Whisper Falls Question - What do you know about teens?

I often get questions about the Whisper Falls series, writing YA, researching history, or what it's like to be an author.  I'll answer each of the most commonly asked questions in a separate blog post and include them in the FAQ on my website too.

What do you know about teens? What qualifies you to write Young Adult (YA)?

I have two kids in college, so I’ve lived through the process of parenting teens. I do recognize, however, that my daughters and their friends might not be typical of American teens in every region of the country, so I’m grateful to have an editorial staff that brings different perspectives to both my books as well as the dozens of other YA books they edit. 

My junior editor is in her early twenties (recent college graduate and former teen). My senior editor teaches social studies to eighth-graders, so he’s surrounded by teens throughout the school year. Even my 18-year-old reads all of my books multiple times to ensure that I’m keeping things realistic. I’m lucky to have such a solid team of people to find and point out my mistakes.