Melissa Westemeier

Waaaaaaay back in the olden days, I remember bringing home my bag of trick or treat candy and sorting it according to a ranking system of preferences. Circus peanuts, Mike and Ikes, anything with coconut (Mounds and Almond Joy) and licorice got relegated to the NOT TOUCHING IT. Acceptable forms of sugar included SweetTarts (what is it about those cellophane-wrapped rolls of pastel candies?), dots on strips of paper, caramels, candy corn, LifeSavers (especially wild cherry), J

I don't typically choose a season for setting a book, usually the setting chooses me. In ONE book, Across the River , I deliberately...