HostMarleneP: Hello, everyone! Welcome to the YA Author's Cafe. Thanks for coming! I am Marlene Perez, your host for tonight's chat. Before I introduce our guest, I would like to remind you of our format. I will be asking our guest a few questions. (since Nancy asked so nicely)

HostMarleneP: Before the last question, I will invite the audience to get ready to participate. If you would like to ask a question, type ? and type out your question so it's ready to SEND when I call on you. Please do not send it until I call on you. I will type "GA" and your name when it is your turn. GA stands for Go Ahead. Let's begin!

HostMarleneP: I'm thrilled to introduce Lara Zeises, author of Contents Under Pressure. We're celebrating with a virtual Publication Party, so now is the time for a few glasses of virtual champagne.

HostMarleneP: Congratulations, Lara! After reading Contents, I really wanted to know what the trigger was for this book? Did you see or overhear something? The dynamic between the sibs is one of the things I loved

Lara Z.: Thanks!

Lara Z.: I was starting the MFA in creative writing program at Emerson College, and had signed up to take a YA Novel Workshop with Lisa Jahn-Clough

Lara Z.: So I thought I should read up on the genre before classes started.

Lara Z.: I stumbled upon an article about how the industry needed more books about teens going through normal teen things, instead of big tragedies.

Lara Z.: At the time, my unofficial little sister (I'm an only child - I've borrowed siblings all of my life!) was going on fifteen, and I was thinking about what happened to her when she was thirteen - how her groups of friends started to change.

Lara Z.: So I guess you could say she was the inspiration.

Lara Z.: (I should note that I read that article in 1998 - which I guess is probably the last time the market was hungry for so-called "normal" novels.

HostMarleneP: what about Tobin & Lucy? did you know what would happen to them from the beginning?

Lara Z.: Actually, no. In the original draft, I had a vague idea that there would be an older boy for Lucy. Then he just sort of "popped up" at Homecoming. All of the scenes where she runs into him (literally)? Not one was planned. They all just sort of happened. GA

HostMarleneP: Can you talk about how you crafted Lucy's gradual disappointment/disillusionment with her brother Jack?

Lara Z.: Sure! The seeds for that came from me remembering the first time I disagreed with my parents' values. When I was very young, I remember my dad saying something about not liking the early Beatles. And then for years, I would repeat what he said as if it were my own opinion.

Lara Z.: And then one day I realized I really *liked* "I Wanna Hold Your Hand." Lightbulb! My parents weren't always right.

Lara Z.: In the book, this translated as Lucy realizing that Jack doesn't always have all of the answers - and that he's not always going to be the perfect person she's believed him to be up until this point.

Lara Z.: I think that's a big part of your early teens - learning how to form your own opinions/values, and then deal with the fallout from that.

Lara Z.: (Did I answer the question?)

HostMarleneP: Speaking of forming your own opinions & values, I thought you handled the varying degrees of teen sexual experiences very well in this book. Can you talk about that (and yes, you did answer the question)

Lara Z.: Oh, whew. :)

HostMarleneP: (you knew I was gonna bring THAT up, right?)

Lara Z.: I had a feeling. :)

Lara Z.: I have really mixed feelings about teens and sexuality.

Lara Z.: Lately I've been feeling really angry at Britney Spears - I'm scapegoating her for the sexualization of little girls in our country.

Lara Z.: But there's this other side of me that also gets angry that you so rarely see female protagonists in YA who enjoy sex.

Lara Z.: Melvin Burgess's latest novel, DOING IT, revels in male teen sexuality, and it's getting tons of praise for that. But if you had that book from the girl's point of view? I don't think it would be received quite so well.

Lara Z.: It's been a long time since Judy Blume published FOREVER - 30 years, right? And not a lot has changed in terms of YA lit.

E Lockhart: I agree about them not enjoying sex. It seems like if they do have sex, they always regret it. And sending that message over and over isn't promoting healthy sexuality, exactly.

Lara Z.: Exactly!

