Story Secrets: ONCE WAS LOST by Sara Zarr

Sara Zarr is without a doubt one of my favorite authors - she writes down-to-earth, thoughtful stories that could very well be written by your best friend, they are that true.

I first ran into Sara at the second annual Kidlit Blogger Con in an elevator (Holly's Elevator Story #1) and had to keep myself from pouncing on her with my fandom! Luckily I didn't scare her away, and I'm thrilled to welcome her todayto chat (LIVE! a video!) with us about her latest masterpiece, ONCE WAS LOST.

Welcome, Sara!

If you missed previous Story Secrets, check them out here!

rgz Street Team: Vanessa Reviews Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr

The rgz Street Team is a group of teens who bring YA reviews to our blog, led by Postergirl Miss Erin. Find out more.

Today, Vanessa reviews Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr:

"Sara Zarr did a great job handling the touchy subject of religion in Once Was Lost. We meet Samara Taylor, a pastor's daughter going through the ups and downs of life under a microscope. We see right away how hard it is for Samara to find her own faith in God when always forced to put on the happy show for the church's parishioners. Now with her mom in rehab, her dad constantly busy, and a girl from church gone missing, Sam's faith is more confused than ever before.

"Dealing with a missing person in a small town puts stress on everyone involved. With Sam's pastoral dad drawn into the mix to comfort the family, Sam ends up getting a lot of alone time. We see lots of inner conflict and self-exploration, but not in a boring way. Sam's thoughts are both revealing and confused at once. She's not afraid to say 'I don't know what I want' when she gets to those moments of unrest without explanation. We don't leave Sam there, though. We see her become true to herself, re-establish some relationships, and finally come to terms with God in her own way.

"As a church-goer myself, I will admit that I was antsy at the beginning of the story. 'Is this going to be one of those anti-God things?' I asked myself, unsure of how I would feel at the end of it. I was pleased though. Zarr brings Sam to a peaceful point with God that doesn't seem forced in any way. Readers will understand that God is available if they look, while not feeling pressured by a sparkly altar scene.

"With my background, I think this book is the perfect exploration of some of teens' big worries about religion. Sam voices the very questions on God that every teen asks. Do her answers come? Not really. At the end Sam finds peace in faith, but without any blazing lights or theological discussions. And that is how faith is, stepping out of the box and realizing that some things are not meant to be completely understood. Sara Zarr plays neutral, but hits with 100% accuracy. Job well done." -Vanessa

PS-Read the Cover Story for Once Was Lost.

Cover Stories: Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr

The very cool Sara Zarr, our featured author from May for Sweethearts, is here to talk about the cover of her latest book, Once Was Lost. We're excited to have her stop by!

Here's Sara:

"Once Was Lost is set in this very small, rural town, and there was a point during the writing process when I was

reading Sinclair Lewis' MAIN STREET and found this cover I loved (left).

"I became somewhat obsessed with it and imagined a similar cover--the silhouette of the main character, Sam, looking at a small town main street, kind of separate from it, and observing. I send this picture to the designer, Alison Impey, not to try to tell her what to do but just throw some inspiration out there. Other than that, I really had no clue what would work or what to expect. I'm definitely a word person and not a design person.

"Obviously there is nothing of the Sinclair Lewis cover in the final cover for Once Was Lost. I think they tried that direction but decided the end results didn't look YA enough. My publisher sent me the two concepts they'd narrowed it to:

"My initial reaction to the one with the vase was that I didn't like it at all, at least for the story. It was a little too pretty, maybe? And didn't hint at the content in any meaningful way, I thought. I loved the second one, with the flower and the very stark background. My only comment at this part of the process other than that was that my most enthusiastic fan mail came from readers who loved Sweethearts, and I felt we needed to have the Sweethearts title on the cover, not just Story of a Girl.

"When I saw the final version (right), they had kind of blended the image of the single flower with the more layered, gauzy look of the vase photo, and tweaked the color scheme. At first, I was all about keeping the starkness and eliminating the soft focus, but everyone at Little, Brown overwhelmingly liked the one with more depth. And, they are professionals, so I trusted them!

"I love it. When you see the whole thing put together, in hard cover, in your hand, it's so much more powerful than just seeing an image on the screen. The background is matte and the title and flower are glossy. They were so right about the depth of the photo, because even that fuzzy table in the background tells you there is a home here, a family.

"And, the book is so much about decay and brokenness, and also unexpected life, so the flower with the dropping petal is perfect. I also like that it's consistent with the Sweethearts cover in a way--a central image that is of a pleasant thing (a cookie! a flower!) but there's something off and missing. That works for my books! Also I love the color palette and what Alison did with the back, spine, and inside flaps. You'll just have to go get a copy to see what I'm talking about!"

I need a copy right now! I love this cover unabashedly and I think the combination of the photos is just right. What about you guys?