Role Models in Fiction

Each day Smart Pop Books posts an essay on a topic of interest to teens. Today they're featuring an essay I wrote on the topic of fictional characters as role models.  It's based on subject matter from the bestselling books Crankand Glassby Ellen Hopkins. The books deal with meth addiction and are told from the point of view of a teenaged addict (and are based on Hopkins' daughter's real-life experience.)  You can read the essay here:


Smart Pop Books - Role Models


I'd love to hear your thoughts on this subject.  Do authors have a responsibility to ensure that the characters in their books act as role models for teen readers?  Why or why not?

This Just In: A New Book!

Excuse the commercial interruption, but big news. There's a new book out, with a contribution from Yours Truly, that I'm excited to recommend.

If you're a fan of Ellen Hopkins, whose amazing books include CRANK, BURNED, and GLASS, check out the all new FLIRTIN' WITH THE MONSTER, a collection of essays about Ellen's work. The very first essay, titled Role Models, was my contribution. Other authors include Terri Clark, Gail Giles, Micol Ostow, and even "Kristina", whose real life story is told in CRANK and GLASS.

Interested? I'll have all the details on my site in the next few days. In the meantime, you can check out an excerpt right here.

Let me know what you think!