I wonder sometimes if every author out there has that moment where they KNOW this is what they should do. Mine was when I read ‘The Outsiders.’ I suppose that would be obvious by the title, right?

My sister Nickie was in 7th grade and she was assigned this book. She would go on and on about how amazing it was, and she would try to tell me about it and all the different characters. When she finally finished and it was my turn to read, this book absolutely gutted me. I mean… Who the hell kills their main characters? *adjusts halo*

So I figured hey, she was 16 when she wrote it. I would make it to 16 one day, right? So I was going to continue her story my way, because that’s what fifth graders do. Side note- that was not what fifth graders were doing at the time. And this was paper and pencil, just me writing what my sister and friends would enjoy reading.

That, loves, was the beginning. The author in me was free. Thanks to an incredibly talented teenager from Tulsa, Oklahoma and the characters we just didn’t want to let go of.

I have been to Tulsa twice. I haven’t gone around any of the filming sites, not even the Curtis house. They’ve turned that house into the Outsiders Museum and should be opening soon.

Pretty sure I feel a road trip coming on