Hi, Sapphire!  I put it there because Ian forced me.  He took me by the collar and said, “Move me to the forefront, old chap, or I’ll sic the homing poodles after you.”  Oh, okay, that’s not totally true.  Seriously, I’m a writer, and my job is to think of interesting things to write.  This plot twist wasn’t done with any kind of nefarious design.  I can’t ever know in advance how readers are going to react to what I write.  It made dramatic sense to me as the book unfolded, that’s all.  Rick had planted the seed of an attraction in Book 1, and I just followed through.  So it’s been fun (and surprising!) to see the evolution of AMIAN!  I think the group deserves a logo and t-shirts, at least!  And as for supporting — hmmmm, I support sports teams and literacy events and chocolate manufacturers, but I have to scratch my head about the idea of writers “supporting” relationships in their books.  Readers are the ones who support, don’t you think?  Writers don’t really think that way.  We write stories.  And as for that catch on the Add Entry Page, good one!  There is a difference between “delete” and “not publish,” though.  Publishing means accessing the message from my moderated log, and then answering it.  I can “not publish” an entry, and it will remain on my log in case I want to refer to it or publish it later.  If I delete it, it’s gone from my log (and from existence).

Thanks, Jessica, for your kind words and for spreading the word about this great series!  I think you meant DEAD OF NIGHT, right?  (David Baldacci wrote DAY OF DOOM.  They do sound similar!) Much appreciated!

I appreciate that question, Jack, and I will give it to you straight:

You have to want it more than anything else in the world.  You have to be the kind of person who doesn’t settle for no.
Reading voraciously — all the time — is the single best training to become a writer.  It helps to be intensely curious about how your favorite authors make their work so good.  What kind of words do they use?  What kind of words do they leave out?
You need to practice.  Like a musical instrument or a sport, writing gets better with constant work.  Write some things for yourself, pieces that no one else sees.  Also write stories that you show to people you respect — teachers, librarians, parents, siblings, other authors, etc.  Listen to their feedback.  Learn to recognize useful and useless feedback.  Use the former to get better.
You must collect ideas.  Write them down.  A pad or a writer’s notebook is great, but anything will do, even a receipt or a scrap of paper.  Collect your ideas from conversations, things you observe in everyday life, dreams, other books and movies, etc.  When you have a bunch of them, read them over and decide which is the best.  Which one makes you the most excited?  Start working on that one.  If you like it, chances are your readers will too.
You need to recognize that the stakes in your story must be super-high.  Even in stories about everyday life, there must be some dilemma that seems impossible to solve, something the readers will hang on to until the very end.
Regarding step 5, think hard about what you want to leave out of your story.  That’s the thing that will pull your readers in.
Live life to the fullest.  It’s easier to write compelling stories if you’ve experienced compelling events in your life.
I don’t know if you’re 9 or 92, because you didn’t say, but if you’re young, don’t worry about getting published right away. Almost no one is published at a super-young age, and that’s OK.  You can always self-publish if you want.
Did I say practice?
Practice.

Hi, Claire!  Well, my first book was called PUZZLES AND GAMES, a collection of, well, puzzles of games!  I don’t remember how long it was, but that was a different kind of a book from the kind you’re asking about.  My advice would be: go for it.  Don’t worry about how long or short your story is.  The proper length for a story is however long it takes you to tell it well.

Hello again, awesome team!  Well, I love writing Amy, Dan, Uncle Alistair, Atticus, Eisenhower, and Ian, so I guess they’re the ones I like best.

Hi, Elizabeth!  Well, the only way you can see it is by having me visit your amazing school.  Oh wait, you did!

Hi, Laurel!  Yea, Graystone!  Loved visiting you all.  Well, I go running in the park, eat chocolate, listen to music, eat chocolate, spend time with my wife and sons, answer billions of emails, eat more chocolate, go to movies, and — well, you know …

Hi, Suzy!  What a great group at Alta Vista. The kids were fantastic! Am about to head into Graystone.  I love the idea of the cards.  The whole concept of the series, back in 2007 when it started, was to stem the tide of kids flowing away from reading.  So many bright potential readers were being lost to gaming.  Scholastic wanted to create a rich online experience that only made sense if you read the books, thereby luring gamers into a great story.  All the 39 Clues books have a basis in history, so we liked to call ourselves “subversively educational.”  The authors had no input into the cards.  Scholastic had a team of designers who worked to make those historical aspects fun and accessible. I find that readers follow the story in so many different ways.  Some couldn’t care less about the cards or game, others are deep into both.

Hi, Sapphire.  Okay, we will take the blubbering off the table, and your face off the desk.

Hang in there, Sapphire.   I am shielding my eyes from the spoilers in your message and promise to read the book soon.  I am more intrigued than ever.