What is your connection to the desert?
I grew up in the desert and graduated from Palm Desert High School. I left for college and my career took me other places, but I try to come back and visit as often as possible.
“The Dirt,” your newest young adult novel, is set in the desert. Why?
People who grow up in the desert know it's sometimes a comical mixture of snowbirds, normal people, and wealthy and influential celebrities and others. For me it was somewhat surreal — like seeing Clint Eastwood at the Jensen's, for instance — and always made for a great story.
Is “The Dirt” autobiographical?
I think you always put a little bit of yourself into your characters. Like my last novel, ”Hollywood Car Wash,” this book is mostly real stories. Some are mine, and some are my friends'.
How did the desert impact your life?
I think growing up in somewhat abnormal circumstances forces you to be a little more grown-up than usual. Kids in the desert seem more sophisticated than normal high school kids.
What advice do you have for desert writers?
Just read and write; I did anything I could do to get more writing experience. Have interesting experiences, write about those and especially, never give up.
