Scanners are Fun: Sk8er Boy

I think this will officially be "Scanners are Fun" week. Each day I'm going to post a photo from my past. (Don't you just love the randomness that is this blog??)

Today's selection is inspired by my book Sk8er Boy - which will be released as part of Dorchester's Smooch YA line in October. While the book is NOT autobiographical, I did really date a lot of skateboarders when I was a teen. (But Mom - I'm RESEARCHING for a future book!!!)

Anyhow, the below photo is of Russell. He was a skater from my hometown of Haverhill who I dated when I was fifteen, much to my mother's dismay. (Russ was 17 and from downtown - she did not approve.) She needn't have worried though -- Russ was so sweet and nice. He asked me out while we were playing my neighborhood's version of hide and seek one night (Yes, we were hiding together!) and then kissed me under the stars. Awhhh. I was totally smitten by him in a way that only fifteen year old girls can be.

Sadly, the story does not end happily. My mother kept thwarting our plans to see one another, saying I was too young to date and not allowed to go downtown to see him. And so, not surprisingly, Russell got annoyed. I mean - what good is a girlfriend if you can never see her? And he broke up with me. I was so sad. I cried. I wrote bad poetry. I thought I'd never love again. Very, very tragic.

I wonder what happened to him...Oh well, anyway - here's the photo. I picked an action shot, because I don't know if it's appropriate to post identifying photos of past boyfriends on the web without their permission. But trust me - he was a cutie.

Thanks for putting up with my nostalgia. To read an excerpt of Sk8er Boy, you can go to my website.

Marianne