Lexie Diamond and the World’s Greatest Virtual Romance follows a fourteen-year-old girl who runs an otherworldly portal for Lost Souls and takes on an unauthorized solo mission, leading her to the perfect boyfriend and danger. What inspired the idea of a teenager operating a portal where Lost Souls arrive with unfinished business?

When the idea came to me, I was standing in the middle of three different areas of interest: I was seeking answers to spiritual questions that often drifted into quantum mechanics. My beloved grandmother died and I missed her terribly. And lastly, I was thrilled by the future possibilities of technology. My stories usually begin with the question in my mind, what if? From the cauldron of those distinct areas—spirit/science, heart and tech—my imagination cooked up the first book in the series, The Virtual Life of Lexie Diamond. In that novel, Lexie is longing for her dead mother, and because Lexie is a computer nerd/genius, I thought what if she found her mom through a portal like a hole in the quantum field? Does love live on past death? Can technology prolong or aid our connection to our loved ones?

How did you develop Lexie’s distinctive way of understanding people through computers, algorithms, and programming?

I became obsessed with the graphic poetry of Eric Raymond’s Hacker’s Dictionary. The language was fun and different, and it helped me ‘show’ Lexie’s discomfort with people and so-called reality without having to explain it. She’s an introvert who anthropomorphizes her computer Ajna-Mac, treating it as her guru. To move beyond her limitations and develop friendships or date people, she must expand her mindset.

What led you to incorporate the Enneagram into a supernatural young adult adventure, and why did you want an ancient system of personality understanding to exist alongside Lexie’s very modern technological worldview?

I’ve been a student of the Enneagram for over two decades. When my literary editor, Judith Searle, introduced me to it, the information transformed my understanding of my personality. How I wish I possessed this knowledge before I came into adulthood. I have since used it as a writing tool, to cast films, to run a business, even to parent. As you suggest, the ancient roots of the Enneagram provide an interesting contrast to Lexie’s fantastical sci-fi world. When I worked out the plot for Lexie Diamond and the World’s Greatest Virtual Romance, I was excited to share the Enneagram with YA readers.

What does Lexie’s experience teach her about the difference between popularity, belonging, romance, and authentic connection?

Let’s face it, Lexie is desperate for love and attention. She wants to belong to someone or something. Like most young people, she does not yet fully believe in herself and is vulnerable to attention. When she falls in love with Romeo (who wouldn’t?) and her wildest dreams come true, she forgets who she is and all that she believes in. Only when her world comes crashing down, and she exerts her true power, does she learn that words, no matter how sweet, mean nothing unless combined with sincere action. It’s a tough universal lesson that we all must learn.

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