Kristin asked Michael Grant:

What was the most difficult part of the Gone series to write? Specifically, which moment of these adolescents losing the innocence they had? They all started the series as children; sure some where bullies or snobs, but through the series, many went to quite dark places. Was any specific moment more difficult to write than the others?

Michael Grant I had some regret at killing off a couple of characters. Duck, for example. But while I'm writing I have enough distance from the characters that in general their trials and travails don't bother me. I've said before that my relationship with my characters is employer-employee, not father-child. I like to think I'm a decent enough employer - if you overlook the fact that I sort of, um, kill my disappointing employees - and I like them, I really do like them all, but there are times when I have to fire them... with extreme prejudice. And I'm fine with that, because I don't write for them, I write for you. I want you to have a good story. And I'll kill and kill and kill and . . . Okay, where's my Prozac?

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