Teenage Lexicon

Above anything else that I am, I am a storyteller. I am prone to devoting myself to the worlds in my head, as most storytellers are. Like all writers, I tend to commit my stories to words—language is my primary medium. But it isn’t my only. This is why I am enthralled by architecture: I see buildings as another medium for storytelling. But, unlike books or paintings, buildings don’t stop becoming something once they’ve been built. Once started, they continue to tell themselves.  They are a vehicle for my stories—they often help propel them in new directions I wouldn’t have otherwise deemed possible. My buildings are as much a part of The Knowers as my books.  Skylar's House - Final Enter Me, sophomore year. The Knowers is going through major overhaul. The Eminence isn’t born yet. I think I want to be a marine biologist, I have no idea how to draw, I have to take Scripture studies for my Catholic school’s religious curriculum.  Yes, the Bible can be ...

I had the wonderful opportunity and honor to interview McCaid Paul, author of the Summersville series, for Teenage Lexicon! A teen author from Northwest Florida, McCaid has already published two mystery/thriller novels at just fifteen. I asked him about writing, inspiration, and other interests:  What got you interested in writing? Was there a special person in your life who encouraged you, or did you read a book so compelling that you decided to write your own? I first became interested in writing during the first-grade, after my teacher gave our class a writing prompt every day for the rest of the school year. I enjoyed writing in my journal as much as I could, especially after my dad began writing short stories to motivate and inspire me to “keep going.” My mom was also a source of encouragement since she was a teacher. She played a huge part in keeping me on track, and helping me to develop a love for reading and writing at an early age. The teachers and staff of my...

Every Bright and Broken Thing by Brian McBride is one of those books that stays with you. I’ve read this book twice now, and both times, I was left staring at the last page in complete awe of what I’d just encountered. It’s the kind of book that grips you by the heartstrings the second you open it and doesn’t let you go until long after you’ve closed it.  Warning: Mild spoilers ahead! Perhaps my favorite thing about this book are the characters. Ezra and Liam are so dynamic and realistic that I felt for them consistently throughout the book. Whenever they hurt, I hurt in response. I found myself internally yelling at McBride a lot to give these poor boys a break. (Of course, I subsequently internally thanked him for giving me a story in which I could become so heavily engrossed.) Both characters were defined by how they dealt with their trauma, not by the sheer fact that they were broken, which is something I often find in books of this nature. The things that Ezra and ...