Emily Wing Smith and J.L. Powers-Kepler's Books
This past week, I had the extraordinary privilege of doing three book events with young adult writer Emily Wing Smith. Our second young adult novels each came out within a week of each other so it seemed like a natural to have her fly out to the Bay Area and do booksignings together.
I met Emily a couple of years ago at the annual SCBWI conference in Los Angeles and fell in love with her immediately, which to be honest, probably happens to everybody who meets Emily. She’s quirky, honest, and beautiful. Spend even just a few minutes with her and you’ll notice that all these random things fall out of her mouth, except it turns out, they’re not exactly random–they’re hilarious critiques on life, herself, her Mormon faith, and the world around her.
It’s no surprise to anybody who knows me that I’m fascinated with religion and Mormonism is no exception. One of the things I love about Emily is how quickly she understands and acknowledges the difference between Mormon culture and Mormon faith. A long long time ago, I left Christianity because I was sick of Christian culture and it seemed to me that 90% of the Christians around me couldn’t distinguish between the culture and the faith. Well, Emily’s had the same experience within Mormonism–but she stuck it out and she stayed. And now she writes about it. Her first novel, The Way He Lived, takes place in Haven, Utah, a town where 96% of the population is Mormon and does things a certain way because “that’s Mormonism.” Her second novel, Back When You Were Easier to Love, is a romantic comedy. It also takes place in Haven–and this book is a more direct analysis of the difference between being Mormon culturally (right down to drinking Sprite all the time) and being Mormon because you agree with the church’s theological teachings. The main character Joy is obsessed with her boyfriend, Barry Manilow, and the fact that she hates hates hates Haven. There’s a road trip, a surprise birthday gift, Las Vegas, and one of those awful open-mic poetry readings that we’ve all suffered through. It’s a book about discovering that the person you thought you loved is not the person you thought he was nor is he the person you love (and most of us have been through that experience.)
The book is funny and awesome and I’m happy to give one copy away to one of my readers. To be entered in the contest, please write about a time in your life when you thought you were in love and found out that maybe things weren’t quite what they seemed. The contest is also taking place on my facebook page, under notes, but I’ll keep track.
I asked Emily to share a few thoughts with me and here they are.
Tell me how you thought of your main character Joy. Is she anything like you? Or totally different?
Readers have used the word “stalkerish” to describe Joy—the same word, ironically, that has been used to describe me! Okay, so maybe not so ironically. I’ve always been the obsessive type, especially as a teen—about my writing, my friends, and yes, also guys. A guy, more specifically. People called me obsessed, but they weren’t bothered by it as much as some readers are bothered by Joy.
I think some of us don’t want to be reminded of how that kind of obsession exists, because it’s scary and somewhat pathetic to remember being that dependent on someone else for our own happiness. But for a lot of people, it’s been true at one point or another. The trick is learning to depend on yourself. It’s the same for the characters whose journey we share–whether they figure it out in one-third of a book or it takes them the whole thing.
Don’t name names, but surely you’ve known someone like Zan. (Haven’t we all). Tell us about it!
I met “Zan” in high school. Actually there were two guys who made up Zan—and one of them actually did wear his grandpa’s shoes! The other guy did make up his own language and didn’t fit in well with the rest of the student body. I thought he was cool, but most people didn’t share my opinion. He ditched town as soon as he could.
You’ve told me you moved to a town just like Haven when you were about Joy’s age. (Maybe it was Haven, I don’t know.) Was your experience anything like Joy’s? What was it like, going from California to Mormon Utah?
When I was a teenager, I moved to a city almost identical to Haven. It wasn’t far from where I’d grown up–both areas were suburbs of Salt Lake City–but it was like a different world. Mormons are divided into congregations (wards) via geographical location. Instead of asking me where I lived, kids would ask me what ward I was in—before even asking if I was Mormon. I am Mormon, but I wasn’t used to it being a given. I wasn’t used to the city’s quirks that were so natural to everyone at my new high school. It got me wondering: if these quirks were so jarring to me, who had only moved thirty miles, how jarring would they be to someone who’d moved from a different state? That’s when the character Joy Afterclein was born.
So….why young adult literature?
I’ve wanted to write young adult fiction since the time I was a young adult myself. I read YA literature in junior high and high school, studied YA literature in college, and specialized in YA literature in graduate school. I feel the same way a lot of YA authors feel: that in my heart, I will forever be seventeen years old.
I think there’s this weird moment of loving the idea of a person that I really get hooked into – it’s what makes me interested in a guy to the point of obsession. I remember it happening a lot when I was in my freshman year of college. I’d meet these guys in class or at church or through friends and think they were amazing and that if given the chance we would surely fall in love. I laugh thinking about it because what was I going off – pretty much their looks and the small details I knew about them from short conversations. So then I’d actually go on a date or hang out with them and after a few times I’d realize this person I had obsessed about for however long was NOTHING like I had imagined. And not only that, in most cases was not even someone I would want to date.
