Local Author Publishes Debut Teen Novel

Like many in their teenage years, author Lauren Tharp had a difficult time finding someone who truly got her.

Memories of those feelings lingered with the now 28-year-old Sun Valley resident, who made them into the backbone of her first young adult novel, The Ballad of Allison and Bandit.

"I wanted to write a book for teens who are like I was--alone in their misery. I wanted to write a story about a teenage girl that's just...dead," Tharp said. "[Bandit's] got nothing and no one. She's completely lost her identity! She is beyond depressed. To the point that her whole outlook is just morbid almost to the point of ridiculousness."

The embodiment of that description in her book is Bandit, a high school freshman who's having a very difficult time coping with the loss of a loved one.

During her struggle, she bumps into a peculiar classmate named Allison Gale, a girl who suffers from anosma (no sense of smell) and has a love for raw onions.

The friendship blossoms from there.

"This strange girl who 'could never understand' ends up being exactly what Bandit needs to help her work through her grief and start seeing life again," Tharp said, adding: "Because that is the beauty and power of fiction: You get to create a better reality...I wanted to give teens (and anyone else!) the hope they needed to create their own happy ending."

The book, published by Lulu Press Inc. can be found in select book stores, but is also available as an e-book download here.

Tharp, who was raised in La Crescenta, started writing in her grade school years, having written her first sci-fi novel in the eight grade, though she keeps that story tucked away in her closet for her eyes only.

In 2010, she launched LittleZotz Writing, a business she's dedicated to helping businesses with her knack for words.

She also authored "Another Degree of Nine," which was given the Editor's Choice Award by the International Library of Poetry.