Barrie Summy And I SO DON'T DO MYSTERIES

With its hilarious characters, offbeat locations, and quirky plotline, Barrie Summy's I So Don't Do Mysteries (Delacorte/Random House) is about as far from Nancy Drew as a teen caper could get. Yet, that's where it all began.

"I loved Nancy Drew as a kid," remembers debut author Summy. "But my parents had this weird rule where they divided books into two groups: meat-&-potatoes and desserts. Nancy Drew fell into the dessert camp, which meant I could only read a Nancy Drew after at least one meat-&-potatoes book. This just made reading a Nancy Drew mystery even more desirable. And, as a kid, I always thought it would be amazing to grow up and write a dessert Nancy Drew book."

Summy shares how she made it happen – landing a two-book deal, plus a pair of follow-ups – in my January children's market column at Authorlink.com. Be sure to stop by her website/blog, as well!