20 years but I really started as a child, when I was known more for poetry. I was the geeky teen who wrote for fun and read Shakespeare because I loved the language. I decided to write YA fiction because the teen years were a very painful period in my life and I wanted to help other people going through bad times. I write contemporary YA, not a vampire or witch in sight, just a story people can relate to.