Santa Fe resident Alexandra Diaz has been using her active imagination for inspiration ever since she started writing stories as a little girl. Now, at 29, some of the fruits of that active imagination are included in her first novel, Of All the Stupid Things.

It is the story of three friends — Pinkie, Tara and Whitney Blaire — whose friendship is tested and nearly destroyed by a series of rumors and misunderstandings.

"It's entirely from my imagination," Diaz said with a hint of a British accent as she sipped hot tea. "It just started off as a 'what if' scenario and snowballed from there."

In the book, Whitney Blaire spills the rumor that Tara's boyfriend, Brent, is cheating on her with a male cheerleader. While this throws Tara into a haze of depression, confusion and anger that causes her to overtrain on the running front, she soon finds herself instantly attracted to the new girl, beautiful gymnast Riley.

All the while, Tara is dealing with training for a marathon and coping with her absentee father; Pinkie is dealing with missing her mom, worrying about her two good friends and trying to figure out her 21-year-old National Honor Society sponsor (who suddenly started winking at her and inviting her to after-school lectures); and Whitney Blaire is preoccupied with trying to get her parents to notice her and with trying to prove to Tara that Riley is a backstabbing jerk who is just trying to steal Brent.

But when Tara finally acknowledges her feelings for Riley, her friends don't understand.

"Her friends are not happy with this new scenario," Diaz explains. "They think that she can't be trusted."

A huge fight ensues and the girls have to figure out how to patch it up. Were they able to? Well, Diaz might have to tell you that herself at her book launch from Las Chivas Coffeehouse on Valentine's Day.

The book is told from the perspective of each of the three friends, so the reader gets a three-dimensional version of the story and how it affects each person. This page-turner is perfect for both girls and boys, Diaz said. Although it's not intended to be "humor book" there are parts that will have readers laughing out loud.

For Diaz, writing is a way to escape and experience different things.

"It's my way to live life in somebody else's shoes," Diaz said. "If there is ever something I've been curious about or wondered about, instead of doing it myself, I can get one of my characters to do it. It's almost like living it myself."

Plus, there's the added bonus of being able to experience high school in the way she never did.

"I like teens, and I like school-related themes," Diaz explained. "Maybe it's because I was homeschooled — I am fascinated with the school life."

Releasing her first book, published by Egmont, is a dream come true for Diaz.

"I've been writing all my life," Diaz explained. "I've always known that I wanted to be a writer — even when people would say, 'A degree in writing will guarantee you a job at McDonald's.' "

Diaz studied English and communications at Lake Forest College in Illinois; and just a month ago, returned from Bath, England, where she got her master's degree in writing for young people at Bath Spa University.

Diaz is already working on her second novel, but is keeping the subject under wraps. She's just happy to be raising awareness about her first for the moment.

"I see it as a fun, good read," Diaz said. "Hopefully (readers) might be able to get a little bit of self-assurance and self-respect knowing that with the choices they make in their life, they need to be true to themselves and to know what they want to do and how they want to act."

For more information, visit www.alexandra-diaz.com.

Contact Ana Maria Trujillo at 986-3084 or atrujillo@sfnewmexican.com.

IF YOU GO

What: Book reading and signing with Alexandra Diaz

Where: Las Chivas Coffeeshop, 7 Avenida Vista Grande in Eldorado

When: 1-3 p.m. Feb. 14

Cost: Free. Book costs $16.99, payable by check or cash only.