Dear Teen Me, from Author Cayla Kluver (LEGACY)
Dear Teen Cayla,
Teen Cayla
I’m not really an adult yet. I have a job and have to file income taxes, but I still believe, just like you do, that a person is not an adult until they wear shoes inside the house. Even so, I’m older than you are, so you’re gonna pipe down and listen up because I’ve got some spoilers for you.
First, your crush on “Baby J” is going nowhere, and that’s a good thing because you have nothing in common and he’s actually a bit misogynistic. So quit secretly hating on his girlfriend, whom you’ve dubbed “Stupid K”. All the silent fuming is pointless, although it does fill up the endless hours you have to spend in that house of horrors they call high school, so on second thought, do whatever you want.
Cayla in the school play “Done to Death” with her friend Adamme
Second, “LOL” does not mean “lots of love”. It means “laugh out loud”. So when someone texts you and says, “My cat died,” don’t respond, “LOL.”
Third, you can stop worrying that you’ve lost your social skills. Right now, you can’t make eye contact with anyone, let alone spit out an intelligent word. But it’ll come back, and you’ll even do television and radio interviews without any trouble.
Looking all punk-ass
As it is, you imagine people perceive you as this doe-eyed, sickeningly sweet little doormat because you’re shy and cute. Little do they know what goes on inside your head. You’re perpetually pissed off and scared. You’re pissed because you get your period every month and you feel like all the other girls know the perfect way to handle this issue and are keeping the secret from you. The same goes for shaving your legs – it’s not exactly your priority as you try to write the epitomic Beatles screenplay, but you’re pissed that your legs don’t magically glisten like Kelsey’s. You’re scared because you feel too awkward and nervous to make friends in your own grade, so you rely on your sister’s acquaintances, all of whom are going to graduate in six months and leave you alone to face the remaining three years of high school.
At home, you scream at your mom every night about how much you hate her and school and the world, and your mom listens because she loves you. Honestly? You don’t know why you scream and cry so much. You hide in your closet a lot and have panic attacks too. You’re extremely tired, and I can tell you why if you care to know: last year, your parents split up, and you haven’t heard from your dad since. He forgot your thirteenth birthday. He forgot you that easily, and you’re determined to make your mom give up on you too.
Cayla and her mom at a campfire
Hard work, isn’t it? Look, you know how you’ve never ever won a debate with Mom in your life? You’re not going to win this battle either. She’s not going to give up on you. She’s going to tell you over and over and over again that she loves you and that nothing you do can make her leave you. She’s probably already said it a million times, but in an interesting psychological twist, you’ve blocked it out. Even in 2011, you won’t remember her saying it, despite fervent witness accounts from your sisters.
Adult Cayla
Anyway, here’s the long and short of it, little me: you’re going to write books and get them published, just like you’ve always dreamed. You’re going to meet people you wish you hadn’t, and you’re going to lose people you never thought you would lose. But it’s going to make you stronger (and give you lots of fodder for your writing). It’s going to be ugly, it’s going to be miraculous, and it’s going to be gut-wrenching, but in the end, you won’t regret any of it.
I sure as hell wouldn’t repeat it though.
Good luck,
Older Cayla
Cayla Kluver is the author of LEGACY (the first book in a trilogy), which will be published by HarlequinTEEN on June 28th, 2011. Her books have also been published in 16 foreign countries, and she is the recipient of awards from USA Book News, the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards, and Reader Views Kids. Her workspace is filled with cats, twinkly lights, and old coffee cups. Check out her official website (www.caylakluver.com), Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cayla-Kluver/49026582415), and/or follow her on Twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/caylakl).
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Thank you so much for this opportunity! Dear Teen Me rocks!!
I can remember that feeling that everyone else has figured something out and I’m the only one not in on the secret. Actually, sometimes I still feel that way as an adult…
Wouldn’t it be nice if we all just started talking about those feelings and saying the positive things that are on our minds? The human race would probably be a lot happier haha.
Well done Cayla! Thanks for sharing. It’s so great to see so many authors putting themselves out there to give teens some hope!
Thank you for sharing this Cayla. I still feel like everyone else has the secret to everything and isn’t sharing.
Wow! That was an awesome letter, Cayla! That was great.
I’m only an eleven-year-old and I know that when I grow up I will be awed and surprised about how I was/am as a kid. Your letter was one of the BEST! Thanks for sharing. =D
LOL (lots of love, not laugh out loud. LOL!)
My name is Kelsey but I must say, my legs most certainly do not magically glisten. I would like that secret as well (sorry for the formal type, I just finished your book and it’s influencing my speech). Thank you for sharing, rarely do the authors I like show that much of themselves and as an aspiring author myself, it puts me into the perspective that great authors are not the gods and godesses I make them out to be (though their writing, your writing, is certainly worthy), but human beings who can feel and have experiences just like me and if I put my mind to it, I might be able to accomplish something similiar to what you’ve done. Truly, you’ve just inspired me like no other author has. Thank you!