My guest today had undiagnosed ADHD until she was twenty-one, and she wore a back brace for scoliosis from the age of eleven to thirteen, an experience that led directly to her debut novel Braced from Scholastic. It received three starred reviews, was a Junior Library Guild Selection, and has been nominated for several awards. Her new middle grade novel Focused, about a girl caught between her love of chess and her ADHD, will be in stores on March 26. Focused has received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews and the American Library Association’s Booklist and is a Junior Library Library Guild Selection. We talk about her struggles in learning to read, how things felt for her growing up, and how she ultimately found her voice.  Enjoy!   In this episode Peter and Alyson discuss: 1:24-  Intro & welcome Aylson!  ref: books “Braced” and “Focused” 2:20-  Between your back brace and ADHD, growing up must’ve been a blast! Tell us your story? 3:48-  Were you getting a ‘you're not smart’ vibe from you teachers? 6:16-  We’re seeing more & more middle aged parents get diagnosed, because they’re kids are getting diagnosed!  i.e. Richard Titus interview here 7:00-  Have you always retreated into writing like me and many of our guests? What was YOUR thing? 9:40-  On Alyson’s first creative writing class 11:00-  On reading for enjoyment!  ref:  Encyclopedia Brown Archie Comics Choose Your Own Adventure Books 11:38-  So tell us about your latest work, “Focused” 14:54-  How can people find you?  AlysonGerber.com  @AlysonGerber: Twitter INSTA FB: AlysonGerberBooks 15:28-  Thank you Alyson and Thank YOU for subscribing, reviewing and listening! You can always reach me at peter@shankman.com or @petershankman on all of the socials. Also at @FasterThanNormal on all of the socials.  15:50-  Faster Than Normal Podcast info & credits Please check out my new ADHD Coaching! www.shankminds.com/ADHDCoaching As always, leave us a comment below and PLEASE drop us a review on iTunes and of course, subscribe to the podcast if you haven’t already! The more reviews we get, the more people we can reach. Help us to show the world that ADHD is a gift, not a curse! Know of anyone you think should be on the FTN podcast? Shoot us a note, we’d love to hear!