There's one question almost every author gets asked in an interview.  "Where did you get the idea for your book?"  For me, the premise of Thirteen Reasons Why came when two ideas, which had been floating around in my brain for years, collided:  the simultaneous dual-narrative format and the story of a girl slowly losing hope.  The issue of suicide was of importance to me because a close relative of mine attempted suicide when she was the same age as Hannah Baker (one of my two main characters).

Once or twice, after that standard interview question, the interviewer has gone on to ask what my relative thinks about the book.

The answer is…she loves it!

Aside from just liking the book, I share with her a lot of the e-mails and letters I receive from teens who have read the story of Hannah and Clay.  Most of them say the book made them more aware of how they treat others.  My favorite quote came from a girl who said it made her want to "be wonderful to everyone…"  Some admit to having shared some of Hannah's thoughts and emotions, but were prompted to seek help rather than simply drop hints and wait for someone to come to their rescue, as Hannah did.

Recently, I was the keynote speaker at a suicide prevention forum…which had me more than slightly freaked out.  Speaking after me were several professionals with impressive looking capital letters after their names.  So who was I?  I just wrote a book.  It wasn't even a true book.  I just made it all up!!!

I decided to share with the audience some excerpts directly from my readers.  I wanted them to see the importance in not being afraid to openly and honestly talk about this serious issue.  When someone is having suicidal thoughts, the problem is made worse if they think no one will understand.  Simply having someone to talk with can often diffuse some of their inner tension.  As one girl wrote to me after reading the book, "…it makes me feel so much better knowing that someone understands."

After sharing the inspiring words of teens seeking help, or of teens being that help for others, I shared some of the negative reactions to my book.  Some people think suicide should never be discussed with teenagers.  Or that suicide is a selfish act requiring no explanation beyond that.  Or even that teens should not feel burdened by an expectation to reach out to others.  Most of those negative reactions elicited nervous laughter from the audience.  But they highlight an attitude which only makes people who are hurting less likely to seek help and more likely to feel alone.

Sometimes it takes forums like that one to remind people how important we all are to each other…and how interconnected we are.  Sometimes books can remind us of that, too.  I am encouraged by the teachers, librarians, and bookstore owners who have used my book (and many others) to open up a dialogue on very serious issues.  Fictional stories are wonderful for offering us the distance we sometimes need to discuss issues which are difficult to bring up out of the blue, or which hit too close to home.

Kirkus (starred review)
"Everything affects everything," declares Hannah Baker, who killed herself two weeks ago. After her death, Clay Jensen—who had a crush on Hannah—finds seven cassette tapes in a brown paper package on his doorstep. Listening to the tapes, Hannah chronicles her downward spiral and the 13 people who led her to make this horrific choice. Evincing the subtle—and not so subtle—cruelties of teen life, from rumors, to reputations, to rape, Hannah explains to her listeners that, "in the end, everything matters." Most of the novel quite literally takes place in Clay's head, as he listens to Hannah's voice pounding in his ears through his headphones, creating a very intimate feel for the reader as Hannah explains herself. Her pain is gut-wrenchingly palpable, and the reader is thrust face-first into a world where everything is related, an intricate yet brutal tapestry of events, people and places. Asher has created an entrancing character study and a riveting look into the psyche of someone who would make this unfortunate choice. A brilliant and mesmerizing debut from a gifted new author.

School Library Journal
...[Clay] spends a torturous night listening and wandering, unearthing the depth and causes of Hannah's unhappiness. His torment is private—how did he hurt a girl he treasured from afar—and empathic—her hurts and betrayals tear him apart. Clay's pain is palpable and exquisitely drawn in gripping, casually poetic prose. The complex and soulful characters expose astoundingly rich and singularly teenage inner lives, with emotions as raw as cut wrists. The mood is more serious than somber, and Clay's thoughtful synthesis of Hannah's increasingly explosive narrative saves the novel from melodrama. In fact, Hannah's and Clay's narratives are woven together so seamlessly that the characters appear to converse naturally from opposite sides of mortality. Compounded, the tapes build the plot in increasingly tense increments—Hannah's story is a freight train of despair and suspense that picks up speed as it moves to her final undoing. Like the protagonist in John Green's Looking for Alaska (Dutton, 2005), Hannah is an animate ghost; Clay's bereaved voice bears witness to her tragedy. The episodic structure is nicely suited to reluctant readers, but the breakneck pace and dizzying emotion are the true source of this novel's irresistible readability at all levels.

