THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak. That book gripped me like no other book I’ve read: The plot was authentic and well-informed, the POV was brilliant, the characters were people I wish I knew in real life, and the story has stayed with me ever since I closed the cover and put it on my shelf. Not to mention that I cried like a baby when it was over.

I love so many things about writing, but the thing I love most is that writing magically pulls its content from my collective experiences, emotions, dreams, hopes, and fears. It’s simultaneously an escape and a reality check for me as it gives me the experience of both becoming who I’m not and being faced with who I really am.

Most definitely Dr. Seuss. Some of my earliest memories are of his books: he was my childhood author hero. I loved the way his books made me laugh (and stare), the way rules were broken to make up brand new words no one had ever used before, and the way the illustrations magically transformed those fantastic words into real, living, breathing, creatures.  Dr. Seuss opened the doors for me to see beyond what was conventional – or usual.

For me, reading those books kind of gave me the go-ahead to view the sky as purple with yellow polka dots (instead of blue like my kindergarten teacher told me it was) if I wanted to.  And not only that, Dr. Seuss sparked my love of letters and words. I realized I could play with them and be creative with them and make them say whatever I wanted, even if it seemed as crazy and improbable as a purple and yellow polka dotted sky.

When someone has that huge of an impact on you as a child, it stays with you for a lifetime.

The same advice I’ve given other young people:

• Read as much as you can. That’s definitely the first step!

• Really pay attention to your five senses, wherever you are: at school, at home, at the mall, at the movie theatre. Be a keen observer of everything! Also, really think about your feelings and why things make you feel certain ways. Keep a journal of your observations.

• Keep working on your writing, even when it seems hard (because writing is a lot of hard work!). Have someone, who’s knowledgeable in the craft of writing, read your work. And don’t ever feel bad if that person suggests you change something. That’s called revising your work and it’s just part of the process of writing: the sooner you learn that the better off you’ll be. Revising is what makes your writing shine!

I love to draw, paint, work with clay, and (as of very recently) cook