Don't be afraid of growing up and changing and getting used to these newer versions of yourself and becoming more comfortable sharing those versions of yourself with the people in your life, even people who knew you when you were younger.

I've worked a lot with kids who identify as LGBTQ or gender nonconforming, and they are unquestionably some of the bravest people I've ever met.

The Internet and social media can really be life-saving for some kids.

From a plot perspective, what I finally found for my touchstone was that I consider 'Upside' to be a loose telling of Jane Austen's 'Emma,' or 'Clueless.'

In terms of moments that pushed me toward becoming a writer... My parents, my wife, and my English teacher in the 8th grade were all hugely supportive at moments during my development as a writer that were critical, where I might have quit when things got too hard.

There are three major social issues that this country is struggling with: education, poverty, and drugs. Two of them we talk about, and one of them we don't.

I love being scared, and I always have done. When I was younger, I was always reading books about the paranormal, UFOs, and crop circles. I liked the idea of people seeing faces in walls and twins that could communicate with each other telepathically. I really believed it, too!

My mum didn't understand that education was an important thing. She couldn't do my homework with me. I was helping her read stuff. She once brought shaving soap thinking it was whipped cream.