Lara Z.: So in CONTENTS, I have Tabitha, who's 14 and had her first sexual experience - and isn't scarred by it.

Lara Z.: She thinks about what it means that she's had sex, but she's not crushed. She wasn't taken advantage of.

Lara Z.: At the same time we have Lucy, who's not where Tabitha is. She's not ready to be sexual, and yet she's dating a cute older boy with more experience.

E Lockhart: Burgess did write Lady: My Life as a Bitch, which is about a girl who turns into a dog and has quite a lot of dog sex. (sorry, but that's the case). She enjoys it. But Forever is still the only one I've read where the girl is ready and likes it and is human.

Lara Z.: It's not that she doesn't feel sexual - she's just not ready to be sexually active.

Lara Z.: And that's okay too.

E Lockhart: That's a great distinction -- between feeling sexual and being ready to be active.

Lara Z.: Right. Because not every girl who is a virgin is a prude, or acting on religious conviction or whatever. Lucy is lucky, because she's surrounded by people who will talk openly and honestly about sex.

HostMarleneP: Okay, this is my last question and then I'll open it up for questions. Can you tell us what your next project is? Everyone get your questions ready. Remember to type your name and ?

Lara Z.: Sorry - didn't mean to ramble. :)

HostMarleneP: Oops. Lara, please continue if you're not finished.

Lara Z.: My third novel, ANYONE BUT YOU, will be out in the fall of 2005. It's about a blue-haired skateboarder and her faux-brother, who idolizes Rod Stewart, and what happens to their family one very hot summer when the air conditioner breaks down.

Lara Z.: No, it's okay! I can talk about that stuff forever. :)

HostMarleneP: Okay, I'm opening this up for questions. Thanks for answering my questions Lara

Lara Z.: Thanks for asking them, Marlene!

Nancy Werlin: I appreciated your comments on sexuality, Lara. Re Britney Spears, mustn't it also be true that she was "packaged" sexually by others, at least at first?

Lara Z.: Oh, of course!

Lara Z.: She's a symptom, not the problem.

Lara Z.: But I know a four year old who bumps and grinds around the living room, copying Britney, and it scares the hell out of me!

Nancy Werlin: Makes me ill, too.

Lara Z.: What I hate isn't so much Britney as a person (in fact, I have a lot of sympathy for her, because she's been used by the machine).

Lara Z.: But I hate how she became famous - "Baby, Hit Me One More Time" - and that Madonna kiss! Please! It's one thing to enjoy kissing girls - it's another to enjoy it for the sole purpose of turning guys on.

Nancy Werlin: Agree/

Lara Z.: Anyway, Nancy, my point is that yes, she was packaged by a system that takes great pleasure in sexualizing little girls. And that's really very scary to me, and I think that's why I write for a predominantly female audience. GA

Melissa: Lara, as a fellow Delawarean, I love the connections to Delaware that are in both BONES and CONTENTS. What kind of reactions have you gotten from readers, both from Delaware and beyond, to this sense of place in your books?

Lara Z.: Oh, MELISSA!

Melissa: yeah, I'm that Melissa. :-)

Lara Z.: Well, people who aren't from Delaware are always like, "Why are your characters in *Delaware*?"

Lara Z.: But the ones who are love seeing the places they treasure, like Battery Park and the Charcoal Pit, in a book.

Lara Z.: DE teens have responded really well, especially the reluctant readers, to BONES.

Lara Z.: And for me, it's just a lot of fun to write about my home.

Di: How do you know when your manuscript is finally finished?

Lara Z.: That's a great question, Di!

Lara Z.: I think it's different for every book. With the first draft of ANYONE, my next book, I spent about 14 hours drinking two 12-cup pots of coffee and banging out the last 40 pages. I knew it was crap and that my editor and I would have our work cut out for us, but I needed to get to the end to go back to the beginning and make it good (if that makes sense).

