Writing is about storytelling; it's about sharing experience.
Most of us already know what we need to know — we just need someone to listen, says author Kristen Chandler, who uses some of her own experiences throughout her debut novel, "Wolves, Boys, and Other Things That Might Kill Me" (Viking, $17.99, young adult) .
"Many of the things that happened in the book happened to me," the Orem resident said. "It's a cumulative thing. The story grew out of my experience, not the other way around."
Chandler, who says she has been a storyteller since childhood, is a University of Utah graduate who currently teaches writing in the honors department at BYU.
"I love working with the students at BYU," Chandler said. "It's fun for them to see how (getting published) works out. It takes away some of the mystique that only other people can get published. That part is a lot of fun. And it's good for them to know the nitty-gritty details of the process."
The process includes a lot of work and the right timing.
Chandler started out writing books for adults. It got her through graduate school, but the writing was uneven and she wasn't happy with the results. From there, life happened, and dreams of becoming an author fell by the wayside. Chandler found work as a writer at Utah Holiday magazine, started a family and began teaching.
Six years ago, however, she returned to writing with full energy. And with it, came a new love for young adult literature and the voice she found reading it.
"I just felt so much the opportunity for me in that kind of genre, that experience with voice," she said. "I love to write first person. I love to write present tense. I love the experience that happens to people between the years of 10 and 20 — those crazy years when you discover who you want to be."
But Chandler couldn't depend solely on finding her voice. She also had to find a publisher. It was a long road, and there were times of despondency as agents sat on her manuscript and nerve-wracking waits as two publishing houses made bids for her book.
In the end, Viking offered Chandler a one-book contract with the stipulation of first right of refusal with her next book, "Egg Island," which is under negotiation. The rest, as they say, is history.
The Idea for "Wolves, Boys, and Other Things" came to Chandler during an intense, life-changing conversation. It was the kind of conversation a person should be focused on, but because it was a kind of traumatic discussion, Chandler's mind just changed the channel, and the image of a character popped into view. The character stayed with her, and after about a week, she began doing research.
That character evolved into KJ Carson, a high school student assigned to write a column for her school newspaper about the wolves in nearby Yellowstone National Park. When KJ has a face-to-face encounter with a wolf, the way she thinks about wolves changes. But KJ's new passion stirs the anti-wolf sentiment in the community, quickly pitting neighbor against neighbor, friend against friend and rifts inside her own family.
It wasn't a tough decision for Chandler to set her story in Yellowstone. The author has always had a special affinity for the area. Her parents have a cabin there, and her family tries to spend a bit of each season in the park.
"My kids all feel like that's their second home," Chandler said. "I know the people in town, and it's really a second home to me. I wanted to represent it in a way that was very authentic and respectful and celebrated the love that I have for the area."
Because Yellowstone wolves are such a hot-button issue, Chandler felt it was critical to do her research authentically. She went on wolf-watching trips with people who were very pro-wolf and spent some time with ranching families and hunters. She tried to interview a wide variety of people, spending time talking to people in town, fishermen and shopkeepers.
"It was critical to me that this was not a pro-wolf book," she said. "Or that it was an anti-wolf book. It's a story about a girl. It's not an issue story but a character story. But the issue I had to get right. It is a controversial issue, and it's complicated, and I wanted to fairly represent both sides."
Chandler is working on a sequel to "Wolves" and hopes to transition her writing into a full-time career. It hasn't been an easy choice, but seeing things come together and seeing people enjoy her book has made it easier.
A few weeks ago, Chandler was on a plane, and there was a girl reading a book, quietly laughing to herself. "That's the sheer joy of what fiction can do," Chandler said. "I'm thrilled if people have an emotional response. I hope they laugh and enjoy it. … That's the wonderful thing about literature — there's room for everything."
If you go...
Who: Kristen Chandler
When: Saturday, May 22, 2 p.m.
Where: King's English Bookshop, 1511 S. 1500 East
Phone: 801-484-9100
Web: www.kingsenglish.com
e-mail: jharrison@desnews.com