ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What is the first thing ever that you remember writing?
I think I was five.
I got a red notebook and promptly wrote MARK PAUL GOSSELAAR WILL YOU MARRY ME in it.
Credit: Megan Gunter; St. Martin’s Griffin
What is the last book that made you cry?
Migrationsby Charlotte McConaghy brought (more than) a few tears to my eyes.
Which book is at the top of your current To-Read list?
I don’t have a copy (yet!
), but I’m so excited about it The Taking of Jake Livingstonby Ryan Douglass.
One ghost, in particular, seems determined to make life very complicated for him.
I’m a fan of Ryan’s poetry and I’m really looking forward to his YA debut.
Where do you write?
At a desk facing the wall with my back to a window.
The blinds are always drawn.
Which sounds as grim as the books I write.
It might also be why they’re so grim.
Which book made you a forever reader?
It was a series!
Ann M. Martin’sThe Baby-sitters Club.I loved those sitters.
I was deeply invested in their lives.
Stacey was my favorite, Claudia a close second.
What is a snack you couldn’t write without?
Not technically a snack but coffee is integral to my writing process.
If you could change one thing about any of your books what would it be?
What is your favorite part ofThe Project?
It’s not at all what she expected.
What was the hardest plot point or character to write?
Writing the cult leader inThe Projectwas uniquely challenging.
When it comes to antagonists, we often wait for that moment the mask falls and reveals them.
But in the case of Lev, the mask could never fall.
Write a movie poster tag line forThe Project:
You have been chosen.
