Sarah Dessen

I was born in 1970 in Illinois, but all the life I remember I've spent in Chapel Hill, N.C.

If I had to pick, I'd say my favorite book is 'A Prayer For Owen Meany', by John Irving.

Each time, I think I'm never going to write another book. It never gets easier.

In high school, I was lucky enough to have a big group of girlfriends that have really inspired a lot of the stories in my books. I'm still close with my friends from that time, so it's never very hard to put myself back into that place, that voice.

I'm really happy to have the chance to talk about the editing process. It's something that I think doesn't get the weight it deserves, especially with the rise of self-publishing.

I'm famously secretive about my work. Nobody reads my books till they're finished.

I always wished I could move around and switch schools. It was hard to have these radical transformations. You'd think, 'I will be a totally different person tomorrow,' but it never worked.