Guest post written by author Erica George
Erica George is the author of Words Composed of Sea and Sky. She resides in northern New Jersey, but spends her summers soaking up the salty sea air on Cape Cod. She invites you to follow her at ericageorgewrites.com or on Twitter @theericageorge.
This first sentence, the one you’re reading right now, has taken me an hour to come up with. And let’s be real, I’ve read better. Far better. I’ve written better, even. Writer’s block exists, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. For me, it’s just a matter of moving through it. It’s not always easy, but it’s possible. But sitting here, trying to come up with this first line? It reminded me of where I was about six years ago, sitting in front of a blank screen, trying to come up with something new to send to my agent.
My goal today is to write about how my latest young adult novel, The Edge of Summer, which follows a girl spending her summer on Cape Cod dealing with the loss of her best friend, first love, and saving humpback whales from entanglement, came to be. And we’ll get to that, I promise, but it took me some backtracking to really remember the whole process.
The Edge of Summer is the second full novel I ever wrote, and it’s the second to be published. I wrote it even before my debut novel, Words Composed of Sea and Sky. The first novel I wrote, the one that landed me my agent, was a historical fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and while there had been some interest in it, ultimately, it went nowhere. So I sat at my desk, wondering if I was a fraud, and pondered what I would write next. If I’m being truthful, writing a contemporary YA novel wasn’t something I ever imagined myself doing. But I was reminded of the old adage, “Write what you know”, and I started to consider the things I knew, and more importantly, the things I loved.
Whales and Cape Cod came out at the top of the list—two things I’ve spent my entire life loving. So much so that I feel intrinsically connected to them, like I wouldn’t be me without them. Clearly, there was a story here, I just needed to figure out what.
I knew it would be set in the summer, of course. Cape Cod is beautiful all year round, but there’s a reason thousands of tourists flock to its sea swept shores each summer. And what’s more YA than a summer romance? The premise was basically set in stone, only I wanted to incorporate the whales. If you don’t already know, Cape Cod is one of the best places in the world to catch a glimpse of the largest animals ever to live. The ocean is literally teeming with whales in the summer.
So I set out to go on a few whale watches, did my research on the specifics of what was threatening whales on the east coast of the United States, and perhaps most importantly, visited the Spinnaker Exhibition at the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Spinnaker was an eleven year old humpback whale that died due to being entangled in fishing line, and her preserved skeleton hangs from the ceiling at the Center for Coastal Studies, a visual representation of the human effects on wildlife. I write about Spinnaker in the author’s note of The Edge of Summer, but I think she’s important enough to mention more than once. Whales like Spinnaker (and trust me, her story is unfortunately not an anomaly) are why this book exists. I was never going to be a marine biologist; I’m good at writing stories, that’s my calling. So I wanted to use whatever small influence I might have to bring awareness to the perils that these whales face in reality.
My main character, Coriander (Cor to her friends) is a girl on the cusp of adulthood, trying to live life a little more gently. She’s learning about her place in the world, how her actions can affect everyone and everything around her, from her best friend, to the whales, and even Mannix, the cute lifeguard who’s caught her attention. She’s looking back on some of the poorer life decisions she’s made and trying to make amends, even if it might be too late for some people.
It’s honestly surreal that this book is out in the world this month; it feels like I’ve waited a lifetime to share it with everyone. But I hope this is a story for lots of people—people trying to be better, people trying to be the best versions of themselves, and most of all, people who want to be a little more aware of the effect they have on the natural world. People who want to live a little more gently.
