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By Suzanne D. Williams

I submerged myself into the life of a historical fiction family for an entire year. I wrote four of a six book series, expanding the tale of the father, the mother, their friends, and one of their children. After writing the last book, a story with a particularly difficult moral storyline, I was burnt.

I write every day. Every single day, rain or shine. So I wasn’t burnt from writing. My exhaustion came from carrying around inside a subject so deep and tough to deal with that frankly, I needed something lighter, something that reminded me of the fun, happy side of life. I also needed something contemporary.

 I love writing historical fiction. I can see a historic object and it sets my mind to thinking about who handled it, what they were doing at the time, and where they might have been going. But it has its challenges, the biggest of which is not putting modern objects into a historic scene. Well, after a year of doing that, the very idea of including cell phones, computers, and cars was liberating.

 Therefore, I decided to write a contemporary young adult story and began with the simple concept of a girl with a crush on a boy. I didn’t plan it out more than that. I am primarily a pantser, taking the story as it comes to me. I only plot the next chapter or next couple scenes, so as I wrote this story – Me & Timothy  Cooper – I didn’t really know what would happen at the end.

 That, in so many ways, makes the end very rewarding. Because when I got there to the pivotal scene, it all fit in place. There is no reason for that except God guided my words. When I decided what assignment their English teacher, Mrs. Walker, would give them in Chapter 1, I had no idea how it would affect the main storyline or the life of Timothy Cooper come Chapter 12.

 In short, I love this story. I am proud of all of my work. But this story in particular speaks to the deepest part of me. It is how I love to write; it is what I love to write about, and it came together literally within a week’s time.

 My best friend-author, after reading it, told me, “I love this book!” She also said, “Okay let me stop here and say I think Tim should be about 40-something and married to me.” Those are to me some pretty great endorsements. They are also evidence that young adult stories are not just for young adults. There is something about the innocence of teenagers just figuring themselves out that appeals to all ages.

 Pick yourself up a copy and spread the link around to your friends and their children. And look for more of my young adult short stories in the future.

 Read an excerpt on my blog:  http://suzanne-williams-photography.blogspot.com/2013/01/story-saturdays-me-timothy-cooper.html

 99cents from now until Valentine’s Day!

 Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/Me-Timothy-Cooper-ebook/dp/B00AYYJGXO/

Smashwords Link: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/272950

  Seventeen-year-old Taylor Lawton has a crush on Timothy Cooper, a boy at her school, and as crushes go, things are normal. He ignores her. She doesn’t speak to him. Until their English teacher, Mrs. Walker puts them on a project together. A turn of fate then throws them both for a loop. For an entire week, they will stay beneath the same roof. Will this be too much togetherness? What will Taylor do with Timothy’s painful secret?

A light novella with a touching storyline, this tale is enjoyable for both young adults and grown-ups alike.

Suzanne D. Williams is a native Floridian, wife, mother, photographer, and writer. She is author of both nonfiction and fiction books. She writes a monthly column for Steves-Digicams.com on the subject of digital photography, as well as devotionals and instructional articles for various blogs. She also does graphic design for self-publishing authors.

To learn more about what she’s doing visit http://suzanne-williams-photography.blogspot.com/ or link with her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/suzannedwilliamsauthor.