A number of people have asked me why I write novels about gay teens. It's a good question. If I told you I'd had an answer for them right away, that would be fiction. I had to think about it.And there is more than one reason. For one thing, I hate injustice. While there are other groups of people I could write about who are treated unjustly, the cognitive disconnect I see around the issue of homosexuality is both fascinating and infuriating to me. Logically, rationally, if you read any current events at all, you see that science is coming up with proof after proof that this orientation is a normal, naturally occurring phenomenon - not just in people, either, but in over 1,500 different animal species. So far! So the disconnect is coming from someplace outside of reason. Outside of reality. Which puts it into fascinating areas, irresistible to an author: psychology, social conditioning, religious extremism - juicy territory.Teens of any orientation are going through a precarious time of life. Discovering that something very foundational about yourself is different from most other people can make balance much harder. So gay teens seem particularly vulnerable to me. We've come a long way as a society around gay issues, but not nearly far enough. There's lots more to do, and I want to be a part of that.