(review of the audiobook)
...Alternating between Hannah's and Clay's voices, narrators Debra Wiseman and Joel Johnstone zero in on the indecision, angst, and desperate hunger for acceptance experienced by young adults struggling to find their place in the world. There are no heroes in this novel (Razorbill, 2007) by Jay Asher, and each character, including Hannah, is guilty of making poor choices. The pace of the story and the constant tension of wondering what will happen next make this an "edge of the seat" listening experience whose unanswered questions provide much food for thought and discussion.

Publishers Weekly
This uncommonly polished debut opens on a riveting scenario... Asher expertly paces the narrative, splicing Hannah's tale with Clay's mounting anxiety and fear. Just what has he done? Readers won't be able to pull themselves away until that question gets answered... The author gets all the characters right... Asher knows how to entertain an audience; this book will leave readers eager to see what he does next.

Borders - Original Voices Finalist
Anything but another grown-up's take on teenage suicide, Jay Asher's astonishing Thirteen Reasons Why presents the narratives of Hannah, who took her own life two weeks earlier, and Clay, her classmate who struggles to discover why. In Asher's loving hands, this fragile topic is treated with the care and insight that most teenagers need to know exists in the world of adults.

Chicago Tribune
"Thirteen Reasons Why", Jay Asher's first novel, is eerie, beautiful and ultimately devastating.

Book Page
Readers of Jay Asher's debut novel for teen, Thirteen Reasons Why, should be forewarned--never has a page-turner been so difficult to read.  This may sound like a criticism, but in fact it's a compliment, for this is the story of a suicide's aftermath, and Asher's ability to convey the anguish of someone who was left behind is truly remarkable.
Thirteen Reasons Why tackles the issue head on, and doesn't offer any easy answers, but it does offer hope.  It's a serious read, for serious readers, that delivers a powerful look at a teen in torment.

Teens Read Too (gold award) 5-stars
If you have the chance to only read one novel this year, THIRTEEN REASONS WHY should be that book. It's sad, amazing, heartbreaking, and hopeful, all at the same time. I dare you to read it and not become so immersed in the story that you lose track of time and your surroundings. You'll cry, several times, while reading this story. You'll have no choice but to think about your actions, and wonder what type of effect they have on other people. And, in the end, you might also find the need to say "thank you."
You will love this book, because you won't be able to help yourself. You will feel what Clay feels. You will, in a very strong way, experience the highs and lows of Hannah's life right along with her. And there is nothing, in my opinion, that could speak better for the authenticity of a book. Read THIRTEEN REASONS WHY. And then, if you're like me, you'll read it again. And, hopefully, none of us will ever forget it.

Bookazine
It is a brilliant debut that will leave readers feeling a sense of remorse for Hannah, guilt for Clay, & hope for the lasting lesson of the story. Put in the hands of every teenager, teacher, & school psychologist!

AudioFile Magazine (review of the audiobook)
The novel makes a perfect transformation to audio. Debra Wiseman narrates Hannah's story with a blend of dispassion, disgust, and defeat. Joel Johnstone portrays the grieving Clay, who chimes in uncertainly from time to time to protest Hannah's words, his comments marked with desperation. The interplay of the two is perfectly choreographed in this powerful audio.

YA Books Central  5-stars
Thirteen Reasons Why is the most realistic book on suicide that I have ever read. In many cases, when someone commits suicide, people who care about that person are left wondering what happened. What drives a person to decide to end their life? Jay Asher attempts to answer this question in his debut novel. Unlike most suicide victims, Hannah leaves her story behind, sharing her deepest, darkest secrets in explaining why her life was not worth living anymore.
More than anything, Thirteen Reasons Why has helped me realize how much of an impact I have on the lives of others. Some of the people in Hannah's tapes could not have realized how their seemingly small actions had such a powerful impact on Hannah's life, and without the tapes, they never would have known. In Clay's case, it was what he didn't do, rather than what he did, that had the biggest influence on Hannah. Every day, I unknowingly touch the lives of other people through our interactions, and it is up to me to make sure that I have a positive impact on their lives. The most important lesson that Clay learns is that no action is too small, and that he can truly make a difference to somebody else if he only gives himself a chance.

