[...] The real magic surrounding Angie is the way she is respected rather than teased by the boys—the way even adult men speak of her admiringly as “tough” and a “tomboy.” She can hit a ball over the fence and do more chin-ups than most of the boys on the block, and when she takes to wearing a jean jacket over a white T-shirt most days, instead of making fun of her the other kids start calling her Fonzie. Angie doesn’t spend her time covertly writing books about other people, inadequate in her own skin—she is out there living the kind of life you imagine for your characters. Even her father is like a Bad Man from one of your games, always yelling and using his belt, and for reasons you will never fully understand, this thrills you and makes Angie seem still more special, glamorous and important.