People like Beatrice Sparks

Beatrice Ruby Mathews Sparks (January 15, 1917 – May 25, 2012) was a Mormon youth counselor, author, and serial hoaxer, known primarily for producing books purporting to be the "real diaries" of troubled teenagers. The books deal with topical issues such as drug abuse, Satanism, teenage pregnancy, and AIDS, and are presented as cautionary tales. Although Sparks presented herself as merely the discoverer and editor of the diaries, records at the U.S. Copyright Office list her as the sole author for all but two of them, indicating that the books were fabricated and fictional.

Beatrice Ruby Mathews Sparks was born in Goldburg, Custer County, Idaho and grew up in Logan, Utah. She was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and an aspiring writer who contributed to local business and church publications. In later years she claimed to be a licensed psychotherapist and youth counselor with a Ph.D. in either psychology or psychiatry. Critics have questioned Sparks's qualifications and experience, and researchers have been unable to find a record of the Ph.D. she claimed on book jackets and in her resume. One interviewer wrote that Sparks was "vague about specifics" when asked about her counseling qualifications and professional experience.