Ask the Author: Lizzy Mason
Answered Questions (12)
Lizzy Mason
I'm basically awful at everything else that's creative except writing, so in a world where that's not the case, I'd be a photographer so that I could, hopefully, travel and get paid to see the world.
Lizzy Mason
I think a lot of teens will see someone they know in this book. Maybe even themselves. But I hope The Art of Losing inspires them to avoid drugs and alcohol, or at least use them responsibly, and helps them to better understand those who can’t. But I also hope it teaches them to stand up for themselves and demand respect from the people they love.
Lizzy Mason
Thank you so much! It can absolutely be hard. Acceptance is the hardest part. But don’t assume you’re too young or that you’re not an addict because you haven’t hit bottom. If you think you need help, talk to a person you trust, or call SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357). The young people’s program of Alcoholics Anonymous was the best resource for me. Search for “young people’s AA meetings" in your area.
Change is hard, and getting sober can mean giving up your friends and starting over, but that’s what the program, Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, is for. The people there are strangers, but they will understand you and they won’t judge you. And they are awesome, believe me.
Getting sober takes a lot of strength and, ideally, support. So if you relapse, don't give up. Take it one day at a time.
Change is hard, and getting sober can mean giving up your friends and starting over, but that’s what the program, Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, is for. The people there are strangers, but they will understand you and they won’t judge you. And they are awesome, believe me.
Getting sober takes a lot of strength and, ideally, support. So if you relapse, don't give up. Take it one day at a time.
Lizzy Mason
Oh, thank you!!! I'm a TV junkie. I scour guides to be sure I don's miss anything, I fill up my DVR, and I subscribe to every streaming service. I love TV almost as much as I love books. And I love discovering new shows, but I also return to my favorites over and over again when I need them, like a security blanket.
Great question!
Great question!
Lizzy Mason
This is such a hard question! But here goes:
1) Holly Black--her Tithe series inspired me to write my first novel many years ago (that was terrible and will never leave my computer)
2) Haven Kimmel--her debut novel The Solace of Leaving Early was the first book that made me think seriously about writing a novel
3) Ellen Emerson White--her YA novel Life Without Friends was my absolute favorite, read-it-over-and-over book when I was eleven and twelve. I still have my well-loved paperback copy.
1) Holly Black--her Tithe series inspired me to write my first novel many years ago (that was terrible and will never leave my computer)
2) Haven Kimmel--her debut novel The Solace of Leaving Early was the first book that made me think seriously about writing a novel
3) Ellen Emerson White--her YA novel Life Without Friends was my absolute favorite, read-it-over-and-over book when I was eleven and twelve. I still have my well-loved paperback copy.
Lizzy Mason
Travel writer, I think. I love to travel and I love to write, plus traveling for free would be even better.
But really, I'm doing what I've always dreamed of: writing novels and working in publishing, putting books in the hands of readers. I'm incredibly lucky!
But really, I'm doing what I've always dreamed of: writing novels and working in publishing, putting books in the hands of readers. I'm incredibly lucky!
Lizzy Mason
Thank you so much! Memory plays a role in a couple of ways in this book. First, Audrey has lost the memory of betraying Harley, so how can Harley stay mad at her when she doesn't remember what she did? Which means Harley has to make the tough decision whether to tell Audrey or let her go back to being the person she was before her betrayal.
But also, each chapter is followed by a flashback, revealing glimpses of Harley's life before the Worst Night Ever and showing how things reached the point that they did. The flashbacks piece together a different perspective on Harley's relationships with Audrey, her boyfriend, and the boy next door who remembers her in a very different way than she does herself.
Thank you so much for asking!!
But also, each chapter is followed by a flashback, revealing glimpses of Harley's life before the Worst Night Ever and showing how things reached the point that they did. The flashbacks piece together a different perspective on Harley's relationships with Audrey, her boyfriend, and the boy next door who remembers her in a very different way than she does herself.
Thank you so much for asking!!
Lizzy Mason
Oh, thank you so much!!! I love the poem too and was so relieved it'd work for a title. Because I'm terrible at coming up with titles.
This book was so tough to write. It brings up so many painful memories for me. But it was also cathartic and eye-opening and it went through many, many revisions on its way to becoming what it is now. I tried to lighten it up in early drafts and it just wasn't working, so eventually, I embraced the difficult themes. But even though this book sounds like it's going to be super sad, it's got a lot of lightness to it as well.
I hope it isn't preachy, but I also hope it helps someone recognize themselves in this story, maybe at just the right time .
