She is not sure if it is nature or nurture, but this author does know that, like her dad, she has always loved to write. After graduation, her dad's legacy caught up with her. She remembered how hard he tried to get published and how painful it was to fail. Her aunt still tells stories about how her father wallpapered his bedroom with publisher…

The author of "Candy" talks about the reality that a book is only paper until someone has read it and responded to it emotionally. "When I write a book it's alive in my head, but it only really comes alive when it finds a life in someone else's head." His essay is followed by a chapter from "Candy."

This young adult author claims his most enjoyable task as a writer is "intellectual danger, getting into other people's trouble." He asks his readers not to trust him, and then, as evidence, tempts us with a look at a chapter from "Clemency Pogue: Fairy Killer."

Joy is the inspiration for this Young Adult (YA) author who admits that life isn't without its angst, as well. But life, she says, is a fascinating continuum, and living life fully is bound to take us to several points along its path. An excerpt from "Fat Kid Rules the World" pulls us into one such journey.

Losing a job is an awfully low point--until it turns into the opportunity to pursue writing full time, and a book like "The Five Ancestors: Tiger" results. Jeff Stone looks back to his own experience as a young reader and taps that experience to help frame his own writing. An intriguing snapshot of his new book follows.

Lewis's own experiences living in Indonesia are fertile ground for telling "a ripping good story," one found in "The Flame Tree." He hopes people will enjoy the tale and appreciate the differences of an unfamiliar culture. The excerpt from "The Flame Tree" will reel readers in quickly.