Today we’d like to introduce you to Veronica Bane.
Hi Veronica, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Before the seed of my debut novel Difficult Girls was ever planted, I had always known I wanted to tell stories. From a young age, I was making up stories for anyone who showed even the slightest interest in hearing them. I remember being selected to read a poem I’d written about my sister’s dog when I was seven, and from there, I just never stopped writing.
I grew up in San Diego and moved to Orange County to study Creative Writing at Chapman University. After graduating, I kept moving right on up the 5 to live in Los Angeles. I wanted to be among creative people and culture, and I loved that there was art everywhere in LA.
I kept writing, working on a young adult contemporary novel that I fell in love with. It secured me an agent, and I thought that my dream was finally coming true. We revised that book and took it out to editors. While it was out there on submission, I wrote another book, one we’ll call Sunflower. I fell so in love with that book that I didn’t even mind that my agent and I were hitting walls with the original manuscript. I kept writing, finished the draft, and waited for that “yes!” that I was sure was on the way.
Then, two things happened in quick succession: my mom passed away suddenly while my husband and I were on our honeymoon, and my agent told me she was leaving the business.
I was devastated and unsure how I’d keep going, but I knew that my mom wouldn’t have allowed me to give up. Plus, I had Sunflower. It needed some polishing, but it was done. I decided to get back out there and revised and queried the book to agents. I got a new agent (one who I’m still repped by to this day!) and she loved Sunflower, too. We went out to editors. One even posted about “finally” finding the book they’d been searching for… and I knew that was about my book. She said she was taking the book to her team. This time, I thought, it’s really happening.
Except, at the very last stage of acquisitions, she was told no. She couldn’t buy the book because books like Sunflower didn’t sell.
Again, I was gutted. It felt like the ultimate failure. This time, if I wanted to keep going, I was going to have to pull myself out of my ball of grief and write something from scratch. I wasn’t sure I had that in me, but I had to try. I wrote a strange book, one that was gnarled and raw. I pulled from experiences I had as a teenager working at a theme park. The finished product was a mess, but it was finished. I shared it with my agent, but we agreed that this wasn’t the book.
So, I kept writing more and more books. We hit more walls. I told my agent I’d write anything, anything. She said she had a possible opportunity to ghostwrite a chapter for a New York Times bestselling author. Was I interested?
I was. Besides, I’d grown up writing fanfiction. It seemed similar to ghostwriting in that I had to match another author’s voice. I’d even read several books by the author in question and enjoyed them, so I felt up to the challenge. We sent in Sunflower as my audition.
I booked it.
In fact, for the majority of the ghostwriting gigs I auditioned for in the future, we used Sunflower as my sample, and I booked every job. That book that had been my failure became the reason I was able to spend seven years ghostwriting for New York Times bestselling authors and celebrities. I wrote over 11 books spanning genres and age ranges, and the experience made me a stronger and more adept writer.
After all that work, I looked back at that strange, unwieldy book I’d written after Sunflower–the first book I wrote from scratch after my mom died. Now, I thought, I had the skills needed to revise it. So, I did. My agent went out with it to my dream editor at Penguin Random House.
And finally, it happened. The editor offered. The book became Difficult Girls, my debut young adult thriller. It’s about a girl who gets what she thinks is her dream job at a theme park, only for it to turn into a nightmare when a performer goes missing… and she may have been the last person to see the girl alive. I drew from my experience as a theme park princess and usher and applied all the tools I’d learned as a ghostwriter.
This summer, it debuted as an instant USA Today bestseller.
My journey has not been a straightforward one. It’s had more twists and turns than a thriller, but I believe I’m a better writer–and human being–because of what I’ve endured. My journey is also just beginning, and I’m ready for whatever happens next.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s been full of so many obstacles, as I mentioned! But beyond the actual writing journey, it’s also been a challenge because I am not a full-time writer. In addition to my writing, I’m a high school English teacher working in Lincoln Heights. I love being a teacher, and I want to always give 100% to my students. Doing that and also giving 100% to my writing can be tricky… plus, I do want to also have time to spend with my family and friends. Balancing it all isn’t easy, but it’s been worth it.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
This year, besides publishing my debut novel, I’m most proud of the work I did to support families and teachers in the aftermath of the Los Angeles wildfires in January. When the wildfires hit, my husband and I were eager to do something to support those who had lost everything. We dropped off clothing and supplies, but we wanted to do more. I also read stories about teachers and families who were grieving the loss of their classroom and personal libraries, and I reflected on how devastated I would be to lose my own library, especially the classroom library I’ve been cultivating my entire career.
I was in bed thinking about all of this, specifically my classroom library. That library exists because authors and others have donated books and funds so that it can be full of engaging, diverse texts for students to read. Without the help of others, I wouldn’t have been able to have it. It gave me the idea to post on a whim online: I posted saying that anyone who lost books could reach out to me, and I’d make sure they got books. I added that anyone with books in the bookish community could reach out and donate. I threw together a Google form at someone’s suggestion, and then I went to sleep.
When I woke up, the post had tens of thousands of views. Patton Oswalt had shared it. I had to quickly wake my husband up and tell him that our house was about to be filled with books. Thankfully, he’s a gem and offered to get some boxes and totes to prepare.
New and like new books poured in from authors, publishers, and bookish influencers from all over–even other countries. I sorted books and took deliveries all over Los Angeles where folks were seeking refuge. I also did book distribution events at bookstores in affected areas, such as Diesel Books, Black Cat Fables, and Dym. People also donated funds so that I could buy new books directly from those bookstores and others to fulfill wishlists of those affected by the wildfires.
Ultimately, we placed over 20,000 books in the hands of those who needed them. I remain in awe of this community and proud of how we were able to come together to support the city of Los Angeles.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
In addition to my own work and my work as a ghostwriter, I also write books under a pen name!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.veronicabane.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/veronicabane
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/veronicabanebooks
- Twitter: https://x.com/veronicabane
- Youtube: http://youtube.com/veronicabane
- Other: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/769654/difficult-girls-by-veronica-bane/
Image Credits
Jessie Felix Photography, Billy Vasquez