This book was so tough to write. It brings up so many painful memories for me. But it was also cathartic and eye-opening and it went through many, many revisions on its way to becoming what it is now. I tried to lighten it up in early drafts and it just wasn't working, so eventually, I embraced the difficult themes. But even though this book sounds like it's going to be super sad, it's got a lot of lightness to it as well.
I hope it isn't preachy, but I also hope it helps someone recognize themselves in this story, maybe at just the right time .
Lizzy Mason
I wish I knew! I write when I can, usually late at night. 10-11 pm is my most creative hour. Sometimes it feels like I only get three words written, but words are words, so I take what I can get.
I'm lucky to have a husband who does the dishes and the laundry and cleans the bathroom and feeds the cat, who's okay with eating takeout from the same three places night after night when I'm too busy to make dinner, and who reminds me to take my antidepressants and anxiety meds every day. (The state of my mental health plays big role in whether I am capable of writing.)
Mostly, though, I give myself permission to take time off from writing. I can't write every day--sometimes I don't write for weeks at a time--but I don't feel guilty. It's just the way I write. So be kind to yourself if the words aren't coming. You'll find them eventually. It's never too late.
I'm lucky to have a husband who does the dishes and the laundry and cleans the bathroom and feeds the cat, who's okay with eating takeout from the same three places night after night when I'm too busy to make dinner, and who reminds me to take my antidepressants and anxiety meds every day. (The state of my mental health plays big role in whether I am capable of writing.)
Mostly, though, I give myself permission to take time off from writing. I can't write every day--sometimes I don't write for weeks at a time--but I don't feel guilty. It's just the way I write. So be kind to yourself if the words aren't coming. You'll find them eventually. It's never too late.
Lizzy Mason
Maven-I like that! :) The best piece of advice I have is: Read. Read in the genre you want to write, but also outside of it. You're studying the craft, but you're also going to find inspiration.
Also, pay attention to trends, but don't write for them. Write a book you'd want to read and write characters you want to spend a lot of time with. Because you will be!
Also, pay attention to trends, but don't write for them. Write a book you'd want to read and write characters you want to spend a lot of time with. Because you will be!
Lizzy Mason
I stole it right out of the poem. :) I had a completely different (terrible) title when drafting, but to go on submission, I had to come up with something better. I'm the worst at titles and after after several dozen other terrible suggestions, I went to Elizabeth Bishop, one of my favorite poets, for inspiration. When I sent THE ART OF LOSING to my agent, he wrote back "I think we found your title." So thanks, Elizabeth Bishop, for the inspirational words!
Lizzy Mason
When I was sixteen, I went to rehab. I had to cut ties with my "using" friends, my parents locked up their liquor, and I was drug tested every week. For my last two years of high school, I went to an AA meeting every day.
I thought I'd hate it. At first, I was angry that I even had to be there. But soon, I'd met dozens of other teens who were trying to get sober too. And they were like me: broken, anxious, depressed, angry. They understood me and together we had fun--while sober--which I'd never thought was possible.
The main character in TAOL, Harley, isn’t dealing with addiction herself. Instead, she is struggling to understand how her boyfriend could not just cheat on her with her sister, but also drive drunk, destroying both his and her sister's lives. And Rafael, her neighbor and childhood friend, is recently out of rehab.
One of the hardest things about getting sober, though, was rebuilding the relationships that I’d damaged. So in THE ART OF LOSING, I wanted to show the effect addiction can have on the people who love an addict while also telling the stories of the incredible sober teens I met in AA who worked so hard to build a new life--and who saved mine in the process.
TL;DR: There are some really great YA novels that focus on addiction, but none that show the experiences I had as a sober teen. So I decided to write one.
I thought I'd hate it. At first, I was angry that I even had to be there. But soon, I'd met dozens of other teens who were trying to get sober too. And they were like me: broken, anxious, depressed, angry. They understood me and together we had fun--while sober--which I'd never thought was possible.
The main character in TAOL, Harley, isn’t dealing with addiction herself. Instead, she is struggling to understand how her boyfriend could not just cheat on her with her sister, but also drive drunk, destroying both his and her sister's lives. And Rafael, her neighbor and childhood friend, is recently out of rehab.
One of the hardest things about getting sober, though, was rebuilding the relationships that I’d damaged. So in THE ART OF LOSING, I wanted to show the effect addiction can have on the people who love an addict while also telling the stories of the incredible sober teens I met in AA who worked so hard to build a new life--and who saved mine in the process.
TL;DR: There are some really great YA novels that focus on addiction, but none that show the experiences I had as a sober teen. So I decided to write one.
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