Okemos author releases latest middle-grade novel

When asked what inspired her to write for a living, Okemos author Christina Wyman didn’t have an answer.

“I get that question all the time, especially when I visit schools. The answer is, I don’t know. I really don’t,” Wyman admitted. “I remember being 7 and loving writing and being good at it. My love of writing was nurtured by teachers in the New York City Public Schools system, so I ran with it. It was something I always loved to do.”

Wyman — whose articles and essays have been published in New York Magazine, The Washington Post, Elle, Ms. Magazine and The Independent, among others — will launch her latest middle-grade novel, “Breakout” (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $9.99), Saturday at Schuler Books in Okemos. Michigan author Ruth McNally Barshaw, writer and illustrator of the middle-grade “Ellie McDoodle Diaries” series, will interview Wyman in a conversational setting. Afterward, Wyman will take questions from the audience and sign copies of “Breakout.” Bake N’ Cakes will provide a themed dessert.

“This is the third time Schuler has hosted me. They’ve been very, very supportive of my books. There are no words to express my gratitude,” Wyman said. “This will be a breakout celebration. Ruth, who is beloved in the community, will be moderating. This will be an amazing event.”

In “Breakout,” eighth-grader Ellis Starr is dealing with the bane of every teen’s existence: acne. To make matters worse, her BFF has perfect skin — not a single zit in sight. Further, Ellis and her mom are butting heads, especially since her mom is dating again for the first time since her parents separated. Her only solace is Rocco, her aunt’s adorable puppy, as she navigates the trials and tribulations of puberty.

According to Wyman, there is a lot of her in Ellis.

“She is — in her way — a piece of me and a piece of my childhood experiences,” the author said. “Acne is a universal struggle everyone must deal with. Ellis is dealing with acne in ways her best friends are not. She feels like has it the worst, and it’s very unfair.”

Wyman also addressed Ellis’ contentious relationship with her mom.

“Her mom is blaming her for this natural thing that’s happening to her face,” she said. “The women in my family, including my own mom, blamed me for my acne. There was no limit to how I could have been responsible for how my body was responding to puberty: I wasn’t washing my face properly, I was eating too much pizza … It was very traumatic.”

The characters in Wyman’s three novels represent the angst she experienced growing up as the eldest of two daughters in Brooklyn, New York, where her books are set. In “Breakout,” it’s acne. In “Jawbreaker,” it’s braces and orthodontic headgear. In “Slouch,” it’s being self-conscious about height.

“I think I have a knack for these universal struggles because I remember my own struggles really, really well,” Wyman said. “My struggles were very dramatic and relentless.”

Wyman graduated from Pace University in New York with a bachelor’s degree in communications. She later received a doctoral degree in curriculum, instruction and teacher education from Michigan State University. She used to teach at the middle school level and now teaches at MSU on an adjunct basis, but most of her time is devoted to writing.

In fact, she’s putting the finishing touches on her next novel, “Mean,” which will be released in 2027.

“This particular book is about the complicatedness of friendship during the middle school years, especially for girls,” she said.

According to Wyman, the book centers on a small clique of girlfriends who are popular and mean, in the vein of 1989’s “Heathers” and 2004’s “Mean Girls.”

“Even though they’re mean, everyone wants to be friends with them,” Wyman said. “They also have an insidious way of being mean to each other. Drama blows them up, and the group has to deal with how they’ve been treating each other.”

The New York Times, Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews have praised Wyman’s novels. Additionally, “Jawbreaker” was recently picked as New Jersey’s Garden State Teen Book Award selection. Her work has drawn comparisons to Judy Blume, the best-selling author of children’s and young-adult fiction.

“I have the chills just talking about this! She’s a legend. I grew up reading her books; she’s a staple of my childhood. To even be compared to her is magical, just absolutely magical!” Wyman said of Blume. “I’ve been given an opportunity here that not everyone who wants to be a writer gets. I’m so grateful to get to do what I do, and I hope I get to do it forever.”