Precocious Publisher

“ Writing about girls is something I’ve had to defend over the course of my career. I’ve been told by prospective readers that they’re interested in my work but the only thing holding them back from picking it up is my choice of main character; they think they’re just not going to be able to relate to a female protagonist because she is female. Whatever I choose to write about, whether it be sexual violence, girl-bullying or depression—I will invariably run across comments that reduce the very real struggles girls go through in every possible way. Girls are drama queens, girls have petty catfights, girls in crisis are attention-seeking and on and on. This is what I’m writing against when I write girl stories. But I’ve been fortunate to hear from girl readers who have seen themselves in my books, who have felt less alone because of that, and many who have been inspired to write their own stories—and that’s what I’m writing for. Girls’ stories matter because girls matter. ”