I’ve been glad to see that reviews of WHEN MY SISTER STARTED KISSING have been positive and appreciative. As I wrote this book, I thought about the young people I know and it struck me that most of them are really nice people. I know, of course, that “mean girls” exist, and that boys can be aggressive to girls and to each other, but I wondered if I could write a book without that kind of people.

I wrote an entire draft where there was a lot of drama having to do with people mis-treating each other, and I asked myself how much of it was necessary. In re-writing the story, whenever I came to a decision about how the characters would behave in a conflict, if I found myself tempted to include meanness or aggression, I asked, “what if this didn’t happen?” Could there be drama and a compelling story without it?

It was interesting to see how the book evolved–I think the characters are realistic, not too good to be true, but still thoughtful and considerate–just like most of the readers who meet them, now that the book is out in the world.