Natasha Friend

Natasha Friend is the author of the YA novels Perfect, Bounce, Lush, and the newly released For Keeps.

From her Q & A with Hartford Books Examiner:

2) How do you go about capturing authentic voice for your characters? Did FOR KEEPS require research in this area or were you simply able to call upon your vast array of life experiences (camp counselor, tutor, teacher) to do so?

My inner angst-ridden teenage girl is alive and well. I still have every note passed to me in junior high and high school, sitting in a box in my closet—primary source material at its finest. The voices of my characters live in my head, and, for the most part, the subject matter of my books—eating disorders, alcoholism, blended families, teen pregnancy—has required little research. I draw on my own experiences, and those of my friends, former campers, students. The rest I leave up to my muse.

3) You studied psychology at Bates College before earning an MA from Clemson University's English program. How has that background informed your writing? Did you find it especially beneficial when dealing with the heavy subject matter of FOR KEEPS?

My fascination with human psychology—sparked by Dr. Moyer in my first psych 101 class at Bates—informs everything I write. I...[read on]

My Book, The Movie: For Keeps.

--Marshal Zeringue