This interview with young adult book author Rebecca O'Connell was conducted by Cynthia Leitich Smith via email in October-November 2000. My parents love to read, and I learned by their example. In elementary school, I loved the Oz books by L. Frank Baum. I read the whole original series. In seventh and eighth grades, I read everything I could find by Madeline L'Engle.
Adolescence is an emotionally intense time of life, and adolescents are emotionally intense people.
Also, no one tells you that adolescence lasts till you're about thirty. I took a class on adolescence when I was in college. It lasted, like, ten more years. I had always heard that in researching where to send a manuscript, you should look for a publisher who is publishing books like yours, and furthermore, for your manuscript even to be considered, it must be completely unique. When I read The Facts Speak for Themselves by Brock Cole, published by Front Street Books, I knew I wanted Myrtle to go to Front Street.