DEBORAH HALVERSON is the award-winning author of Writing Young Adult Fiction For Dummies, the teen novels Honk If You Hate Me and Big Mouth, three books in a forthcoming series for struggling readers, and a forthcoming picture book about Santa. Deborah was an editor at Harcourt Children’s Books for ten years—until she climbed over the desk and tried out the author chair on the other side. Now she writes books for teens and for adults full-time. Armed with a Masters in American Literature and a fascination with pop culture, she sculpts stories from extreme places and events—tattoo parlors, fast food joints, and, most extreme of all, high schools. She is also the founder of the popular writers’ advice website www.DearEditor.com, a frequent speaker at writers conferences, and a writing teacher for groups and institutions including UCSD’s Extension Program. Deborah freelance edits fiction and non-fiction for both published authors and writers seeking their first book deals. She lives in San Diego, California, with her husband and triplet sons. For more about Deborah, check out her website www.DeborahHalverson.com or visit www.DearEditor.com. (photo: Theresa Stanton at Design Focus Studio)