High school, hormones and drama … oh, my!

Laura Johnston, author of Rewind to You, and Shannyn Schroeder, author of Her Best Shot, chat each other up about their high school years (going AND teaching) and their new New Adult books.

Laura: Ah, high school. What a wealth of story material brews within those walls. It's delicious to authors like us, isn't it, Shannyn? Or … is it? Tell us, what did you like most about high school? And least?

Shannyn: I didn't really like high school. I didn't dislike it either. For me, it was a stepping stone to freedom. I went to an all-girls Catholic school, so I didn't have the drama of hormones and boys. But it was the learning that I loved. I had a chance to be challenged in my classes (at least when I wanted to be). I had some English teachers who really inspired me, and that's when I knew I wanted to teach.

Why did you want to teach high school, Laura? What was your favorite thing about teaching?

Laura: All in all, I loved high school. When I realized teaching was what I wanted to do, I knew high school was the right age. I loved the kids — they were definitely the best part. Hearing them call out, "Mrs. J!" in the hallway and seeing them stop by my room to say hi. Having my husband get in trouble by the hall monitor for "dropping his daughter off in the faculty parking lot" was fun, too. (I doubt I'd get such a compliment now over six years later, though. Dang wrinkles.)

Shannyn: Why did you decide to write YA? Didn't you get enough of the hormone-fueled attitude as a teacher?

Laura: Gosh, maybe I have issues. I teach high school because I didn't get enough and then I start writing about teenagers. Maybe I'm in denial? Teaching high school taught me that teenagers want to be understood. They are dealing with real-life issues, some life altering, and they all have a story to tell. I love getting inside my characters' heads and writing from the teen point of view.

How did your perspective change concerning high school once you were on the teaching side, Shannyn? What was your favorite part of teaching?

Shannyn: My perspective didn't change a whole lot from one side of the desk to the other. As a student, I wanted to be challenged. I wanted to be heard, instead of being treated like a bucket waiting to be filled with knowledge (That makes school so boring.) My favorite part of teaching was definitely getting kids involved.

I always set high expectations for my students and went on the assumption that they could do whatever I expected, even if they didn't think they could. There is no better feeling than watching a student leave class proud of herself because she was able to accomplish that.

Laura: We both have high school teaching in common, Shannyn, but that's not all. Both of our upcoming novels, Her Best Shot and Rewind to You, are set in Georgia! Have you spent much time in Georgia? What made you decide to set your novel there?

Shannyn: HA! I've only passed through Georgia a few times. I chose Georgia for practicality. Layla is driving from Maryland to Texas. I looked at possible routes to decide where her car needed to break down. I liked Georgia because I could put her in a big city (Atlanta) so she would be comfortable (you can't take city girls like us and put us in a small town), but it would be different than my other books, which all take place in Chicago.

Your book takes place over the summer — Sienna's last before college. Why is this good timing for Sienna's story?

Laura: You graduate, and BOOM — everything changes drastically. Sienna finds she has a lot more to deal with than the typical graduate does, too. When she returns to her family's beach house on Tybee Island, memories of the last summer her family spent together there assault her, reminding her of the tragedy that took her father away. Sienna is trapped in a cycle of rewinding to moments she can't change, and Austin holds the key to her release. But is release what she wants? The past is hard to let go of, especially when it's all we have left of the people we love.

Speaking of graduation, Layla Sharpe, your heroine in Her Best Shot, is graduating as well — from college. Layla's car breaks down halfway to her destination during spring break. Can you tell us what inspired this story?

Shannyn:Her Best Shot was always intended to be a novella, which is only about one-third the length of one of my typical books. I knew the easiest way for me to control the length would be to set a time limit for my characters to be together.

Spring break was the perfect fit. It was a little fantasy for me because I never did the whole wild spring break thing in college. Much like Layla and her friends, I was nerdy and focused on getting into my life and career. So I wanted my nerdy girls to get that. Of course, they don't because as a writer, I can't make things too easy for them. While they don't get the spring break they planned, they each get something better.

Find out more about Laura's and Shannyn's books on their websites, LauraJohnstonAuthor.com and ShannynSchroeder.com.