Ess asked Penelope Douglas:

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Penelope Douglas Awesome question!

I think most authors put a piece of themselves into their characters, and it wasn't really until I started writing Falling Away that I realized the "coming of age" theme in these books. They all deal with leaving behind old teachings, making new rules, and young people starting out in life and learning what to leave behind and how to break the cycle of their parents.

It's odd when I think back to how it was all so natural for this to come out. I was telling my story. Piece by piece, year by year, I was creating this world where these characters learned what it took me twenty years to learn.

Falling Away will deal with deeper issues, but as I started writing Jax's scene, I realized that there's a fine line between it being compelling to read and just plain hard to read. I didn't want readers to feel like it was too hard to read, so I had to find a way to tell Jax and K.C.'s stories in a way that was compelling. I hope I did a good job.

As for writing things that might be emotionally difficult for readers, I consider it a success if the book evoked strong emotion out of you. It hit your heart, made you think, and made you an active participant in the story. Those are the stories that stay with us, and I would absolutely hate it if readers were indifferent.

Thanks for the questions!

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