Love and dating and first impressions are pretty much fascinating to me.
And so is Emily’s book. I can’t wait to read it!
i think maybe comments aren’t working here? just checking…
I really liked this guy in high school, but when we went to college he didn’t want to get serious. He happened to introduce me to his friend (boy 2), whom he thought I would get along with really well – and boy 2 and I totally hit it off. We started dating, only boy 1 decided he wanted to date me for reals this time. So things got confusing for a few months with the three of us, but I ended up realizing that as much as I still loved boy 1, he wasn’t who I wanted to stick around with. So I went on dating boy 2, and a year later we got married.
The good news is, all three of us are still good friends. And it really is hard giving up that first love, even when something better for you is staring you in the face.
And Emily’s books are absolutely amazing!
I really liked this guy in high school, but when we went to college he didn’t want to get serious. He happened to introduce me to his friend (boy 2), whom he thought I would get along with really well – and boy 2 and I totally hit it off. We started dating, only boy 1 decided he wanted to date me for reals this time. So things got confusing for a few months with the three of us, but I ended up realizing that as much as I still loved boy 1, he wasn’t who I wanted to stick around with. So I went on dating boy 2, and a year later we got married.
The good news is, all three of us are still good friends. And it really is hard giving up that first love, even when something better for you is staring you in the face.
And Emily’s book is absolutely amazing!
I thought I was in love with this guy once. He was in my eyes perfect, but there was more to him than met the eye, and he ended up being someone totally unrecognizable. We used to be so close now we cant even stand each other. Sometimes growing up tears you apart from the people you have loved the most.
Well…I’m not one to tell personal stories (especially teenage ones). But, I’d do anything for Emily! You described her perfectly–so loveable from the first moment! And, I can’t wait to read the book!
In short, my first “love” was when I was 16. I knew it was real, but I subscribed to the “it’s better to date lots of different boys” philosophy. When he realized I wasn’t going to go to every single school dance with him that year, he was offended beyond what even a plate of my homemade cookies could repair. And, that was pretty much the end. Sad!
Shar, I hate spam so I approve people first. Now that I’ve approved you, you can comment as much as you want and they’ll show up right away.
And I was travelling this last week and didn’t approve anything until today.
Oh, the love that isn’t! Or the not love that you think is!
Mine was an Ecuadoran whom I waited on when I was a single mom going to college and raising a young daughter. I thought he was so wonderfully sweet, such a nice change from the abusive marriage I’d left several states behind. And he was, for the first three months. Then he was ready to move in. Together! And told me I shouldn’t drive my (perfectly good) car back to Virginia to visit friends, that it wasn’t safe. I should rent a car. I realized my freedom was too important to me, and I understood then that what I loved wasn’t the man, but someone being kind to me. Now I have both.
I was in middle school when I met Alex. He was a freshman in high school and I saw him every morning when I went to take advanced geometry at his school. We exchanged meaningful glances the entire school year. We even figured out each others schedules so that we arrived at the same time and casually bumped into each every morning. I’m not kidding when I say this went on for the entire school year without ever exchanging more than a polite, ‘good morning’, ‘excuse me’, or ‘sorry’ if the shoulder-bump was a little to hard.
Two years later, I saw Alex again. Somehow I had missed him the previous year, my Freshman year. We exchanged glances and my heart skipped a beat. My best friend, Yahaira, noticed our little game and being the great friend that she was, officially introduced us. This lead to months of delightful conversations during and after lunch with Alex. I loved horses, he owned horses. I loved music, he played the guitar and guiro. He loved kids, I had a baby! And every time the topic came up, he suddenly remembered that he had something to do, somewhere to be. But low and behold, there he was the next day, waiting for me with a smile and bright hazel eyes.
Kathy, had the most beautiful blue eyes in the world and gorgeous black curls that framed her face. She took on personal interest in my son. When ever she happened to spot Alex and I engaged in deep conversation, she stopped by to inquire about the baby. And Alex would remember some prior commitment. Needless to say Alex started spending more time with Kathy. I knew there was no way to compete. Not with those sky blue eyes and jet black, well defined curls.
I met someone else a short time later, fell deeply ‘in love’ and married him. A month later, Alex showed up wanting to pick up where we had left off. I will never forget the look of deep hurt and loss in his eyes. It broke my heart to hurt him.
I’ve often wondered about those mixed feelings. I’ve been married for years now, and I love my husband deeply. But I don’t think that changes what I felt for Alex. Would my heart skip a beat if I saw him today? Did I love him? Do I love him still? What is love? Do we deliberately ‘fall in love? And how is it that we can love so much, lose, and love again?