Area author hits publication success with her debut YA novel offering
Though author Candace Ganger now lives in Florida, she met her husband at an open mic in Dayton 13 years ago. She has, she says, spent a great deal of time in the Dayton area, and was a part of the local literary scene until moving with her husband and children to Florida. Certainly, her Midwest sensibilities play a role in her debut Young Adult novel, “The Inevitable Collision of Birdie & Bash,” which was published just last summer by St. Martin’s, and was named “One of 2017’s biggest debuts” by Bustle, an online magazine for women.
Set in a Midwest town, the novel explores the relationship of two high school seniors — Birdie, who is top of their class, and Bash, who is trying not to flunk out while seeing his mother through chemo — and a tragedy that links the two.
“My family experienced a tragic accident in 1979, and it haunted the family for years,” Candace explains.
Candace also has extensive publishing credits on “Hello Giggles” and “Romper,” with articles about her own experiences with anxiety and OCD. A new anthology about mental health, “Life Inside My Mind,” in which 31 authors share their personal struggles, includes an essay by Candace. The anthology, to be published by Simon and Schuster, will release April 2018. Candace is working on a new book, a humorous memoir.
Candace started her novel during National Novel Writing Month (November) in 2014, and wrote her first draft in a month and a half. After a major revision, her agent sold her novel.
Though that may sound a bit like overnight success, Candace explains that she’s been writing for 12 years
— as a ghost writer, article writer, greeting card writing, and writing trailers.
“I’ve learned to develop a thick skin,” Candace says. “I think that is important for writers. It’s also important to never give up, no matter what, if you want to become a writer whose work ultimately reaches people. We always hear, ‘follow your brain!’ for career advice, but I say, ‘follow your heart!’ and never give up!”
Learn more about Candace and her work at her website, www.candaceganger.com.
Upcoming Literary Events
■ Mondays, Feb. 12-26, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Oakwood Starbucks, 2424 Far Hills Ave. — Word’s Worth Writing Center (www. wordsworthdayton.com) offers “Description” with author and creative writing instructor Katrina Kittle. This three-week course will guide writers through the process of writing more effective, deeply layered description. See the website to register.
■ Monday, Feb. 12, 1-3 p.m., Washington-Centerville Public Library, Centerville Library Lobby, 111 Spring Valley Road — This month’s “2nd Monday Authors” program features Shelley Shepard Gray, a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author and her book “The Gift,” and Tanela Hicks, author of “Dreams of the Heart.”
■ Tuesday, Feb. 13, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Oakwood Starbucks, 2424 Far Hills Ave. — Word’s Worth Writing Center (www.wordsworthdayton.com) offers “Point of View” with author and creative writing instructor Katrina Kittle. See the website to register.
■ Sunday, Feb. 18, 4-7 p.m., LitSalon fundraiser for Antioch Writers’ Workshop at University of Dayton, featuring author Steve Bein (www.philosofiction.com), at the home of poet Grace Curtis (address provided after registration closes) and emceed by Dayton Daily News opinions editor Ron Rollins. Learn more and register at www.antiochwritersworkshop.com/ aww-litsalons1.html
■ Sunday, Feb. 18, 2:304:30 p.m. Wright Memorial Public Library, 1776 Far Hills Ave., Oakwood — Writers’ Café, a casual hangout for writers ages 18 and up and of all experience levels, meets the first Friday (7 p.m.) and third Sunday (at 2:30) of each month.
■ Tuesdays, Feb. 20-March 20, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Oakwood Starbucks, 2424 Far Hills Ave. — Word’s Worth Writing Center (www.wordsworthdayton.com) offers “Memoir: Write Your Story” with author and creative writing instructor Katrina Kittle. This five-week course will guide both beginning and experienced writers through the process of writing their own life stories in the form of a memoir. See the website to register.