An Interview with Author and Activist Ava Lorelei Deakin
Interview by Emily VanderBent
Ava Lorelei Deakin is a high school senior and national disability rights activist. Passionate about activism and empowering teens to advocate for themselves, Ava has spent the better part of the last few years collecting interviews and incorporating them into her new book Tomorrow Begins Now: Teen Heroes Who Faced Down Injustice. Manuscripts had the privilege of sitting down with Ava to learn a bit more about her, her book, and her fight for justice.
Drawn to nonfiction, Ava chose to write in her first book in that genre because she wanted to amplify everyone’s stories as clear and authentic as she could. “I was inspired to write my book, Tomorrow Begins Now: Teen Heroes Who Faced Down Injustice, by my own experience as a teen activist fighting for disability rights at the federal level.”
Her fight began in middle school when she fought for fair housing rights for people with disabilities in federal court. As she started to seek out stories of other teen activists throughout history and in the world today, Ava realized that the activists she looked up to were an essential part of her own activism journey and that the best way to encourage and empower other teens toward activism was to give them real examples of those who pursued it before.
As a high school student, Ava is used to juggling many things at once. Between school, homework, extracurricular activities, and volunteer efforts at the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab, she already had quite a full plate when she decided to write a book. When we asked her how she was able to balance it all, Ava emphasized the importance of structure, routine, and personal discipline — especially for teens and young adults who have active and busy lives. “I go to a local cafe at 9 am every weekend and work until well into the afternoon, repeating the process until the manuscript is done.” Finding a schedule that works for her and sticking to it was key to helping Ava get words out onto the page and enjoy the process of writing.
Every author journey comes with its own challenges and struggles. For Ava, it was the writing itself. “Sometimes an idea can be crystal clear in your mind, but completely garbled when you try to jot it down. However, once your ideas are clearly communicated, it’s all worth it! That’s because the reward of writing is being able to share it with other people, and seeing how they react to it — especially when it’s a positive reaction!”
Another reward of undertaking such an endeavor is the knowledge and growth gained through the process. “I’ve learned that I love interviewing people, and that authorship takes a team of people.” Ava said. “No author is an island, as they say. From the cover artists to editors to layout managers, each tiny facet of authorship requires an expert.”
When it comes to publishing, there are many routes available to authors today. When we asked Ava why she chose to publish with Manuscripts, she had this to say, “I chose to publish through Manuscripts because of its focus on author empowerment, and the hybrid publishing model. Throughout my Book Creators cohort, I grew substantially in confidence and always felt that I was getting the best aspects of both independent and traditional publishing. Manuscripts’ team of editors were a crucial part of my author journey. They not only held me accountable, but also helped me feel good about my writing and gave valuable feedback on how it was reading to audiences. I couldn’t have done it without them.”
Though her debut book is a work of nonfiction, Ava also enjoys reading and writing fiction. “ I generally read fantasy books and superhero comics, but when I grow tired of magic systems and witty catchphrases, I often enjoy reading about real-life superheroes. Melba Pattillo’s memoir Warriors Don’t Cry was actually what led me to researching teen activists throughout history! My top three favorite books are probably The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh, Queen of Fashion by Caroline Weber, and What If? by Randall Munroe.”
Many people dream of writing a book, but very few see that dream through. Writing is something everyone can start doing now and something Ava encourages teens and adults alike to pursue. “Don’t be afraid to reach out to people. If you are passionate about what you’re writing, other people will want to support and encourage you. If you don’t know what to write about, connect with a few people, see what they’re passionate about, and find where your passions overlap. You got this!”
Ava is currently working on some additional projects related to Tomorrow Begins Now. If you’d like to connect with her and stay in the loop, you can follow along on the rest of her writing and activism journey on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Tomorrow Begins Now is available for purchase on Amazon.
