Drew Lorenzo, 16, is celebrating the release of her first novel, “Imaginary.”SYNOPSISCharlotte Todd, a 17-year-old student at East Ridge High School, is going through a difficult time. Her mother and father are divorcing, and her only way to cope is by sneaking out at night to lie in the middle of the street staring at the stars. To make matters worse, she and her best friend, Moody, are social outcasts — him, because he’s an albino; her, because of a mental breakdown she suffered as a child after being told her imaginary friend, Benjamin, wasn’t real. But recent events suggest Benjamin isn’t as imaginary as everyone supposed, and he has returned burdened with a fierce passion and a dark secret.ABOUT THE AUTHOR• Name: Drew Lorenzo.• Pen name: Poppy Jackson.• Age: 16.• School: 11th-grader at Center for Creative Arts.• Website: www.poppyjackson.com.• Favorite author: John Green.• Favorite band: Breaking Benjamin.BOOK SIGNINGS• Saturday: 1-3 p.m. at Northwest Georgia Bank — North Shore, 319 Manufacturers Road.• Oct. 20: 2-4 p.m. at Barnes & Noble in Hamilton Place mall, 2100 Hamilton Place Boulevard.BUY THE BOOKCopies of “Imaginary” are available through a variety of online retailers, including as an ebook via Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com ($8) as well as in paperback ($12) from Lulu.com and Write2Grow.com.
Years after she wrote a story about a girl discovering that her imaginary friend was real, Drew Lorenzo is experiencing a case of life imitating art. At 16, the Center for Creative Arts junior has achieved something most aspiring authors dream of but never see come to fruition: She has been published.
Her debut novel, “Imaginary,” was released earlier this month by New Orleans-based publishing house Write2Grow as part of a three-book deal, the first the firm has signed with an author of any age. The novel is the first entry in a trilogy about a young girl’s relationship with a mysterious stranger who reappears in her life years after everyone convinced her he was a figment of her imagination.
Before her first book signing Saturday at Northwest Georgia Bank’s North Shore branch, Drew answered questions about the experience of working with an editor, her kinship with her characters and her plans for the rest of the series.
Q: When did your first come up with the idea for “Imaginary?”