Jane Anderson asked P.H.T. Bennet:

What is it about writing that gives you greatest joy?

P.H.T. Bennet Wow, that's a tough but great question, Jane... I love doing the research, coming up with a starting point and seeing where it will take me, collaborating with incredible illustrators like Veronica V. Jones and Michael Packer and seeing my scenes and characters come to life in images richer than i ever could have made... But I think my favorite part of writing is when a character I'm writing does something I hadn't planned, says something that really surprises me... That has happened so many times with DeeDee! I'd be writing a scene that I thought I'd planned well, then DeeDee would take over and run away, or hide, or say something that led in a totally different direction. My only talent in that process has been listening to her and following her. Like my daughter Juliette, DeeDee is smart in ways I'm not, intuitively, and I've learned to trust her and let her lead. That has been the best part- watching my characters take on lives of their own.

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