Karen Baney

Genre:  Young Adult

Format: ebook, paperback

Buy: The Chrysalis

What Christina Brannigan wanted was a size five prom gown and a date.  What she got was 15 pounds heavier working on the Donut Project.

What she wanted was a leading role in the school play.  What she got was a nosebleed during the drama club audition.

Christina accepted Aunt Meg’s invitation to spend the summer teaching arts and crafts to disadvantaged kids at summer camp so she could become everything that she was not. She never expected to meet someone who appreciated the person she already was. The gift that Mark Chadwick gives Christina is the confidence to make a decision that will alter both of their lives forever. Suddenly, nothing is simple anymore.

Injured and lost in the driving rain, what she wanted to do was give up.  What she had to do was get her girls to safety.  She wanted to help keep Camp Edson open.  What she did could shut them down.  She wanted the contents of the manila envelope to hold them together. She knew that was impossible.

Welcome, Cynthia Davis.  Thank you so much for stopping by to tell us more about your Camp Edson Series and The Chrysalis.

1.  Tell us about your books.

The Chrysalis and Drink the Rain are the first books in The Camp Edson Series—summer camp adventures that explore life’s firsts.  They’re witty and comical yet refuse to shy away from the tough issues that plague real life teens.  Camp Edson books are fun reads that leave teens inspired to try big things and leave their own marks on the worlds in which they live.

2.  What inspires you to write YA Fiction?

I started a teen girls’ Bible study that just kept growing.  Sometimes the girls came in trickles, other times in droves, but our group kept expanding over the years as the girls brought their siblings and friends.  Soon teens from all over the community began showing up at my door each week for a dose of scripture, a listening ear, and a signature double chocolate brownie.

At one point, several of our girls headed off to college, and I wanted to post lessons and messages online so we could stay in touch.  I thought a website might be a vehicle to bring other girls into what we were doing as well.  So I had the idea of posting a chapter a week story where I’d solicit input from teens as a way to keep them coming back to the website.  Eventually, I became way more committed to the story than the website, and the next thing I knew, I had a novel on my hands!

Adolescence is an amazing time in life.  There’s a lot of firsts— first jobs, first kisses, first time away from home.  Teenagers are also making decisions that can have a major impact on the rest of their lives, so it’s a pretty pivotal time, too.  In addition to the Bible study, I’ve had the opportunity to interact with teens through youth group work, camps, and on trips to Africa and Mexico.  I enjoy their sense of humor, their fresh outlook on life, the way they approach challenges—it’s a very deep well from which to draw inspiration.

3.  Which one of your books was the most fun to write?  Why?

The Chrysalis was sheer fun.  In many ways, I didn’t know what I was doing and certainly didn’t know what I was in for in terms of marketing, so the experience was quite freeing. I realized early on that the story was driven by the strength of my protagonist, Christina. There were so many days that I’d get to the end of my writing and tell my husband, Brad, how surprised I was by what happened that day.  He never understood that, but it became my clue that the writing was genuine and not contrived.  I’d created a vibrant character and an exciting setting and she took it from there. So for me, a writing day just felt an awful lot like going away to summer camp.

4.  Is there a message you would like readers to grasp?

My goal as a YA author is to write stories that address the real-world issues teens face, but within the context of believable events with natural consequences.  Literature is an amazing tool for processing experiences and sparking dialogue.  I want teens to understand that they can do big things in the world in spite of—or, at times even because of their mistakes.

5.  What’s the most challenging part of being an indie author?  What’s the most rewarding?

The concept of indie publishing evolved right along side of the first book.  It was never a “plan B.”   My husband has an MBA and saw a potential business from the first chapters I ever wrote.  Initially, we started with the idea to create a company focused solely on producing quality Young Adult fiction.  Although my husband and I are both Christians, we decided early on to produce books any teen could pick up and relate to, regardless of their faith.  There’s a real void in YA literature for stories that address real-world problems in a way that provides a moral compass—all the while, nudging kids toward Truth.

I started writing for teens because I want to reach them with a message of purpose.  I didn’t even attempt to sell the books to other publishers out of a desire to control the direction of the project rather than be limited by “what’s selling.” The freedom to write what you want to write has got to be the best thing about being independent.

We started out with print books, and although achieving modest success, it became clear that indie publishing—for us, at least—was more of a “break even” venture than an income-generator.  Although were fine with a ministry mindset, it was frustrating to pour in countless hours for relatively few sales.  When e-books started getting attention, we saw the movement as a second chance.  It’s exciting to see the books beginning to reach a whole new audience, and to realize that finances don’t have to be a factor in continuing the series.  It feels like a brand new lease for Camp Edson.

6.  Do your ideas come from personal experience?

I definitely draw on my own experiences as well as those of the teens in my life.  For instance, the puppies that caused so much trouble in The Chrysalis were modeled after my own husky’s surprise litter.  The mischievous little boy Christina babysits in Drink the Rain is a literary incarnation of my own son at age 5.   And the girls from my Bible study always say the books are “a little bit of all of us,” and indeed, they are.

Although I never write about their exact situations, I learn from their struggles, fears, and passions.  I also keep current on the trends.  It’s like having a backstage pass into teen culture.  Having access to their stores really does influence the things my characters face.

Good literature presents the opportunity to examine a situation—to have something in print where you can pinpoint what went wrong and why—and what could have happened otherwise.   If something I write helps girls to think about their choices and to use their teen years to the fullest, then I’ve done my job.

7.  What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Long walks on the beach, photography, travel, a good book.  But most of all, anything that lets me spend time with my family.

8.  Is there anything else you would like to share with readers?

Yes! The Camp Edson adventures are continuing—and I’m inviting readers in on the ground floor.  The third Camp Edson book, Snapshots, is developing as a work-in-progress at http://studioc5.blogspot.com/. I’m inviting reader comments and suggestions as I write the first draft.   Snapshots brings readers into both the darkroom and the adventures of a new counselor with a huge secret.  I work faster with reader prodding (more motivational than a muse any day!) so I hope people will escape the cold February weather and join me at summer camp.

Cynthia Davis teaches freshman composition at Christopher Newport University, which also happens to be her alma mater. Her patchy resume includes stints as a travel agent, burger flipper, youth worker, reporter, and a particularly long run as an elementary art teacher. She enjoys photography, good coffee, and making mosaic seahorses. She lives in an old house near the Chesapeake Bay with her husband, children, pets, and a cast of regular extras.

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