Author Kristin D. Randle has an uncanny knack for pinpointing and dealing with the kinds of concerns and emotional turmoil that her young adult (YA) readers are struggling to deal with. This no doubt accounts for the growing popularity of her books, the first of which was published by small regional publisher in her home state of Utah. However, in 1995 Randle reached a national audience for the first time with her acclaimed novel The Only Alien on the Planet. That book, which has won seven literary awards and been widely praised by reviewers, is her best-known and most successful effort to date.

Despite her success, Randle still does not consider writing her "career." That has meant that unlike most successful authors, she is not represented by a literary agent. What is more, she prefers spending time with her husband and children or working at the family's recording studio...