Today on the blog tour, Charlotte’s Library asks me about how I can put my characters through such hell, if I really have free will as a writer, and some stuff about Jenna’s compulsive eating habits and how they relate to my own. (Just in time for National Eating Disorders Awareness week/month…) Thanks for having me, Charlotte!

Other tour stuff: In my vast, vast experience of being on the road (what…two cities and a couple of conferences is not vast?), I have developed certain rituals. There are three things I do upon checking into the hotel:

1. Take a picture of my room. This is a little weird because I don’t post them to my blog, or show them to anyone (sometimes G. if there is something interesting), and chances are good I won’t ever look at them again. But I do it anyway. I’m still not over the whole “someone else is paying for me to stay at a nice hotel” thing and I hope I never am. It’s just a little reminder to myself of how cool this all is.

2. Ascertain the Internet situation and get hooked up. As great as hotels are, they can also be lonely. Sometimes being alone and quiet is good, but there is also this creeping sadness that can get you when you don’t expect it and all of a sudden you realize how far away and detached you are from everything familiar. So being able to email the hub and read friends’ blog is important. Also, there are often work-related communications to deal with and I’d rather not have them building up for days on end.

3. Secure the Peanut M&Ms. I don’t abuse the mini-bar situation. I don’t rack up a huge room bill ordering movies and room service and massages and having my entire wardrobe drycleaned at $10/sock. But if there are Peanut M&Ms in the room (and so far there always have been), they are mine. It’s my one little indulgence. And no, I don’t take them every day as they are magically restocked. Just the one upon arrival!