I remember what I was like as a teenager, with an enormous amount of energy and hormones. You have to be able to release it, and dancing is really an innocent way.
My dream was, start young, take hormones, live as a woman, try and become as passable as possible, bury your past, change your friends. Now I've realised that I don't have to be ashamed of my past.
The more you worry, the more you throw off the delicate balance of hormones required for health.
I stay away from things that I know break me out - I am weirdly allergic to mango and almonds. I take evening primrose and supplements that have EFA fatty acids in them to just balance out my hormones and skin, and I take a lot of vitamin C. I drink a lot of water, try to eat really organic, and try to eat things that benefit my skin.
Feeling comfortable with your body as you go through a transition is not easy, and honestly, as a trans person on hormones or after surgery, you just don't really know what your results will be, how you'll finally look. Managing all of that is a challenge.
When I was nine, we moved to Stanford University in San Francisco so that my father could do a Ph.D. I went to Terman Junior High in Palo Alto. It was terrible, because my hormones were all over the place, and I became an ugly adolescent full of rage and loathing.
I was pregnant with my daughter when I started writing my first thriller, so I guess you could blame hormones.
My smile has been my ticket to the world. Smiling releases the same feel-good hormones you get jogging. Caring for your lips and gums is important. I brush my teeth morning and night, alternating toothpaste brands. In addition to flossing, I use a Water Pik to massage my gums and remove food particles.
We have to really think about where our food is coming from. The hormones being put in the stuff we eat - all of that contributes to cancer.
Being trans means different things to different people. Some people don't take hormones, some people don't have surgery, some people are just happy living in the clothes of their chosen gender.