Bullies in Books
Jay Asher gives us a thorough analysis of sexual harassment and its snowball effect through the experiences Hannah suffered since ninth grade. In TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY he has also written one of the first books to deal with bullycide - committing suicide to escape the bullying. Excellently crafted, humanely conveyed, this is a must read as this type of suicide is happening more frequently, and no one seems to notice.

Green Bay Press-Gazette
Hannah seems to have a very clear and level-headed grasp of herself and the people around her, which keeps this a complex and interesting story rather than becoming cliché. I found myself not believing she was gone, even though that was made very clear at the beginning of the book. I found myself not believing she committed suicide. She seemed too — sane.
But as you read, you ache for her, more and more. This is especially true when you get to Clay's story.
After finishing, and drying my eyes, I had to think about why I just sat and sobbed when I should have been very angry at this beautiful young woman who did this to herself. It seemed like she should have known better. In sorting that out for myself, I realized that the answer was why this book is important. It is why I want to put it into teenagers' hands.
For starters, it made me think about suicide in the first place: why she did it, instead of writing her off as a part of that statistic we don't like to talk about. But more importantly, her very capacity: her brightness, sensitivity and beauty are what made her suicide so sad — so futile and wasteful. The reader walks away with a very intimate sense of why suicide should never be an option.
In addition to being a well-written cautionary tale, Jay Asher also creates hope in the reader and instructs us all on how important acts of compassion are, without being heavy handed. As Clay ships off the tapes to the last listener on the list and goes to school the next day, his approach to the world and his classmates is markedly different.
While this may sound a bit grim for a summer read, there is much here for just about any teen reader and it is not without humor. Wonderfully realistic in his writing, Asher offers teens and parents alike a great story on an important topic.

Montgomery Advertiser
When I was a teenager about 37 years ago, there was one novel that none of our mothers wanted us to read, but which we all did. That was "Go Ask Alice," a harrowing "first-person" account of a typical teenager's descent into drug abuse - resulting in her death by overdose. It had a profound effect on my generation. I will not be surprised if Jay Asher's extraordinarily moving "Thirteen Reasons Why" resonates just as strongly with older teens today. Hannah Baker has committed suicide, and left behind a box of cassette tapes to be listened to by the 13 people whose interactions with her laid the groundwork for that horrible decision... We discover them with one of those teens - Clay Jensen - who listens to Hannah's haunting words with confusion, anger, grief and finally a sense of personal resolution that is incredibly moving. This is an honest and frank book about a very sensitive subject, and one that deserves to find a wide readership among those 14 and up. 

The Providence Journal (review of the audiobook)
This teen novel lives up to its intriguing premise, drawing us in with its gimmick but getting us to hear some important information — the warning signs of suicide, which include a sudden change of appearance or personality, and giving away favorite possessions — without ever seeming preachy. Instead, the affecting story makes us wish we could have done something to help Hannah, even as we share her anger with those who didn't. Johnstone reads the part of Clay and Wiseman that of Hannah, the combination giving us a strong pair of voices to tell a touching tale. 

The Denver Post
Adolescent suicide is a staggering, and staggeringly prevalent, problem. By the time they're 19, most teenagers will know of peers who took their own lives.
The legacy of those deaths is a giant question. Asher attempts to answer it in this novel, told as a suicide note/postmortem...relentlessly detailing the actions, both deliberate and thoughtless, that led to [Hannah's] death. It's a thoughtful illustration of consequences.

Talon Patriot
The novel is a story of life altering change that you think about for days, if not years after you have finished the book. A short novel at 300 pages, it can easily be finished on a Sunday afternoon without any trouble.
The people who Asher portrays seem normal on the outside, but in reality they each have their own dirty secret, with some being darker than others. Without giving too much of the plot away, the secrets range from ignorance to abusive boyfriends.
This novel is more than a story, it is a message. Some of the reasons Hannah ends her life is because of trivial nonsense such as gossip. It honestly makes the reader think about what they have said over the last few days to see if they might have hurt someone in this way.
The people, the plot, and the reactions that Asher writes about are so believable at some points you have to remember that the book is a novel and not a non-fiction work.
A type of intense love story, "13 Reasons Why" should be added to anyone's list of books to read before they die.

