After a decade as a high school English teacher, Danielle Parker made the leap from teaching teens to writing about them. In Love on Paper, Macy Descanso, the daughter of two famous writers, participates in a prestigious writing retreat, where she encounters Caleb Bernard, whose own writer parents are the Descanso’s literary rivals. Sparks fly as the two become critique partners and more over the course of an eventful summer. PW spoke with Parker about Love on Paper, her success with Pitch Wars, and her experiences as a teacher.
What was the genesis of Love on Paper?
This is my sophomore novel. I was having a hard time writing, and was thinking about how some writers are so prolific. They can write 30 or 40 books and just have this arsenal behind them. I wondered how I could become one of those people as well. I was thinking about the nitty-gritty of writing, and about young people, new and beginning authors, and I was like, “Writing retreat, of course!” Then it snowballed into a mystery with a love story and a little family drama to keep it fun.
One of the major themes of this story is the complicated relationship between Macy and her mother. What influenced this aspect?
Don’t tell her, but my mom—that’s also my own experience as a writer. I’ve always dabbled in writing and storytelling, but it took a long time for me to take myself seriously as that. I didn’t feel like a full-fledged writer, so I thought about that idea. When does one get to own this and call themselves a writer? I thought it would be interesting if Macy came from a family of writers, and how she could step into that identity regardless of her parents, or maybe because of them.
What do you hope readers will take away from your book?
I hope anyone who thinks they could be a writer just does it. I hope they put the words to paper. I think writing is very cathartic, and I try to show that with Macy processing her family’s feelings and their history. I hope young people remember they have these powerful tools: pen and paper, phone, computer. And I hope they feel brave enough to share their writing with other people, because who knows who it will inspire, or who it will touch. That’s how we keep art going.
It felt like there’s another story to be told about the supporting characters like Fern and Martin. Did you have any thoughts about revisiting their side of the story and seeing what they were up to all those times they were off-screen?
Oh, that is a wonderful idea. What would their final writing submissions have been like? You’ve just planted some seeds in my brain.
Your debut came out of the Pitch Wars mentoring program. What was that experience like?
Pitch Wars was incredible, and I am bummed it doesn’t exist anymore, but I’m really thankful that I got to participate. It was one of those times where everything just synced up. I had just finished the second draft of You Bet Your Heart, and then the next month Pitch Wars opened up. I was like, I have this draft and it’s not very good, but let’s just see what happens. I submitted it and was paired with J. Elle, who’s a YA author, and book coach Emily Golden. They took me under their wing and it was six weeks of really intense revisions, similar to what one would do with an editor, and it was great. And when the Pitch Wars Showcase came, I got an agent, Peter Knapp, and everything fell into place in a magical way. I hope Pitch Wars comes back, because I would love to pay it forward with someone else.
Your bio says that your greatest pleasure as a high school English teacher was helping reluctant readers find a novel they absolutely loved. How did you accomplish this?
I taught reading intervention for students who really disliked reading. I have lots of different ways to get people interested in reading, because I think we’re all readers at heart—we just need to be shown books that interest us. I used to do student surveys to find out what they liked. “You prefer comic books? Let’s do it. Graphic novels? Here you go. Horror? Amazing, let me show you what just came out.” I loved helping people find books that they’d enjoy, that they’d see themselves in. I loved when a student’s eyes would twinkle, or when a student would talk to me after finishing a book. They’re like, “Ms. Parker, you’re right. This book is great. Is there another?” I think we’re all born excited about reading, it’s just natural, but somewhere along the lines, my students got discouraged. I loved reintroducing them to that joy.
Did you have any particular go-tos or fan favorites?
Oh yes. All the heavy hitters. They loved The Hunger Games and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. The epistolary style was really great for some students. Wonder always got students curious. The book with the emojis on the cover, ttyl by Lauren Myracle. I had a really great YA and MG shelf.
Have any of your former students gone on to become teachers or writers?
It’s funny you should ask that. I just had a former student message me to say he’s going into teaching. I have several that are doing film. They’re just of the age to be graduating college, so it’ll be interesting to see what they do. They’ll be amazing.
Did your teaching and writing careers overlap?
Yes. It was around 2018 when I decided to really take writing seriously. A fellow teacher who’s also a writer got a book deal and was published, and I saw that it was actually possible, it didn’t have to be a pipe dream. It inspired me to sit down every day and write and really try.
Did you ever use your students as inspiration or resources?
Oh, totally. You Bet Your Heart is actually inspired by two former students—very bright, top of their class. They were so similar, but they disliked each other. It was interesting to see in class. I was like, what if I turned that into a love story?
Do you miss teaching?
I miss being around young people a lot. Teaching is hard work. It’s a challenging job, but it’s also so rewarding and inspiring. I get a lot of energy from young people, and they’re so much fun. Even on my hard days, of which there were quite a few, it was still good to be with them, to show up for them, and watch them show up for themselves.
What’s next for you?
Now that you’ve planted the idea in my head about Martin and Fern, I’ll have to think about it. I’m toying with a YA ghost story romance, like Meet Joe Black with a twist, and I’ve been tinkering with an adult romance. Everything is still marinating right now.
Love on Paper by Danielle Parker. Joy Revolution, $19.99 Jan. 21 ISBN 978-0-593-56531-5; $12.99 paper ISBN 978-0-593-56534-6