Lara Z.: With BONES, I was just sort of typing the New Year's Eve scene and finished it and was like, "Oh, wow. Am I done?" That was my first novel, and I have to tell you, I got this weird flutter in my chest after finishing that first draft.

Bethany: How much does popular culture influence your books?

Lara Z.: Bethany - A LOT. I am a total pop culture junkie. I have a lot of pop references in each book, but to keep the book from becoming "dated" I try to use timeless ones.

Jonathan: First, who were your favorite YA authors before you became a published writer and which authors do you admire now? And second, are you a plotter or a plunger?

Lara Z.: Fun questions!

Lara Z.: I didn't even know what YA had to offer until I was 22 and taking a YA lit class in grad school.

Lara Z.: The first book that EVER made me cry - and I have always been a voracious reader - was Paul Zindel's THE PIGMAN.

Lara Z.: So I have to say I adore him. But I also loved Francesca Lia Block, Rob Thomas, Ellen Wittlinger, Laurie Halse Anderson, Nancy Werlin (and no, I'm not sucking up), and Blake Nelson (even though GIRL was technically an adult novel).

Lara Z.: Now, my favorite author is Megan McCafferty. Seriously, I worship at her feet. I also love Gordon Korman, MT Anderson (my literary crush object), Alex Flinn, and oh - too many to name.

Lara Z.: I think it's an exciting time in YA because there are so many wonderful new authors.

Lara Z.: I loved Melissa's first book - RAISING THE GRIFFIN - and of course I'm a huge fan of Laurie Faria Stolarz, Tea Benduhn, and Kim Ablon Whitney.

Lara Z.: Oh - and I'm a plunger on the first draft and a plotter on the second.

traces: hi lara!! laurie intro'd you once as "diva of teen-speak!" where do you get your teen-speak???

Lara Z.: Oh, I forgot to mention Chris Lynch, Carolyn Mackler, and Sarah Dessen.

Lara Z.: I think it's the way *I* speak. Really, I'm just an overgrown teenager.

Lara Z.: I do listen in on conversations - I teach college freshmen - and I watch a lot of teen TV. Oh, and I read teen magazines. GA

Book Lizard: What's the best thing about being a YA author?

Lara Z.: Talking to teenagers. Hands down.

Lara Z.: I love going into schools, and getting e-mails from readers.

Lara Z.: I think teens get really excited when they feel that an adult looks at them as someone on their level.

Lara Z.: They feel like you "get" them. And that makes me happy.

Lara Z.: Oh, and I love the supportive YA community. That I love a lot. Very huggy kind of community.

sammy: Do you pretty much work on the novel the whole way through by yourself or do you show it to people along the way?

Lara Z.: I show it to my critique group before even my editor gets to see it.

Lara Z.: I mentioned them below - Laurie Faria Stolarz (my hero), Tea Benduhn, Kim Ablon Whitney, and Steven Goldman, who hasn't sold his first book yet but that's only because he hasn't finished it - it's brilliant.

Lara Z.: They see 20-50 page chunks as I write them.

Lara Z.: Then I revise on their recommendation, and THEN my editor gets it.

Bethany: How much of your personal life/family life is put into your books?

Lara Z.: I steal bits and pieces.

Lara Z.: Critter, the male protagonist of my third novel, is obsessed with Rod Stewart. I stole that from a guy I knew in high school, this emo artist boy, who knew everything about Rod Stewart. We could never figure out why.

Lara Z.: BONES was inspired, in part, but the death of my friend's ex-boyfriend, who was killed in an accident very much like the one in the book.

Lara Z.: Bridget shares some of my quirks - relating life to TV, for starters - but she's mostly fictional, too.

DebbyG: How important do you think your MFA training was in writing a publishable novel?

Lara Z.: That's a great question, Debby.

Lara Z.: I would say both VERY important and NOT IMPORTANT AT ALL

Lara Z.: VERY important because that's how I "fell into" YA - and Lisa Jahn-Clough, my mentor, was just a dream - so nurturing. I also got to study under Myra McClarey, Andre Dubus III, and Jessica Treadway - wonderful writers and teachers who really shaped how I not only approach writing, but myself as a writer.

