Macon Magazine

76 l MACON MAGAZINE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2013 Lauren's own YA novel, her first, is in her words a "funny and swoony" romance titled "Meant to Be." So far, reviews have been outstanding. Publisher's Weekly wrote, "Morrill's debut is entertaining and quick- witted." e more conservative Kirkus Reviews offered, "e author has a good ear for comic dialogue." Perhaps more important, though, is the book's four-star (out of five) rating on the influential book share/peer review website, GoodReads goodreads.com where early fans are, well, "swoony" with delight about the newest YA star author. She is an easy-going and upbeat Millennial. She grew up with four siblings in Maryville, Tenn., where she read voraciously ("mostly YAs") and always yearned to write. Smart, witty and culturally savvy, she said she stirred up some minor "trouble" as editor of the Maryville High School newspaper. She was also a member of the marching band. Aer graduating from Indiana University with a major in history and "a minor in rock 'n' roll" she worked in Harvard University's admissions before moving to Macon and evolving into a full-time writer, film extra and roller derby diva. She and her husband, with their beloved dog Lucy, appreciate the city's slower pace, warmer climate and affordable lifestyle. Ragusea is particularly impressed with the vast Young Adult collection at Macon's Washington Library, some of her favorite authors being Meg McCafferty, Cassandra Clare and Stephanie Perkins, whose popular book "Anna and the French Kiss" she enthusiastically described as "sweet and awesome!" Young Adult literature is one of the fasting-growing genres in the publishing business, now commanding miles of library and bookstore real estate. It is divided into several sub-genres that span the spectrum of fictional material: paranormal, urban fantasy, dystopian, cyberpunk and manga, to name a few. YA novels are marketed to adolescents and young adults in the 12 to 18 age group. Recognizable examples include Stephanie Meyer's "Twilight" series and the "Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. With YAs, readers can relate easily to the protagonist, and the books are frequently written in first person, present tense. YA themes are universal and YA romance novels like Lauren's, largely optimistic in tone. Written almost entirely in the Cambridge Library, "Meant to Be" is best described as "gentle romance," delivering quirky characters, plot twists and a surprise ending. While there are no sex scenes, there is "mild drinking and some swearing." And plenty of laughs -- the author says her "default setting" is humor. "Think 'Cyrano De Bergerac' and Shakespeare's 'A Comedy of Errors,'" said the author, who admitted she became so attached to her main character, the type-A perfectionist Julia, during the writing process, she "didn't want embarrassing things to happen" to her, an issue that had to be discussed and resolved with her editor at Delacorte, a YA imprint of Random House. Ragusea's publishing journey was short, sweet and remarkably successful, although not fast enough for a roller derby enthusiast. In October 2010, her agent sold the book on proposal, submitting a mere eight chapters with a completed outline. e publishers were so impressed they not only bought "Meant to Be," they purchased a second novel, sight- unseen and unwritten at the time. "Being Sloane Jacobs" has been completed and is slated for publication by Delacorte in early 2014. It, too, is a stand-alone YA novel, not a book in a continuing series. Apart from "Meant to Be" being a

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