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Ivy Hopper is a teen columnist who talks with authors and fans of books that are currently being read by today’s youth.

This week I sat down with author Pamela Wells.

Pamela Wells wrote The Heartbreakers and The Crushes.

The Heartbreakers is soon to be a movie called “Rules of Dating for Teenage Girls.” The sequel, The Crushes, just came out in paperback this month.

Four Friends.

Alexia, Raven, Kelly and Sydney have always been there for each other, through breakups and heartaches, good times and bad. But during one summer, their friendship will be tested in ways they never imagined.

Three Boyfriends.

Sydney and Drew are back together, but there’s some trouble in paradise. Raven loves Horace but isn’t sure she’ll be able to remember that. Alexia and Ben are stronger than ever except for that one decision she can’t make.

Forty One Rules.

As Kelly is the only single one in the group, the girls create a list of rules for her, all about how to turn a crush into something more. But soon, all the girls are using the rules and creating problems in their relationships as they develop crushes on guys that are off-limits.

And Kelly starts crushing on the one person she can’t have.

Here is what author Pamela Wells had to say to me:

Ivy: What first got you interested in writing?

Pamela: I became interested in writing when I was in the ninth grade. I had to keep a journal that we had to turn in at the end of the school year. It was there that I discovered that I had a voice and a love for creating characters for people to read about.

Ivy: What kind of impact do you hope your books will have on readers?

Pamela: I hope that my books will empower girls in their lives.

Ivy: Why did you write a sequel to The Heartbreakers?

Pamela: I wanted to write a rules book on how to turn a crush into a boyfriend.

Ivy: How did you come up with the idea for The Heartbreakers?

Pamela: I went through a bad breakup when I was in college. Breakups have always been hard for me. I feel very deeply and as a result of that I tend to get really sad when I’m about to separate from someone. The end just seems so final to me. Since I was studying psychology, I knew that crying and begging a guy back that didn’t want you anymore was emotional suicide. My friends were sick of hearing about my breakup so I decided to write a story about what I was feeling and going through.

I created the breakup code. I followed my own breakup code to help me get over my Ex.

I figured there must be other girls going through what I was going through so I decided to write a book about surviving a breakup while empowering yourself as you get over it.

Ivy: Do you research your settings and characters?

Pamela: Yes. I came up with Birch Falls, Connecticut because I love the east coast.

Ivy: Are your characters based on people you know or have known in real life?

Pamela: Yes. All the characters are fictional. I use a few traits of someone from real life.

I had a friend in high school that loved this guy and the ground that he walked upon.

He liked her, but she loved him.

I was a good friend of this guy and a good friend of this girl. She would have me get on the phone with the two of them so that they could just talk so I got to see how much she liked him but his feelings were not as strong for her.

I created Kelly as a girl that was into a guy that wasn’t really that into her.

I based Sydney and Kelly off of me with my friend.

Off page, prior to the book opening, Sydney uses Kelly to get Drew to notice her. My friend did this with a good friend of mine in high school. She used me to get close to my friend because she had a crush on him.

I take situations from my life and exaggerate them to fit into a fictional novel that I hope my readers will enjoy.

Ivy: Why did you decide to use many narrators to tell your story?

Pamela: I wanted to create a book about four different girls but I also wanted these four girls to be going through the same thing. I wanted to show that even though the girls are different the pain is the same when you break up with someone.

I created four different girls so that the reader could find themselves in at least one of them. Sydney, Kelly, Raven and Alexia are all extensions of me. I have been each of those girls at different times in my life and with different boys. It was important to me that my reader be able to identify with at least one of these girls and one of their story lines, so I figured out of four girls, the reader would root for at least one of them.

Ivy: What is next for you?

Pamela: I am writing the third book in the series called THE FRIENDS.

Ivy: Is The Heartbreakers of The Crushes your favorite book?

Pamela: The Crushes is my favorite because the girls are getting the crushes they want.