How did you do research for THE GREAT CALL OF CHINA? Have you been to China before?

The information I used for the book came from both primary and secondary sources. Mainly primary. When I heard about the S.A.S.S. proposal I knew I had to set the story in Xi’an, China. Most people think of Beijing or Shanghai as the place to go when you’re there, but Xi’an is a must-see, too! The city is just so rich in history that it wasn’t difficult to find the data I needed. I also had an inside connection. My brother lives there. I wrote most of the proposal for THE GREAT CALL OF CHINA in his apartment during a two-week visit. He also runs an English school so I interviewed a whole classroom of Xi’an teens about what they liked to do there. I took copious notes. That was probably the coolest part about the research–getting to know all about teen life in Xi’an first-hand. We talked about love (*everyone blushed when I brought that up*), school, dating, food, everything! Later, before I finished the book, I returned a second time just to make sure I had everything I needed.

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