She?s like a poodle in a pit bull body. She has such a refined demeanor and a lady-like temperament ..she?s a pleasure to be around.

Here at the Joe, guys are getting used to the speed and the body positioning. Teams that can skate and have a good defence will be a step ahead. You won't have any choice to open up. But this is going to be a huge adjustment and it won't happen overnight.

It?s unbelievable she?s still here, it?s shocking to me. She?s been a real heart breaker for us because she?s such a wonderful dog.

I do research for every single book, regardless. For 'Double Dutch,' I learned to jump and learned the scoring system. For 'November Blues,' I interviewed pregnant teens. I like to get up close and personal with the kids involved in the situations I write about.

I worked at Sears as a salesperson when I was in college. Makes me nicer to folks to have to stand all day and be nice to picky people.

With the 'Hazelwood High' trilogy, I wasn't sure I was writing a trilogy. I would just write one book, then another, and then another, because the young adults who wrote me told me that they wanted to read more.