Sarah Dessen takes us back to the trials and gems of teen life. Whether we're still in it or long past, there's always something--or someone--to relate to. Character cameos from other books, quirky settings like a 24-hour waffle house, and drool-worthy male leads are just some of the things that make her books so unique. Sarah has posted some of the stories-behind-the-stories on her website, and shares tidbits from her life through her blog. Somehow, even though she's a full-time writer and a new mom, she managed to bring yet another baby into the world: Lock and Key was released on April 22, 2008. To commemorate this, I invited Sarah to my blog for a virtual interview, and I hope you'll sit down with us now to see what unfolded.

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How much do you know about your characters' lives after the events of their book? Any examples?

I don't think a whole lot about what happens to my characters after a book is done. It's my hope that I've left them in a good place, where the loose ends of their story are tied up but there's also a sense of a good future ahead. In my mind, the couples are usually still together, and everyone is doing all right. Occasionally, though, I'll bring someone back in a cameo in another book. I had Macy and Wes from the Truth About Forever show up together in Just Listen, for instance, so people would know they were still going strong.

What is the first piece of fiction you remember writing?

It was probably a story about my dollhouse. I had this entire family of stuffed mice that lived in it, and created complex narratives for every single one of them: weddings, divorces, scandals, you name it. It was my first foray into creating characters, I guess.

Your characters leap off the page, both the leads and the supporting cast: how do you develop these characters so they don't come across as two-dimensional?

That's a nice compliment! I think the key, for me, is that I can really see the person. How they look, the way they talk, the gestures they use to make a point. If I can't see them, I know the reader won't either. So I work really hard to build them up in my own mind before I put them on the page.

What's the biggest challenge of being a full-time writer and how do you overcome this?

Probably just keeping disciplined. I think I was actually more productive when I was juggling writing with a second job, in a lot of ways. Now that I'm a new mom, though, I'm back to fitting writing in around the edges, and I'm finding it works better for me. When I had all day to worry about writing, the actual work was much harder for me. Now when I sit down, I know I only have so long, and that makes me get right to work.

Dexter, the male lead in THIS LULLABY, is a fascinating character, not least because he's part of an independent band. What kind of research did you do to make this so realistic for the reader?

I didn't have to do too much research. Dexter was one of those gifts from the writing gods: one day, he just appeared, and from then on it was all about keeping up with him. As far as the music thing, though, I'd worked in a restaurant with a lot of people in bands, so I knew a little bit about that world, which came in very handy.

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Thank you, Sarah, for your fabulous answers, and thanks to all of you for joining us!