Why I'm qualified to write for teens

1. My favorite TV is The Secret Life of the American Teenager.
Yeah, I know it's got some pretty bad acting at times but I am obsessed with it.

2. My favorite TV show off all time is My So-Called Life. (Degrassi ranks up there too)
Ohh I loved Claire Danes when she was Angela Chase, before she became a big star and don't get me started on Jared Leto as Jordan Catalano (sp?)!

3. My niece and nephew tell me I'm not like other grown ups, they say I'm more like a kid.
Hmm, is it bad to be so childlike at 30? I think not!

4. I've still got my little tubs of makeup glitter that I used to wear to the club.
I secretly wish I could still wear it sometimes. Shhhh.

5. When I go to the bookstore the ONLY section I visit is the Young Adult or "Teen" area.
Sometimes I do visit the children's section since my son is obsessed with the Thomas trains at Barnes and Noble. Ah, but note that is still the kids section.

6. Some of the songs on my iPod are from artists like The Black Eyed Peas, Paramore and Akon.
And those are just the ones I'm fessing up to.

7. Many of my all time favorite reads are for teens or kids and are series.
Harry Potter, Twilight, Uglies, Eragon, The Hunger Games, The Chronicles of Narnia...

8. I'm not afraid to still wear things like my Twilight tee from Hot Topic (yes I really own one) or
my bracelet sized hoop earrings.

9. If it were up to me I'd stay up half the night (wait, I already do!), sleep in late (I have a toddler so clearly this NEVER happens) and skip showering to sleep in even later. Not that all teens do this but I sure as hell would have back then.

10. I text ALL the time.
I even try to text my mom, which clearly never gets a response since she can hardly figure out how to read it.

11. I was a teenager at one time.
This is pretty much standard for writing about teenagers but I was a really teenage teenager.
I've always been an artist so I was very "angsty" from the start and got into my fair share of trouble. Put it this way, I was allowed to go on my first date at the age of 15 (with a senior! what were my parents thinking anyway?) and I came home almost 2 hours late. Before you get any ideas, we only had one small kiss. But still, what was wrong with me??? Of course I was grounded the second I walked in the door.

12. I have a huge amount of respect for teens.
I can vividly recall what a challenging and exciting time of life it is. I look back and wish some of the books that are out on the market now were then. It's awesome to see that authors today get that teens are way smarter then most of the world gives them credit for.

So there you have it - why I think I can write for teens, not that any of it adds up, but it's sure fun to talk about!

Now, what about you? I know there are a lot of fellow YA writers out there dying to share.