Growing up in the 1970s and 1980s was full of hilarity and heartbreak, and The Denim Diaries: A Memoir is here to share it all with you. From relationships and makeup to parental divorce and disordered eating, young adult author Laurie Boyle Crompton recounts her coming of age in rural Pennsylvania and her early twenties in New York City. Laurie sensitively guides readers through her most venerable moments with compassionate and poignant verse.

Today Laurie joins us on the Lerner blog to answer some of your burning questions.

What made you decide to write this book?

Writing The Denim Diaries was more of a compulsion than a decision to be honest. Almost twenty-five years ago I read a book called Reviving Ophelia by Mary Pipher, Phd., and was blown away by how much it resonated with me as a woman in my early twenties. I felt a strong pull to write my own story and it turned into therapy for me in a way. That was what lead to me sharing my experiences with eating disorders publicly which turned out to be a very powerful tool in remaining honest with myself about my recovery and internal dialogue. From the first draft of this book many years ago, it became a mission of mine to help others facilitate healthy talk and loving attitudes toward their bodies, no matter what shape or size.

This is your seventh YA book and your first non-fiction book. Which do you prefer writing, fiction or non-fiction?

I always knew I wanted to be a writer but didn’t think I would ever be able to write fiction. It felt like there were too many decisions to make and I couldn’t imagine even settling on a main character, let alone a physical setting and plot turns. It turns out what that actually meant was that I had many fiction stories inside me waiting to come out! I didn’t take the leap into writing fiction until years after completing the original version of The Denim Diaries and it was exhilarating! I love working in new areas and fiction felt like writing without a net. Recently, in addition to continued novel writing, I’ve fallen in love with screenwriting and love that thrilling rush of writing something completely new and fresh! As long as I get to write I am all in.

How long did it take you to write The Denim Diaries?

Ah that is a very big question. The honest answer is, I started writing this book twenty-five years ago. It was initially an adult memoir and very literary with flowy language and all this great imagery – in between a lot of very bad writing! I mean, it was my very first book attempt! I didn’t realize how much I had to learn, but I was so determined to tell my story! I was able to attract an agent based on that book’s first few chapters, but we couldn’t find it a publishing home—thankfully, because it wasn’t ready! Meanwhile I discovered a love for young adult and the book Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse opened my eyes to the way verse can be used to weave a tale beautifully. I started writing YA exclusively and in-between each of my novels I would be drawn back to tinker with the memoir. It is the story of my life but more than that it is the book of my heart.

Was The Denim Diaries the book’s original working title?

Not by a long shot! I began with the title My Delight is in Her, which is a nice sentiment but a God-awful title! From there it was Dreamer-Girl which was also was the name of the website I built that was dedicated to anti-starvation artwork. I still own the address www.dreamer-girl.com which points to some of my activist art. For a brief while the book was called Weight of the Looking Glass, and then my amazing agent Ammi-Joan Paquette at EMLA submitted it under the title The Jordache Diaries which was the title when the book finally found a publishing home at Zest Books. Unfortunately, we felt it was a bit problematic since Jordache is still making jeans. The alliteration in The Denim Diaries was what eventually won me over and now I genuinely love my title and can’t imagine it as anything else.

It is clear you have a passion for helping others struggling with eating disorders. Did you ever consider going to school to become a therapist?

After trying to get an earlier version of this book published for years, I concluded it needed something more to cross the publishing finish line and get noticed. I was at a crossroad and researched getting a master’s degree in social work so I could write with more authority. I looked into a handful of options, but ultimately couldn’t afford to go back to school at that time. It was better for me to keep working and instead I committed to growing as a writer to make my book better. Thankfully, becoming a better writer mostly involves reading a ton which was great with me! I joined a few critique groups, studied the craft writing and started writing fiction. I’m sure a degree would have been fulfilling and may have even helped me get my book published, but that book would have been very different and I’m happy I chose to eschew the student debt and instead focus on the actual writing which I love so much.

What’s the most fun you’ve had researching a book?

To research my third book Adrenaline Crush I took my whole family rock climbing which was a blast. I always thought I lacked the upper-arm strength to go climbing, but it turns out having strong legs can be even more important, and I’ve certainly got those! My daughter’s fear of heights may have been made slightly worse, but the rock climbing scenes in that book are so clear and crisp! Beyond that, I learned to spray paint for Love and Vandalism, studied comic books for Blaze (or Love in the Time of Supervillains), frequented old drive-in theaters for Freaky in Fresno and (re)watched ALLLL the 80s movies for Pretty in Punxsutawney. But probably my most clever excuse of “…but it’s research,” was all the reality television I had to watch while writing The Real Prom Queens of Westfield High.

Can you talk for a minute about the drawings in your book? Were they an original part of your vision?

Just as the book began as an adult memoir told in prose, the drawings were an idea that my wonderful agent suggested. The book promotes the idea that we are all artists, and it is ironic that I don’t see myself as very skilled when it comes pen and ink drawings. Writing is my thing, but I stretched myself because the drawings add so much to the book and I discovered it is very freeing to work in a genre where you don’t feel your talents are as strong. I have a sign hanging in my office that says, “Pretty is not the point,” and my hope is that others will see that art doesn’t have to be classically beautiful to have value. My hope is that readers will be inspired by the unusual format of poems and drawings to tell their own stories in new unique ways!

Praise for The Denim Diaries

★ “Crompton’s free verse gives readers a powerful view of her inner self-loathing until she learns to accept herself as she is. At times, this is a tough read, but Crompton’s candidly honest story will resonate with anyone struggling with self-image issues and difficult family relationships.” — starred, Booklist

★ “This memoir, enhanced by the author’s sketches, is both original and moving—but not for the faint of heart. In often graphic detail, beautiful turns of phrase quickly become hard-cornered truths, providing a poetic roadmap from self-doubt to self-hate and, finally, self-acceptance. Relatable, visceral, and memorable.” —starred, Kirkus Reviews

“If you’re looking for a YA memoir, look no further than this one, written partially in verse and partially through illustration.” — Book Riot

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