Students filled the Lecture Hall after school on Oct. 30, eagerly anticipating the special visit from two accomplished authors, Alexa Donne and Veronica Bane. Sponsored by the Arcadia High School (AHS) Book Club, they spoke about their writing processes, inspirations, and how they’ve learned to deal with the setbacks in their careers.
“I was a little skeptical at first because I’ve never been to events like this, but I thought that it was really helpful and encouraging for students who lean more towards English-related subjects,” said freshman Austin Ng.
As a freelance college consultant, Donne was motivated to write her book, The Ivies, after seeing the hardships and competitiveness of the college admissions process. She initially wrote romance and science fiction, but has recently moved to more mature topics and, specifically, messed-up rich kids.
“I also use many classic horror tropes, such as poisoning and ‘the killer is among you, in my books,” said Donne.
Bane was similarly encouraged to create a story based on her personal experiences. She had earned teaching credentials from Chapman University and worked as a ghostwriter, or a person hired to write something that is credited to another, for several years. Having previously been a princess and an usher at a theme park, she became curious about situations in which someone died there and wrote this in her narrative, Difficult Girls.
“I wanted to relate the book to teens making bad decisions, too, and felt that a theme park was a good place to make the story compelling and awful,” said Bane.
Even with these authors’ triumphs nowadays, their paths to success weren’t easily achieved. Bane has stated that after the death of her mother, it was difficult for her to continue writing. Additionally, she had to experience one of her books, Sunflower, being immediately rejected for publication when the sales and marketing team disapproved, despite the rest of the agents taking a liking to it.
“Sunflower didn’t sell, but it launched my ghostwriting career, which proves that it may not be as bad as it seems when things don’t work out the way they’re supposed to,” said Bane.
Donne faced problems during her time, as well, with her debut novel being the 3rd story she had written. She had also initially pursued a career in journalism before reading the Twilight series and deciding that she could be an author, too.
“I really enjoyed their books and the dark humor elements incorporated in them. I also think that the issues they talked about were really relevant to not just writers, but students as well,” said freshman Melanie Escoar.
During the Q&A, both authors agreed on multiple aspects of their writing techniques and concepts. They added that the time spent on writing books varied, since money or deadlines would push them to complete faster, while perfectionism would slow down the process. The authors also explained that failures actually led to greater accomplishments and to their ability to thrive.
“Writing isn’t linear, and burnout should be managed rather than avoided. You can do this in plenty of ways, like taking a walk or talking to friends,” said Donne.
Inspirations for their works were elaborated upon, too. Donne commented that she was motivated by the nonfiction book Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, while Bane stated that she was influenced by the movie Scream and the novel Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery.
In all, this event was extremely beneficial for those who are interested in careers related to literature. Both visitors encouraged students to write about their passions and be unafraid of the obstacles along the way, setting the stage for future authors and writers.
PHOTO COURTESY OF BOOK CLUB
