Michelle Zink on writing for young adults

Michelle Zink is a single mother, a novelist in the young adult genre and a dreamer who likes Gothic, dark places.

Her books have quite the following. So what's her secret? .

Her books, "Prophecy of the Sisters" and its sequel, "Guardian of the Gate," can be purchased wherever books are sold. Zink will be at Blue Bicycle Books at 4 p.m. Tuesday to sign copies.

Q: Tell me about the second book in your trilogy, "Guardian of the Gate."

A: "Guardian of the Gate" follows Lia as she travels to Altus Island to find the missing pages of the prophecy. It's an epic journey that includes a mysterious new guy and a massive betrayal by someone in Lia's inner circle, but one of the things I love most about it is watching Lia become even stronger and more independent.

Q: What draws you to the young adult genre?

I always say that the young adult genre chose me. I sort of feel perpetually 19 even though that's further from the truth than it's ever been! I seem to have a special connection to teens, and I have such admiration for the passion with which they live.

Q: What are the main struggles you deal with when writing?

A: The biggest is probably a struggle anyone in any situation can relate to these days: time. I'm a single mother to four children ages 11-18, and it's just really, really tough sometimes to hold it all together at home while giving myself enough solitude and creative space to write the kinds of stories I want to write.

Q: Tell me about the first book you wrote.

A: "Prophecy of the Sisters" was my fifth finished book. The first one was atrocious but necessary. It taught me that I could do it. I could finish a whole book and sort of have it all make sense at the end of the day! From there, I learned more and more and more with every book I wrote, and even though none of those earlier books have been published, I don't regret a single word.

Q: What are you working on?

A: One of the things I'm working on is another Gothic series, this time with a steampunk edge set in London. It features a secret tied to the image of the Flower of Life (a geometric shape said to hold the keys to the universe within its code) and a corruption of power at the highest levels of industry in the 1890s.

The other is a contemporary fantasy that's very superhero-esque, featuring fast motorcycles, hot guys and a world that's spinning quickly out of control. They're both very dark and atmospheric.