Everyone needs encouragement in their lives, and I think for teens it’s even more important to have someone telling them “It’s okay, you can do this, you’re going to be fine.” My new young adult novel Nail Polish and Feathers is about a boy who doesn’t have that encouragement, but it was written to encourage.

Sixteen-year-old Evan Granger has dreamed for years of becoming a drag queen because he likes to feel beautiful and wants to bring beauty to others. His mother accepts that Evan is gay bu...