Lara Z.: EVEN MORE IMPORTANT because I found my critique group in Lisa's classes.

Lara Z.: I love them and couldn't do what I do without them.

Lara Z.: But grad school left me with $70k in student loans.

Bethany: ouch

Nancy Werlin: (faints dead away.)

Lara Z.: I don't regret it - I needed to go to grad school, to give myself permission to write - but yeah. It's like a mortgage.

HostMarleneP: (fans Nancy and grabs the smelling salts)

Melissa: eeeks.

Lara Z.: I don't think you need to have an MFA to be a successful novelist.

DebbyG: wow... took a long time to pay off my husband's Emory Law loans too!

Lara Z.: I think it helps in terms of you making contacts and again - that giving yourself permission to write sort of thing.

Lara Z.: But lawyers end up with cushy incomes and health care and paid vacation!

traces: how is it writing the new book from a guy's POV?

Lara Z.: It was HARD.

Nancy Werlin: (sneaking out....thanks, Lara, you're wonderful.)

Lara Z.: I really had to break out of my comfort zone and I second-guessed myself every step of the way. Oh! I was going to say how much I admire people like Nancy and Melissa and AM Jenkins (DAMAGE is one of my faves) and Alex Flinn for writing such dead-on male voices.

Lara Z.: But I definitely liked challenging myself. And I love Critter as a character, so, you know - eventually the voice came.

MelissaW: Lara, I'm curious about your thoughts on the boundaries of YA (given the age and situation of Bridget, the heroin of BONES and your love of Megan McCafferty,) where you think the boundaries are, how far you think they can or should be pushed, stuff like that.

Lara Z.: My second-favorite topic!

Lara Z.: I should note I'm moderating a panel chat on Sept. 14th on this very topic.

Lara Z.: But okay - I'm a huge fan of upper-level YA. It's maybe my favorite subgenre. BONES would fall into that category, and the book I'm about to start writing, JULIE, BY THE NUMBERS, caters to that crowd too.

Lara Z.: I heard Marc Aronson speak back in 2000 about crossover and how the publishing industry has always neglected the 18 to 21 year olds, and it was like, LIGHTBULB!

Lara Z.: When I was that age I was reading Douglas Coupland, because at least it was sort of close to what I was going through. I didn't want to be reading about mid-life crises when I was just entering adulthood, you know?

Lara Z.: The most frustrating thing about the conventions of YA, for me, anyway, is the language thing.

HostMarleneP: (we'll have time for one more question from Book Lizard, in just a moment

Lara Z.: Teens can handle the f-word, but if you use it in a book, say goodbye to sales!

Lara Z.: Anyway, my point is that I think the boundaries are flexible - and getting even more so.

Book Lizard: Do you use a word processor to write or do you write long-hand? How do you deal with writer's block? How many more books do you think you'll need to publish to pay off those loans? :-) Oops, 3 questions.

Lara Z.: I never ever write longhand. Well, that's not entirely true. Sometimes I'll write a letter or diary entry for my characters long hand. But I type like 85 WPM, so it makes more sense to use my computer to write - so my hands can keep up with my brain.

Lara Z.: Writer's block: Toughie. Sometimes I just try to push through - make myself write crap just so I keep writing. Other times I'll go watch a movie or read a great book to inspire myself.

Bethany: 85 wpm??!! i could tell with your quick responses!

Lara Z.: As for my loans ... let's just say I see myself using all 30 years to get rid of that debt. :)

Book Lizard: LOL

Lara Z.: Any other questions?

Lara Z.: Awww.

HostMarleneP: Hey, all, our official time is almost up--some of us need to go-but the rest of you are welcome to stay and chat as long as you like.

Lara Z.: Marlene - thanks for being such a great host!

HostMarleneP: Lara, I want to thank you so much for being here. Truly inspirational. I can't believe how much we like the same authors. Paul Zindel is one of my favs too.

