What Questions Do You Ask Yourself When Starting a YA book?

Comment:

I know you’ve said you often start writing a new book by asking a question.  What questions prompt some of your young adult novels?

Phyllis replied:

“How does a boy go on keeping  his dad’s mental illness a secret?”  (The Keeper)

“Should a girl risk her own life  to try to save her dad in a blizzard?”  (Blizzard’s Wake)

“What does a teenage boy have to do to escape from a strange lost-in-time  community?”   (Sang Spell)

“How does a boy triumph over his bullies?”  (Going Where It’s  Dark)

“How does a girl adjust from being part of a couple to being single again?”  (Alice Alone)