Lauren Myracle is being called this generation's Judy Blume, and since she's a fellow resident of Fort Collins, I just had to link to her interview in Publishers Weekly. Lauren's got that gift for speaking directly to teens and pre-teens, and especially captures the sensibility of girls wrestling with issues that their parents might not want to talk about. And even though her books routinely make the challenged and banned lists, she's not all dark and emo-ish. Check out her website to see her sunny, sensitive side that readers so love.