“For me, to work my body, either gardening or taking a run with my dog or sometimes just a hot tub to just get away from the computer,” Hopkins said. When she is not writing, Hopkins gardens and watches baseball. Hopkins’ advice for people in an abusive relationship? Run. The man in that relationship kidnapped their daughter Kelly and kept her for three years. Her newest book The You I’ve Never Known is based off of that relationship. “They can actually be true and affect real people how they live today and where they are.”įurthermore, Hopkins’ relationship after the one with Cristal’s father was abusive. “I learned that some books can be deeper than they seem,” Coppell High School junior Casie Wilford said. “So I wanted to write a book to keep people from getting into the same trouble she got in.” “I came to writing for young adults because my kid,” Hopkins said. Most of these children went to be raised by Hopkins. She drifted in and out of prison, giving birth to many children to different fathers. Just like that.”Ĭristal’s story is meant as a warning for her readers who are mostly young adults.Īt the time, Cristal went through rehabilitation, but she did not get better, partly because she did not want to get better. But instead she came home with a meth addiction. She wanted to work for Pixar or Dreamworks. “On that two week summer visit with her dad, a guy she met talked her into trying crystal meth,” Hopkins said.

Her daughter Cristal, whom Kristina is loosely based off of, left for a trip to visit her father, Hopkins’ ex-husband and a fellow cocaine addict, and came back with a meth addiction. “Real life comes to play in a lot of my books.” “ are about 60 percent fact, 40 percent fiction,” Hopkins said. Her first book Crank is the story of Kristina, a girl who gets addicted to methamphetamine. Hopkins has firsthand experience dealing with some of the topics addressed in her books.

She smiles easily and leans in to whisper as if she has known you all her life. NFL footage © NFL Productions LLC.You would never think author Ellen Hopkins has gone through life’s hardships because her attitude is bubbly and bright. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. NFL and the NFL shield design are registered trademarks of the National Football League.The team names, logos and uniform designs are registered trademarks of the teams indicated.

Hopkins glass book