Emily Wing Smith nearly died in a car accident when she was twelve years old.
And that turned out to be a good thing; because her post-accident health care discovered a brain tumor, a big one. The presence of the tumor explained a lot of anomalies in her health and behavior before the accident.
The story of the tumor and its effects and treatment is told in Smith's memoirAll Better Now. The author pays a visit to the Exchange to talk about writing about herself after two successful young adult novels.