It appears that yet another Roanoker is poised on the brink of a breakout with a new young adult novel that is being roundly praised. Mary Crockett (Hill), a respected poet and English professor at Roanoke College, has written a challenging book for teens titled How She Died, How I Lived (see here on Amazon) that hangs on a youngster’s survivor’s guilt after the death of her friend.
The book will be in stores November 13 and is Mary’s second YA novel, the first written in 2014 with Madelyn Rosenberg, Dream Boy.
Mary tells the tale, in her words, “of a young woman who was targeted for murder by a casual acquaintance. While the narrator escapes that fate, another classmate is brutally raped and killed. Set in southwestern Virginia, the story centers on the cascading effects of an act of unthinkable violence in a small community, as well as the pervasive threat of violence that young women must navigate daily.”
Mary will be a featured teacher in January at the Roanoke Regional Writers Conference at Hollins University, teaching a class on writing for youthful readers.
Mary is following on the heels of several breakout nationally-recognized authors from the Roanoke Valley that include Rod Belcher, Beth Macy, CeCe Bell and Roland Lazenby most recently. Their books from major publishers (Macy and Lazenby sharing Mary’s) have not only sold well, but some have been purchased for movie treatment.
Publisher Little, Brown and Company calls Crockett “one of the most promising new voices in young adult literature.” Her new book takes a close look at trauma, healing and “discovering what’s worth living for in the wake of something horrific.” Mary is a fine writer, a mother of several children and a woman who understands both the young mind and the difficulties young people confront on a daily basis.
School Library Journal, in a starred review, wrote that “The writing grabs readers and never lets go. Crockett delves deep into the heart of grief and pain through her narrator, who is witty and vulnerable, making this a quick but heartrending read. An outstanding debut that explores the deluge of emotions that follows a tragedy. Highly recommended.”
Booklist wrote that “Crockett has crafted dynamic characters that will stick with readers long after the book is closed.” The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books reviewed thusly: “The narrator is by turns insightful, angry, and profoundly sad, but it is her anger that buoys her at first, enabling her to approach situations of casual sexism with a sardonic wit and a quick retort while using more forceful means to protect herself against predatory high school boys.”
Mary Crockett Hill’s new book will be launched Nov. 24 at 2 p.m. at Book No Further in downtown Roanoke.
Dan Smith is an award-winning Roanoke-based writer/author/photographer and a member of the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame (Class of 2010). His blog, fromtheeditr.com, is widely read and he has authored seven books, including the novel CLOG! He is founding editor of a Roanoke-based business magazine and a former Virginia Small Business Journalist of the Year (2005).
