Absolutely. On Becoming Me was MY LIFE in those teenage years. And, honestly, I think life provides us with the best material because sometimes fact is stranger than fiction. Jack and Dick, from Company Clown, were modelled off of two people I worked with in the industry. And I'm working on a novel now where the lines between real life and the story sometimes get confusing in my mind!
I love the emotion of writing and the ability to live vicariously through characters I create. Reliving the words from teenage years was cathartic, but also emotionally draining in both good and painful ways. Live in those moments. We're lucky we have emotions and can put them to paper.