Peninsula Pulse
This is a powerful novel! It is a cautionary tale that should be required reading for teachers, parents, middle school and high school students. I finished the book several days ago; it still haunts me, and I'm pretty sure I'll find flashes of it coming back for many months. It is Asher's first published novel, and while the intended audience is young adult, adult readers will be deeply moved by the story and perhaps changed forever in their relationship with youth.
Hannah's message is not an easy one to hear. It's those little things that happened, those words tossed off casually, the seeming indifference to her presence on one day, and the self-absorption that made even friends oblivious to her pain. Of course, none of this excuses Hannah's choice, but as I said, this is a cautionary tale told by the victim with commentary by Clay, who cared, but whose caring wasn't enough. The pain is intense, both Hannah's and Clay's, as he listens. The message is clear – everyone is impacted by everyone they encounter. Words are real and cannot be erased. "Get over it," "put it behind you," "we'll talk tomorrow," are phrases that can have a dreadful impact and should be used carefully, if at all.
Interestingly, there are very few adults in the novel. Hannah's parents are barely mentioned. Clay's Mom is a background figure. One teacher/counselor is on the tapes, and his conversation with Hannah left me with goose bumps. It's so easy as an adult to respond from an adult viewpoint and totally miss the context youth are coming from.
That's the message of this book: listen, listen, listen – don't be too quick with a response. Empathy is the key and nothing is trivial. Come to think of it, that's good advice no matter whom you are conversing with. Asher's novel deserves a wide audience. My daughter Sharon read a review written by one of the owners of Butterfly Books in De Pere. She called me and ordered the novel. The reviewer was anxious to spread the word, fearing this book would not get the coverage it deserves. Read this book; pass it on to friends, relatives, and the youth you know. Talk about the book and its story. This is reality and Jay Asher has captured this very 'silent' topic and made it a subject to discuss.

The Edge of the Forest - review by Natalie Lorenzi
When I first got my hands on an ARC of Jay Asher's debut novel Thirteen Reasons Why, I admit I was hesitant. Would it live up to all the hype—the big advance, Razorbill's media campaign, rave reviews from the likes of YA author Chris Crutcher? Turns out the book didn't live up to my expectations—it exceeded them.
Knowing from the start that it's too late to save Hannah, our helplessness and anger crescendo as her story unfolds. We're caught up in a swirling mixture of dread and anticipation as we get closer and closer to learning the role Clay played in Hannah's fateful decision.
Asher uses just enough spot-on description to make us feel like we're there, without getting in the way of the story. The plot is swept along by his deft use of alternating point of view—Hannah's narration from the tapes interspersed with Clay's reactions in first person. Both voices ring with authenticity. In fact, the characters seem so real that it was a good half hour before it really sunk in: Hannah Baker doesn't actually exist. The girl on the front cover is only a model—and she's still alive. I was left with an Ebenezer-Scrooge-on-Christmas-morning kind of hope—hope that it's not too late to make a difference. Clay will never be the same after hearing Hannah's story, and neither will the reader. Thirteen Reasons Why should be required reading in high schools across the country—not only for teens, but parents, teachers, guidance counselors—anyone who knows and works with children.

Jen Robinson's Book Page
Thirteen Reasons Why is an unusual and fascinating book. Author Jay Asher starts with an intriguing premise, then tells his story via a complex dual narrative structure. He juggles a large cast of characters, and maintains near-constant suspense…It's one of those rare books that I finish, and then immediately want to turn back to the beginning to read again, to double-check how all of the puzzle pieces fit together…Clay's reactions to Hannah's revelations, of cruelties and misunderstandings and missed opportunities, intensify the emotional impact of her words. We feel for Hannah as Clay feels for Hannah, and we feel for Clay having to make his way through the tapes.
In addition to being a suspenseful and intriguing novel, Thirteen Reasons Why is a laser-focused magnifying glass, through which we examine the microcosm of high school. More specifically, through which we examine the way that kids treat one another, often carelessly, and the sometimes overwhelmingly high emotional cost. This isn't a "message book". The fully drawn characters and their experiences come first. But underpinning their story is a series of warnings about how not to treat people. I think that Thirteen Reasons Why would make an excellent discussion book for high school students. I think that parents should consider reading it alongside their kids.
But the discussion potential is not the reason to read this book. Instead, read it because the characters are so strong that they positively breathe from the page. Read it because by the time you finish, you'll care about Hannah and Clay as though they were your friends. Read it because the narrative structure is utterly engaging (as well as technically impressive). I also confidently predict that once you start this book, you'll read it because you can't not read it. Highly recommended for ages 13 and up. The alternating male/female narration makes this book particularly accessible to both female and male readers.

