Leftovers

by Laura Wiess

  Ardith and Blair are very strong, loyal, committed, and in a lot of ways still naïve young girls who start out with the same hopes and dreams we all have—true love, fulfilling career, best friends, being heard, accepted and valued for who we are, a happy family, fitting in, etc.—and unfortunately learn some hard life lessons along the way.

  The part that gets me the most is that everyone is so busy running their own agendas for reasons that make sense to them—killing a dog to preserve a carpet, enforcing a “No Violence” school rule without exception so other parents don’t complain of favoritism and sue, forcing a kid to participate in a glossy, fake front for career advancement; or running a sleazy party house to feed a warped need—that they don’t seem to realize that everything they say and do, or don’t say and do, is impacting and shaping who Ardith and Blair become.

  s Given this, why would anyone be surprised when two young, impressionable girls, already on shaky family ground, grow desperate under what they perceive as an onslaught, absorb the lessons taught but interpret them differently, and then utilize what they’ve learned?

  What lesson or feelings would you like readers to take away from this story? Actually, I’d like to consider this an invitation to readers to let me know what they end up taking away from this book. Do they feel for the girls, or do they blame them for not knowing better, even though these girls don’t have a lifetime of adult decision-making experience to draw from? Do they see the hope in the story, and recognize that there is still time for them if only the right people pay attention, that they’re capable of great love, caring and commitment, despite what they’ve been through? Will the girls use their free will to go on to live good, happy lives, or have their environments already doomed them?

  What literary projects do you have planned for the future? I’m in the midst of writing and researching my next MTV book, so thanks for asking!