Elizabeth Laing Thompson has been writing stories since she was five years old. As she grew older, she became consumed by a desire for worldly success—in athletics, academics and even in writing. When she became a Christian in Miami at the age of 14, she surrendered all of her ambitions to God and decided to use her love of language to serve him.
As a college senior at Duke University, Elizabeth wrote her first book for teens: Glory Days, a book that she describes as a spiritual survival guide for high school students. Now Elizabeth lives in Georgia, where she cares for her three “almost triplets,” writes and runs her own editing business, and helps her husband, Kevin Thompson, in his work as campus minister at the University of Georgia. This year, Elizabeth has published her first novel for teens: The Thirteenth Summer.
The Thirteenth Summer tells the story of a shy bookworm, 13-year-old Crystal Waters, who barely knows her dad, rock and roll superstar Rage Waters. But when Crystal’s mom gets an unexpected job transfer, Crystal must spend her entire summer on a whirlwind rock and roll tour of the U.S. with Rage and his band The Fellas. As Crystal and her dad travel the country, hopping from one fancy hotel to another and fumbling to form a relationship along the way, Rage’s obsessed stalker “Psycho Girl” starts sending threatening letters to Crystal, too. Crystal teams up with her new crush—the drummer’s cute son, Luke—and together they scramble to track down the identity of the deranged fan. But as Psycho Girl starts closing in, secrets from Rage’s past threaten to shatter Rage and Crystal’s fragile bond. The Thirteenth Summer is a mystery-romance-adventure novel that will have you laughing, crying, and wondering whodunit right until the end.
Live It 2 Give It got Elizabeth Laing Thompson to answer some questions about her new book:
Where did you get the idea for The Thirteenth Summer?
From my life as a rock star’s daughter. Ha, no, my dad is a preacher, so this book is definitely all imagination. In spring of 2004, I had just returned to our little bungalow house in Atlanta after a trip to L.A., and I had major jet lag. So at 3 am, as I lay in bed trying to fall asleep, this story came to me—almost like a dream. I got out of bed and wrote the first chapter and an outline for the entire book.
Crystal Waters spends most of the book getting to know her father. What is your relationship like with your dad?
So many of my friends don’t really know their dads, either because their parents divorced, or because their dads didn’t know how to open up and connect with them on an emotional level. I have always felt that a girl’s relationship with her dad has a profound influence on her self-confidence, her view of God, and the way she interacts with guys when she is ready to start dating.
I feel so lucky, because I have always been really close to my dad, Sam. To this day, my dad and I “get” each other in ways no one else does. He’s the one who introduced me to my love of language! My dad is not very similar to Rage, personality-wise, but he does ride a Harley. I rode Dad’s Harley once, and I drew on that memory as I wrote the chapter about Crystal riding on Rage’s bike—as Crystal put it, riding a motorcycle is “terrifying beyond belief, but really amazing.”
Is The Thirteenth Summer a Christian novel?
I often tell people that I am a Christian who writes fiction, but I don’t necessarily write Christian fiction. Maybe one day I will write a book about a Christian character—who knows? My main characters are not Christians, although Crystal prays and shares many of my moral values.
I try to write fiction that is lots of fun, but also wholesome without being preachy. I wanted to write a book that would make teens think more deeply about life, relationships, and the kind of people they want to be. I think the best novels make you think—without telling you what to think.
Are you like Crystal?
I find that the main characters in my books tend to be some combination of the two teenage girls I have known the best: me and my sister. Crystal is a lot like me in that she is tangled up inside, always thinking things she would never have the guts to say out loud. When I was thirteen, I was very insecure and complicated (sometimes I still am!), and I tend to take life way too seriously, just like Crystal does.
What is your favorite part of the book?
My favorite chapters are “Pancake Confessions,” when Rage and Crystal finally talk honestly about their relationship and their past, and then “Motorcycles and Two-Stepping.” I love the way Rage admits his failures as a father, then immediately steps into the role he should have played all of Crystal’s life. He doesn’t sit around waiting for an invitation to act like her father—in typical Rage fashion, he jumps right in. He takes Crystal out, shows her a new way of experiencing the world, draws her out of herself, and helps her discover a confidence she never knew she could have.
I also love the way Crystal gets to know Luke, and the awkwardness of their first interactions with each other. (I was sooo awkward with guys when I was in middle school. I came home in tears after my first date!) And Crystal doesn’t realize it, but she has picked a guy who is a lot like her dad!
How do you see God using your writing?
This summer, I got to speak to a group of teen girls at The Swamp, a Christian camp in Georgia. We talked about books, romance, and what it really means to fall (and stay) in love with God. I loved getting to intertwine all the things I love—books, God, and helping teen girls spiritually—all in one event. I hope that God can use my influence as a writer to inspire girls to become the best version of themselves they can possibly be—the person God imagined when he so lovingly formed them.
The Thirteenth Summer is available at www.ipibooks.com. You can visit Elizabeth and view The Thirteenth Summer book trailer at her Web site, www.lizzylit.com. Elizabeth is an experienced speaker who loves speaking to teens, campus students, and even Christian parents. If you would like Elizabeth to speak to your teen or campus ministry, contact her at info@lizzylit.com.