MelissaW: (Must go but Lara, you rock, truly! Great chat!)

Bethany: thank you for sharing

Lara Z.: Bye, Melissa and Marlene - love you guys!

Lara Z.: And thanks too to all of you for taking time to stop in tonight! I really appreciate it.

Lara Z.: I can stick around a while, if there are more questions!

HostMarleneP: Lara, where is your panel on Sept 14?

Lara Z.: Here! At the YA Authors Café!

DebbyG: Was it hard to get published the first time?

Lara Z.: Debby, I hate answering that question because I was incredibly lucky.

Lara Z.: I just know other authors who write beautiful prose who had a longer road to getting published - and who are now BURYING me in sales. V. happy for them, though. :)

Bethany: do you write your books straight through or do you write scenes and then piece them together?

Lara Z.: Andre, one of my teachers at Emerson, preached that you have to start at page 1 and write straight through to the end, no skipping, to keep the process organic.

Lara Z.: I used to think it was a bunch of pretentious hooey but the summer after I took his class I realized how absolutely brilliant he is.

Lara Z.: So yeah - that's how I write.

HostMarleneP: Lara, do you have a hard time during the writing process judging your work? I always think the project I'm working on is utter crud

Lara Z.: Marlene - YES.

Lara Z.: I am always terrified I'm writing the biggest piece of crap ever.

Lara Z.: The third book - the one I'm wrapping up final edits on - oh my.

Lara Z.: The first draft was total crap, and then I rewrote about 75% of it for the second draft.

Lara Z.: And I was TERRIFIED.

Lara Z.: But my editor loved it and in talking to her about it I got more comfortable with the story I ended up writing.

Lara Z.: So now I'm tweaking and feeling better about the project.

sammy: Lara, you mentioned basing the accident in BONES on something that happened to your friend. Did you ask her permission first? (Asking because I have a similar situation.)

Lara Z.: Sammy - she's a very close friend and knew about the project early on, but no, I didn't ask formal permission.

Lara Z.: There are other things I've written that I've run by certain people.

Di: How do you know when your rewrites are just right?

Lara Z.: Di, in answer to your question - I never know.

Lara Z.: I could probably rewrite a novel 8,000 times and still see stuff I'd like to change.

Melissa: Lara, I had a question. I love the characters you've created--I was wondering if there's cases where you've had to struggle to develop the character, or do they just spring fully formed? And how do you work with a character that's not gelling?

Lara Z.: Seattle - the protagonist in my third novel - is a skateboarder. In the first draft, she wasn't. But my editor pointed out that she didn't have any interests, and I realized I didn't know her well enough. When I discovered she was a skateboarder, it changed about 700 things in the book. But now I can only see her as a skateboarder - it's so much a part of who she is.

Lara Z.: As for "gelling" - I think it's more a question of deepening. Making the character more full-bodied. Bethany asked earlier if I start with plot or character.
Lara Z.: I start with character and the truth is, they "live" in my head for about two years before I even start putting them on paper. So I usually know them pretty well before I start writing.

DebbyG: Have you gotten any negative reviews, email, etc. about the young girl enjoying sex?

Lara Z.: I had reviews that mentioned the graphic sex - one scene, necessary to character - but no one trashed the book for it.

Lara Z.: Oh, and no negative e-mails (yet).

jaimeee: Can you tell us about some of the other characters in the next book?

Lara Z.: OK, so ANYONE BUT YOU - aka Book #3

Lara Z.: Seattle is the blue-haired skateboarding girl. She's tough but soft, if that makes sense. She lives with Layla, her dad's ex-girflriend, and her two sons, Jesse and Critter.

HostMarleneP: (I forgot to say that the Cafe is on vacation the next few weeks) Lara, I have to run, too. Early morning phone call with my editor. I'd love to see one of your books on the silver screen. Good night everyone! Lara, FABULOUS chat. Thanks so much!

Lara Z.: Thanks guys, for a great night!