From her Garner home, this local mom is creating new worlds for her popular YA novels

And Statham is racking up the books and honors. In February, she'll come out with her fourth YA novel, "Imani Unraveled." She is the winner of the 2018 James Applewhite Poetry prize honorable mention and Southeast Review 2016 Narrative Nonfiction prize for her work, which includes stories that often explore all kinds of dystopian worlds. And she also spends her time teaching at creative writing workshops and speaking at schools and conferences.

When she's not writing, she's raising her four kids - two boys and two girls - and has homeschooled one or more, on and off, for the past decade. She's also fallen in love with North Carolina, a place she's called home for 10 years.

"I love being so close to the beach and the mountains and so much great food," she tells me. "I’ve lived in a variety of diverse places including New York City and the back country of Idaho, but so far, I love NC the best."

I love giving books to friends and family at Christmas time, and for the YA readers in your life, Statham's stories are a lot of fun. Statham took some time out to answer a few questions about her life and her work. Here's a Q&A:

Of course, I was hoping to write something like “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and who wouldn’t want that? So I took time off writing to travel, work, and start a family. Before I knew it, I was 30 years old and didn’t feel like I knew anything more than I knew when I was 20, so I started writing again. I wrote a really bad first novel (the first one is always bad, but it has to be written. It’s a rite of passage!). Then I wrote another not as bad novel. I tried selling that one, but to no avail.

So, I wrote a third novel. And this one actually took off. I got a two-book deal and then was able to secure an agent and am now juggling projects to sell and edit. I feel pretty good about where my career is heading these days. (P.S. That first book will NEVER see the light of day.)

I love creating worlds, especially the little details, and I love hiding Easter eggs in my books. There’s always something weird but true in my stories. For example, in The Perilous Journey books, it’s a steampunk world full of automatons and airships, but there are also strawberry trees–– those are real! How cool is that? They grow in western France. Being creative is the incentive I need to get to the end of those several hundred pages.

The reason I write YA is because writing about young people is so exciting. Teenagers are on the cusp of so many things. Their emotions are so vivid, and they have so many roads before them. Almost everything is a new experience, and they are shaping their lives. It’s an exciting time to explore as an author. There are so many possibilities, it’s really a sort of playground for plot.

I also write middle grade fiction for kids in middle school and younger. There’s a special innocence about those stories that you don’t find anywhere else. I love writing about their tender hearts and adventures. I alternate the projects I’m working on based on my mood that week, and deadlines of course. I often use my kids as beta readers too. They are the perfect ages to read everything I love writing.

I love being a mentor and answering questions and encouraging them to use their talents. Reading and writing are also great escapes for troubled kids. I’ve spoken to thousands of kids, and there are always those who wander up later and talk about how a book has helped them through something a kid shouldn’t have to go through. Or they will tell me about the book they are working on and how writing is a positive outlet for them. I truly feel I have the best job in the world. Young people are our future, and I get to see it up close and shining.

Right now, I’m finishing up a middle grade book that means a lot to me. I’m hoping it finds a home next year and that I’ll be able to share it with all of you soon. I also recently finished my first novel in verse with a co-author, Chris Menezes. I’ve been working with a lot of poetry and experimental forms lately, but also keeping my YA irons hot with the dystopian and sci-fi novels I already have contracted.