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Young Author Takes Novel Approach

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By MICHELE SAGER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 24, 2008

CARROLLWOOD - Jennifer Anne Kogler wanted to be a writer since she was old enough to etch her first words.

She studied at Princeton, traveled Europe and published two successful novels before age 26. But Kogler admits her prose hasn't always been riveting.

"When I was little, I would publish my own newspaper, called the Kogler Chronicles," she said. "It had a circulation of one - my parents. One edition, I wrote an expose on why my brother never flushed the toilet. It's embarrassing that my parents saved them all these years."

She recently shared her childhood stories with students at Ben Hill Middle School. The author visited the school as part of the book tour for her latest novel, "The Otherworldlies." The book is about an awkward teen who struggles to make friends but soon discovers she has hidden powers.
Kogler has visited 60 middle schools in 41 cities, reading passages from the book and discussing her love of reading and writing with more than 33,000 students.

"You should find something you're interested in and read all about it," Kogler said. "Read whatever you can to get you interested in reading."

After graduating from college, Kogler moved back in with her parents and wrote her first novel, "Ruby Tuesday," which featured a girl with parents who love rock 'n' roll. Kogler admits a bit of herself is in the book.

"My parents are obsessed with Bruce Springsteen, so I did write what I knew," she said.

During her first book tour, Kogler faced some sparse crowds at book signings.

"At one event, I was worried nobody would be there," she said. "Luckily, two people showed up."

But, Kogler went on to say, a woman in the back row fell asleep, and a man in the front row she calls "shopping cart man" proposed marriage.

"It was definitely the strangest experience I've ever had on a book tour," she said.
Kogler also told the students about how she earned a D on her first paper in her creative writing class at Princeton.

"I was going to drop the class, but I decided to stick it out, and it ending up changing the whole course of my life," she said. "My point is that we all have D moments, but you've got to push past that."

Students also asked questions, such as: How long does it take you to write books, and where do you like to write?

Kogler said her first book took a year and a half but her second took only eight months because she used an outline. And she said she likes to write at Starbucks.

"I like to listen to other conversations," she said. "It's probably not good that I do it, but it is interesting."

After the discussion, Kogler signed books for the students. She said she enjoys the tours because she gets to interact with fans.

"I enjoy the read-alouds because I get to see the reaction of the readers," she said.

Teacher Lisa Lotzkar-Baskin said author visits are beneficial for her students.

"It helps the kids see that there is a real person behind the books," she said.

The visit made an impression on eighth-grader Jelisa Alonso.

"I love to read, so I'm going home tonight to start her book," she said.

Reporter Michele Sager can be reached at (813) 865-4843 or msager@tampatrib.com.

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