The story behind “The Text”

Recently, a friend asked where I got the idea for my latest novel, The Text. As we talked, I mentioned several reviewers commented on “determination” being a central theme in the book. Although I didn’t intend for this to be a theme, it shouldn’t have surprised me, considering the determination I’d been living with for several years.

The idea for my latest novel originated in 2016 while watching a news story about particular groups claiming tech companies had denied them equal access on social media platforms. The groups believed the tech companies were purposefully suppressing their posts. At the time, I’d just signed a contract for my debut novel, Sour Lemon and Sweet Tea, and was in the middle of writing the sequel, Sour Lemon Strikes Out. So, I did what any writer would do; I drafted a quick outline and put it away. A few months later, I wrote 10,000 words in one sitting, something I had never done before or since! The words poured onto my laptop, and I couldn’t stop. But once again, I didn’t have time to complete the novel.

A few months later, the Sour Lemon Series was released, followed by invitations to speak at schools. My schedule was jam-packed until the Spring of 2020, when my business came to a screeching halt. Like everyone else, I now had a lot of time on my hands. The book I’d written several years prior suddenly came to life as events happened in real time. I took every moment to capture the words on paper and completed the book in 2021. But when I sent it out to trusted readers and publishers, the feedback was always the same. It didn’t fit as a contemporary story. It felt “too real”.

I’ve always believed that if a young adult novel has an exciting story that captures the reader’s attention, it doesn’t need sex, drugs, alcohol, and cursing.

Yet nearly every traditionally published YA book I read during this time period was full of questionable content. After facing rejection after rejection from agents and publishers, I rewrote the entire book (86,000 words) as a near-future dystopian novel. Determined to stay true to my beliefs, I made a bold decision in 2022 to establish a publishing house for clean teen and children’s literature. I didn’t want to just publish my own works, I wanted to publish other books that shared similar values.

The turning point for The Text came last summer when I gave an advance reader copy to a sixteen-year-old girl who loved reading dystopian. Her feedback, as well as that from several other teens, would ultimately determine if this story had captured my target audience.

Here’s what she said: “I love the world you created! The technology district and Threats Division seem to have a strong power over the people to keep them in order. One thing I really love is how it is more on the fast-paced side. Nothing so far has dragged or got boring, and I want to keep reading more!”

That solidified what I always believed: write a well-crafted story full of action, suspense, and drama, and readers will love it! And the rest, as they say, is history. The Text is a novel you and your teens can enjoy together without ever worrying about questionable content.

What ideas do you have for a novel? With a lot of determination, you can turn your idea into a great book!