Rebel McKenzie (21 page)

Ingredients:


Small box of spaghetti


2 or 3 hot dogs


Half cup of ketchup


Quarter cup of sugar


1 can of peas (optional)


Boil the spaghetti until it's done. Slice hot dogs and fry in a skillet. Add cooked spaghetti. Pour ketchup in, enough to coat. Stir sugar in. Add peas if you want. Heat, dish up, and eat!


Ingredients:


White bread


Margarine


Karo syrup (the light kind)


Toast bread in toaster. Melt margarine in skillet. Add enough syrup to make a gooey mixture. Cook toast on both sides in syrup. Put on a plate. Cut in triangles to make it fancy. Call the hogs to the table!


T
his book began as a present to my sister, a gift wrapped in a mammoth bow to the crazy times we shared when Pat was in beauty school and I was her guinea pig. Then my characters ran off my stage set and it was all I could do to keep up with them.

Many people helped along the way. My agent, Tracey Adams, and everyone at Adams Literary, cheered Rebel on from the start. Emily Meehan, my editor, gave Rebel free rein, and the rest of the folks at Disney-Hyperion guided the book through production with their usual efficiency. Blueberry Slurpees for everybody!

My Hollins University friends laughed at all the right places when I read the first chapter. Their support in my fledgling projects is like a glass of sweet tea on a July day. A giant roll of Necco Wafers goes to Connie Van Hoven, who read the novel to put me out of my misery and pronounced it good. Cheers to Tracey Chesler for letting me steal her hand model experience. And a big thanks to Frank for his encouragement over the years.

Last, for those eagle-eyed readers who have spotted Frog Level on the Virginia map, I borrowed the name of the real town and moved it to suit the story.