Big A little a - Kelly Herold
Okay, so Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why is, indeed, all that: It's a thought-provoking, compelling, and ultimately touching read for the YA audience...Asher's narrative skills are particularly strong.
Thirteen Reasons Why is a stand-out Young Adult title of 2007. Clay's conclusions (and I don't want to give anything away) are life-changing and, simply, beautiful. Every teen fifteen and older should read Thirteen Reasons Why.

The Loud Librarian
Okay, I'm just saying this now - if this YA novel isn't nominated for a Printz Award, it's a crying shame.  What an amazing, tumultuous, emotional, brilliant, wonderful novel this is...This is a truly arresting novel that I couldn't put down - the writing style, the mixing of Hannah and Clay's voices, the journey back and forth in time, and the honest way that Clay comes to the end - to Hannah's end - is just amazing fiction.  I can't rave about this one enough...and I plan to recommend it to a LOT of people in the future.

Teen Book Review  5-stars
This story is not just Hannah's; it is also Clay's. Clay had a crush on Hannah for ages, watching her from afar (but not in a creepy way). And he's one of the thirteen people to receive the tapes. This book takes place mostly on the night that Clay wanders around town, visiting the places mentioned in Hannah's tapes, listening to Hannah's voice and trying to deal with what has happened. Trying to figure out why he's received these tapes, why one of the thirteen reasons belongs to him when all he ever did was try to connect with Hannah.
THIRTEEN REASONS WHY is a powerful debut from a talented new voice in YA literature. This dual narrative brings to light the reasons for Hannah's death, lets readers know her life, but also lets us get to know Clay, who is an important part of Hannah's story. This is different from most books in that the end of the story is the first thing we know.  We know it will never turn out any differently. The reader knows from the start that Hannah is dead, but still we go on the agonizing journey to finding out why, along with Clay. To finding out what might have been different. This shows so well the pain of suicide for those left behind–what could we have done? Should we have seen?–and goes even further, as some of those people will actually get concrete answers to how they could have saved Hannah, and will have to live with it forever. This painfully honest story will stay in the minds of readers long after the final page. Jay Asher's brilliant first novel is a moving, highly original story, and readers will eagerly await whatever he writes next.

BookLoons
Dealing with the topic of teen suicide, Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why is an emotional rollercoaster ride that will deeply impact every teen reader. Asher's ingenious method of storytelling is fraught with suspense and feelings of hopelessness, but ends with a tinge of hope.
[A] very powerful tale – not only about teen suicide, but also about the effects of rumors.  While not the happiest of novels, Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why is a must-read for any teenager. It is a book that can lead to more open discussion about topics that many would like to ignore.

Goshen Public Library - review by Jaemi
This book comes with a warning. About not picking it up if you have places to be. Believe it. And add to the list: sleep. If you are at all insomnia-prone, do not get into bed and pick up this book. You're not going to want to put it down. You might not be able to put it down.
It's as much because of Clay, as because of Hannah, that you won't be able to stop reading. And while it might seem you could never be left feeling anything but despairing...it's not true.
This about awareness. This is about change. And most of all, this is about hope.

Book Divas
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher is an important story we should all read. Why? You ask… Here's why: At some point in our lives, we have all felt what main character, Hannah, felt before she committed suicide. We can all relate to her on some level, whether is is feeling like we don't belong or feeling like we can't express the things that hurt us the most. We need to hear Hannah's story because we should all know that no matter how rock bottom we are, it doesn't need to end the way it did for her — that there are people out there that love us and want to be there for us, but sometimes just don't know how to.

Tamora Pierce - The Circle of Magic quartet (among many others)
I didn't read the book all in one night, but not for lack of trying! I had to get to sleep, but I rushed to finish it the next day. Jay Asher does a great job of writing both the girl's point of view as Hannah narrates her story and from the guy's point of view as Clay listens to it. The tension as you wait to find out what Clay could have done, caring for Hannah as he does, is almost unbearable. We can feel Hannah lose contact with the world a bit at a time, until she is floating free and alone, and Clay's despair as he loses her all over again. The other kids aren't completely evil (the worst is just plain uncaring), but they are totally self-involved, as are Hannah and Clay to a certain extent.
It's a great romance, up to a point, and a great illustration of how cruel teenagers can be. It also shows how rumors spread, how people take "permission" to treat other people badly from rumors, and how someone can slip from ordinary life to suicide mode without those around them noticing. It's a very intense, sad, real, gripping book. You're left, though, with hope that some of these kids will wake up and do something better with themselves.

