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WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR IDEAS?
The Cupcake Queen is very personal to me, both because it is my first solo novel, but also because it hits on a number of painful moments in my life. Penny loves art, like I did. She loves the beach and big yellow dogs and baking. Tally is the girl I always wanted to be, quirky, funny, and strong. Blake is the kind and smart boyfriend I always wanted in high school. Penny lives in a town very much like the one I lived in. The big difference is that her town is in Connecticut and mine is in Maine. Those planets that Marcus and his dad are building actually do exist in Northern Maine. I have made all of the cupcakes Penny makes, except the penny cupcakes. There are people who play Rock Paper Scissors seriously and they do have a championship every year. One of my friends used to have a “Sam” and he was just as wonderful and slobbery and sandy as the Sam in the novel. Marcus is based on a guy I know as an adult…. Sort of tortured and wicked smart. The guy I know used to play soccer and used to wear a braided bracelet. But, like all of my books, everything maybe started in real life, but quickly became fiction.

REVIEWS
"Readers will root for Penny, a talented artist, as she develops her gifts and adapts to small-town life."—Kirkus Reviews

AWARDS AND HONORS
Scholastic Book Club and Fair Selection 2009
Fall 2009 Indie Pick