March 1, 2026
Some of what happens to Kinkade is based on things that happened to me, except I only had Madi and Libby. There was no Danny, and Dad was out of the picture. Adding Danny was a real turning point for the story. I feel like he is quietly cheering Kinkade on the whole time and trying to be a good friend. He’s what my editor Tamara Grasty calls “a lighthouse.”
If I could wish something for trans teens, I would wish for them to have a person like Danny in their lives to help them see the positive part of their own personalities and the possibilities that exist when you give life another chance whenever it knocks you down.
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February 25, 2026
I intended for Out of Blue Comes Green to show how difficult it can be for LGBTQ teens to reveal themselves to their school. While Kinkade’s friends have known for years that he is trans, he has never felt ready to tell everyone else.
How do you tell people you don’t know that you have preferred pronouns? Or different pronouns than your name might suggest?
How do you tell other people the new name you want to be called? And how do you deal with the shame and anger that come when they call you something else? People call a birth name a trans person’s dead name. But can it really be dead when it echoes in your memories and comes out of other people’s mouths from time to time?