Laini Taylor - author of Faeries of Dreamdark: Blackbringer
It's a great, original premise for a book, extremely sensitive and insightful and quietly, unsparingly tragic. And there's no melodrama -- it just tells this very real story. If I were to try to tell someone what happened to Hannah Baker, I wouldn't be able to make you understand. The story has to unfold, and Jay does unfold it, and he makes you feel it, the intensity of being a teenager when even little things seem so enormous and inescapable. Reading it, I kept getting swept up in anger. Anger at the snowballing circumstances, at how things can go slightly wrong, and then wronger and wronger, and I was angry at Jay for telling this story -- but I mean that in a good way. I'm sure he wants his readers to feel anger, and it works. If you don't know, the book is about teen suicide. I'm not spoiling anything by telling you that. And how can you not feel anger and helplessness when confronted with that subject? Well done, Jay!

Russo's Books (Bakersfield, CA)
I absolutely loved it…It made me cry. It made me angry. It made me think of people I've lost over the years, a couple in the same way Hannah Baker was lost in this book. It made me think of high school. In short, it made me think. My 15 year-old co-conspirator in book reading made me read it. He had just finished it last week, and told me to read it, because he wanted to discuss it…[T]his book needs to be read by you.

Debbie (high school librarian - Clearwater, FL)
You can hear Hannah's desperation. You just know as you read her words that she was slowly giving up on herself…You could feel the anguish [Clay] felt, the grief and anger as well…You won't forget Hannah's words. Once I started the book I couldn't put it down. The story had me tearing up. It also had me on the edge of my seat as the story built up to its climatic finish. Asher did a great job of writing a story about issues that plague teenagers today. By the end, I felt like I had known Hannah personally and mourned for her just as Clay did.

The Sparks:

I once took a self-guided tour of King Tutankhamen's tomb where each visitor received a Walkman with a cassette tape inside. (Okay, it wasn't Mr. Tut's actual tomb…it was a mock-up in a Las Vegas casino.) Standing in front of each display, you pressed play and the narrator told you what you were looking at. Then you hit stop and moved on to the next display…all at your own pace. I've always been drawn to books with unique formats and kept the self-guided tour idea in the back of my mind. In place of regular chapters, there would be sides of cassette tapes (instead of Chapter 1, you'd have Cassette 1: Side A, and so on…). At the time, I was only interested in writing humorous books, but I couldn't find a funny story which needed to be told in that format.

A few weeks after getting married, my wife and I moved from California's central coast to Sheridan, Wyoming for six months. I worked two part-time jobs while there; as an assistant children's librarian, and a bookseller at an independent bookstore. (It was a magical time!) In the middle of the winter, driving on a dark road slicked with ice--the perfect conditions to inspire a suspense novel--the entire premise of Thirteen Reasons Why came flooding into me: Hannah, Clay, the suicide, the shoebox full of cassettes, the back and forth narration. I pulled into the nearest gas station and sat there (with the heater running full blast!) for about twenty minutes, scribbling notes into a spiral notebook. Before I went to bed that night, I'd written the introductory chapter and part of the first cassette.


Suicide:  (The following events left huge impressions on me…mainly because they raised questions that could never be fully answered.)

A close relative of mine attempted suicide by overdosing on pills when she was Hannah's age. Thankfully (and luckily), she survived. Long before I started writing this book, she and I often discussed the events and emotions that led her to make that decision. She could never talk about one specific circumstance without telling me what led up to it or what followed.

When I was about Clay's age, a co-worker of my father's committed suicide. A few nights prior, the man drove to our house with his car loaded up with sports equipment, which he claimed he didn't need anymore. There was nothing about his demeanor to raise concerns…in fact, I remember him seeming content and happy. It turns out, rather than dumping his possessions, he was finding homes for them.


My Writing Process:

Initially, I tried writing the book straight through. I'd give Hannah a few lines of dialogue, then get a response from Clay to break things up. But at that stage, I wasn't entirely sure where Hannah's story was going…and I had absolutely no idea where Clay came in. A lot of his reactions were pointless and I ended up deleting them.

I went back to the beginning and wrote Hannah's story all the way through. That process took longer than expected, and (for a very brief moment) I considered calling it finished and submitting it purely as Hannah's story. But by that point, I'd done too much brainstorming about Clay's character, and I fooled myself into thinking his part of the story would take a lot less time to write.