In my world, reading about female friendships and historical fiction is as amazing as walking into a department store and greeting a clothing rack with everything my size. And on sale. My female friends provide so much value in my life, in part, because there is a shared understanding of the complicated intersection of being female with the rest of our lives. These friends of mine pull me up and I hope I do the same for them. It’s not enough to be supportive. We must seek ways to promote and lift each other actively. As for historical fiction, the novel The Most Amazing Department Store was a departure from what I have written about to date, but there is an interesting connection between the two areas. My other books focus on creating strong, confident middle school students. In The Most Amazing Department Store, I created the characters Vivian and Lilly who are strong, confident women where I hope to inspire readers of all ages.