She is not sure if it is nature or nurture, but this author does know that, like her dad, she has always loved to write. After graduation, her dad's legacy caught up with her. She remembered how hard he tried to get published and how painful it was to fail. Her aunt still tells stories about how her father wallpapered his bedroom with publisher rejection letters. She wanted no part of that, so she went to work writing advertising copy. Over time, however, she grew to hate writing copy. Once she decided she was meant to write fiction in the voice of a 12-year-old, she would not give up that dream. Every day she got up and figured out how to make the story she was working on a little better than it was the day before, one revision at a time. Her efforts were rewarded with the publication of her first book, "Al Capone Does My Shirts," excerpts of which are included at the conclusion of this article.