Over at desirous of everything, Sarah has a great interview with one of my favorite YA authors, Sara Zarr. Zarr’s books are so subtle yet so moving–fantastic examples of what contemporary YA can be. It’s hard to imagine a time when agents/publishers didn’t take notice, but Zarr talks about how she dealt with rejection:

“It felt more like pain than like frustration, I must say. It was a kind of sadness, and fear about the future. (Is this ever going to happen for me? Is what I’m experiencing now what the next ten years are going to feel like? Please, God, no.) I kept it to myself a lot–I didn’t have very many writer friends back then. And then I’d also get mad. My competitive juices would start to flow when I read published work and knew mine was as good or better. I felt I had something to prove, and in the last couple of years, especially, I think I was mostly burning on the fumes of rage and determination.”

I’m sure most writers (YA or not) can relate to these feelings. The question of “Is it ever going to happen for me?” is huge. There are so many talented people and not all of them get to be published authors, for a number of reasons. But I think it’s a relief to read about how an author like Sara Zarr felt the same way. I’m so glad she didn’t give up! Imagine a world without her books–too sad.

Make sure to click through for the rest of the interview, and happy writing!

PS–Sara Zarr has a new book, How to Save a Life coming out this month!