The Basics

My name is Kristen Tracy and I wrote Lost It. This is my first novel for young adults. I've written a lot of poetry, too. Some of it's on the web. (If you find any of it, keep in mind that I invent about 50% of the material in my poems.) I'm working on other books for teens and people who are both younger and older than teens. I'm also writing more poems. My second teen novel, Crimes of the Sarahs, was released in Spring 2008 from Simon Pulse. It's about girls who commit crimes and parrots who don't and a knife-wielding psycho brother and stuff like that.

What do you like?

I like walking a lot at a nature preserve near my house. Sometimes deer startle me by running right out in front of me like they own the place. Don't worry. I always yield to deer. I also like eating Joseph's diabetic cookies, but I don't have diabetes. Almond or coconut are my favorite flavors. Actually, I like coconut diabetic cookies more than almond diabetic cookies, because, for some reason, coconut diabetic cookies are much harder to find.

Tell us something interesting about yourself.

Okay. I don't have fingerprints. This is according to the FBI and a police precinct in Los Angeles. No, I'm not a criminal. Before I could teach high school, I had to put my fingerprints on file.

Are you a tall person?

Yes, I'm a tall person. When I wear shoes with heels, which is basically whenever I wear shoes, I'm almost six feet tall. And because I like basketball, people always assume that I played basketball, but that's a wrong assumption.

What are you doing right now?

Currently, I have a high school cheer stuck in my head and I don't know why. Here it is: What do we eat? What do we eat? Tiger meat! Tiger meat! How do we like it? How do we like it? Rah! Rah! Rah! I'm trying to get it out of my head. But I don't think it's going anywhere.

What did you do before you wrote this book?

I'm a teacher, though I'm not teaching right now. I've taught all sorts of writing and literature courses at Brigham Young University, Johnson State College (in Vermont), and Western Michigan University. And I taught at Hawthorne High School in Los Angeles. If any of my former students are reading this, hey, what ever became of you?

Where's home?

I live in the middle of America. But not for much longer. I want to move to San Francisco.

Who are your heroes?

*** This information has been redacted by the author. *** This decision was made after a series of conversations with friends in which the author's heroes were mocked relentlessly, and a series of subsequent conversations in which these friends requested to be listed as heroes.

Who designed your website?

My website was designed by Little Willow of Rock the Rock Creations.

Is it true that you're a doctor?

Well, I'm not the kind of doctor who can take out your appendix. I could try, but I don't think it would go well. I'm very squeamish around blood and internal organs. Also, in high school my ability to identify internal organs in pickled frogs and sharks left a lot to be desired. (Yes, in my biology class we got to study both frogs AND sharks. And I lived in Idaho. Go figure.) I have a Ph.D. in English. I also have an MFA in writing and an MA in American Literature. I guess I enjoy learning . . . while seated amongst my peers at uncomfortable desks.

Do you really think bear safety is important?

Absolutely. That's why it's in the book.

Thanks for stopping by. If you want to contact me, you can email me at kristen at kristen tracy dot com

I might not get back to you right away. I'm pretty busy. I have a demanding cat and stuff.