Sara Shepard
I like to run in a new place to help me find my way around.
With teenagers, the emotions are higher and things are more dramatic. That doesn't mean adults don't also act like children in their own way.
People might look great on the outside but they all have something that they're dealing with.
My sister and I visited Iceland in 2001, and I incorporated it into 'Pretty Little Liars.'
I love books about dysfunctional families.
I really like reading about how families work together.
I think I'll stick with psychological thrillers.
Seeing 'Pretty Little Liars' fans adapt and create their own stories is both exciting and flattering, and I think what Amazon Publishing is offering through Kindle Worlds is a great way to reward their ingenuity.
If my characters travel somewhere, I generally write about a place I know to give the scenes more authenticity.
My family often travels to New York City during the holidays, and that's always a good time.
I was not tormented in any way; I was never even bullied. I had a nice teenage life.
Judy Blume especially sort of broke the boundaries of what is appropriate and what should be written about - what teenagers are actually doing.
For me, writing for younger audiences and writing for adults uses two different halves of my brain.
I've written short stories from male perspectives before, and I've never had a problem with it as long as I've understood the character's emotions and motivations.
I primarily read fiction, and I read a good many wonderful books while writing 'The Visibles.'
I find coming up with a title the hardest part of writing a novel.
Sometimes I hear a voice - sometimes it's the voice of someone I know. And sometimes that leads to a character, which leads to a story.
I do a lot of revising on paper. Sometimes I think I should just write longhand - what I type reads very different once I print it out.
I probably write best in my office, which is an extra bedroom in my house.
I do a lot of brainstorming with my editors.
I kept a journal when I was a teenager, so I definitely look back on those to see how I dealt with friends and cliques and getting picked on, or boyfriend breakups.
I've read a lot of fiction from writers just starting out, and the dialogue is a little bit forced, or it's almost too teenager-y, or too slang-y or putting too much technology or trends in there. I try to stay pretty trend-neutral. I try not to mention too many current bands or current TV shows.
I am a big outliner. For my adult book, 'The Visibles,' I did not outline, and it took me two years to write because I just didn't outline, and I had no path.
Secrets are very intriguing - I always think that's an interesting theme.
I loved the movie 'Heathers' and the TV show 'Twin Peaks.'
'The Glass Castle' by Jeannette Walls is the quintessential dysfunctional family.
I was just over high school, and I was kind of artsy.
I did steal socks, but I got caught... don't shoplift, anyone - don't do it! You're just gonna get caught.
I know these are going to sound like school reading-list suggestions, but if you like dystopian fiction, you should check out some of the originals: 'Anthem,' by Ayn Rand; '1984,' by George Orwell; or 'Brave New World,' by Aldous Huxley.
Always sleep with one eye open. Never take anything for granted. Your best friends might just be your enemies.Collection: Fake Friends
No one believes a liar. Even when she's telling the truth.Collection: Liars
The sweetest smiles hold the darkest secrets.Collection: Love
The best secrets are the most twistedCollection: Secret
Be Yourself Not What The World Wants You To BeCollection: Being Yourself
It's about taking everything you thought was true and throwing it out the window. It's about embracing life's unpredictability, letting go of boundaries, and starting overCollection: Letting Go
Its more fun to think of the future than dwell on the past.Collection: Fun
Those who don't remember the past are doomed to repeat it.Collection: Past
Life isn’t worth living if you’re scared all the time.Collection: Scared
Sometimes, a family is like an ear of summer corn: It might look perfect on the outside, but when you peel the husk away. every kernel is rotten.Collection: Summer
The obstacle is the path.Collection: Path
Never trust a pretty girl with an ugly secret.Collection: Love
Whatever baggage you have, use it. Conquer it. Don’t let it stop you.Collection: Baggage
You should know the truth about the stars--- even though it seems like they're close together, up there in heavens, they're zillion light years apart.Collection: Stars
Every pretty girl is a heartbreakerCollection: Girl
Sutton's dead. Tell no one. Keep playing along... or you're next.Collection: Next
Four liars are about to be burned -ACollection: Liars
Never under estimate a pretty little liar.Collection: Liars
But Mike was like a Bjork song-all happy and giddy and fun on the surface, but bubbling with turmoil and pain underneath.Collection: Song
Without Mona, Hanna felt like a great outfit without matching accessories, a screw-driver that was all orange juice and no vodka, and an iPod without headphones. She just felt wrong.Collection: Orange Juice
Sometimes I feel kind of wrong here. I used to be normal, but now... I don't know. I feel like I should be one way, but I'm not." Toby stared at her. "I hear that." He sighed. "There are all these perfect people here. And... it's like, if you're not one of the,. then you're messed up. But I think, inside, the flawless-looking people are just as messed up as we are.Collection: Thinking