A Constellation of Roses

by Miranda Asebedo
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: November 5th 2019

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Ever since her mother walked out, Trix McCabe has been determined to make it on her own. And with her near-magical gift for pulling valuables off unsuspecting strangers, Trix is confident she has what it takes to survive. Until she’s caught and given a choice: jail time, or go live with her long-lost family in the tiny town of Rocksaw, Kansas.

Trix doesn’t plan to stick around Rocksaw long, but there’s something special about her McCabe relatives that she is drawn to. Her aunt, Mia, bakes pies that seem to cure all ills. Her cousin, Ember, can tell a person’s deepest secret with the touch of a hand. And Trix’s great-aunt takes one look at Trix’s palm and tells her that if she doesn’t put down roots somewhere, she won’t have a future anywhere.

Before long, Trix feels like she might finally belong with this special group of women in this tiny town in Kansas. But when her past comes back to haunt her, she’ll have to decide whether to take a chance on this new life . . . or keep running from the one she’s always known.

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Why We Need Friendship Stories in YA

I think friendship stories in Young Adult (YA) fiction are a vital part of the genre. YA is written for teens, and friendships are so important at that stage of life, when readers are figuring out who they are and what kind of relationships they wish to have both in the present and in the future.

As an adult thinking back to my high school years, my friendships helped me define who I was. The people you surround yourself with in your teen years influence everything from your academic choices to your social ones. I can remember trying to sync up class schedules with my best friends so we’d have the most classes possible together, even if I cared very little about taking a Keyboarding II class. (Though it has come in handy!) When I got my first real job flipping burgers, we commiserated over our meager paychecks, and we celebrated our work ethic with every midnight close that ended in burned knuckles and a sense of comradery that smelled a lot like French fries.

I think fiction is a great way to explore those very important relationships, especially when it comes to learning about and recognizing some friendships that aren’t so good. That’s why I think we need a variety of friendship stories. Not only the warm and fuzzy, found-family kind of stories, which A Constellation of Roses has in spades, or the blushing friends-to-lovers tales, but the messy ones, too. We need friendship break up stories. How do you move on after your best friend dumps you for a new boyfriend or a new friend? Or when an event beyond your control, like a cross-country move, separates you? My debut novel, The Deepest Roots, explores how secrets and fear can fracture even the strongest bonds of lifelong friends if we let them.

We need toxic friendship stories, too. Not only do they help us realize that not all friendships are good, particularly if they put you in situations that are bad for your mental or physical health, but they also help us recognize those toxic friendships in real life. In A Constellation of Roses, Trix’s old friends from the city, Shane and Charly, try to talk her into committing a crime with them, and she has to decide whether or not maintaining that friendship is worth breaking the law and risking the newfound place she’s found with her paternal family.

The real power of fiction, in YA and elsewhere, is that it allows us to survey parts of life that we haven’t yet experienced. It’s a place for readers to safely explore all choices, good and bad. And the consequences for us, as readers, might be a sad ending to a story, or a book tossed on the pyre of DNF, but they might also give us a clearer view of the world and the people we surround ourselves with.

Miranda Asebedo was born and raised in rural Kansas with a love of fast cars, open skies, and books. She carried that love of books to college, where she got her B.A. and M.A. in English, with an emphasis in Creative Writing and Literature. A Seaton Fellowship recipient, her short fiction has appeared in Kansas Voices, Touchstone, and Midway Journal.

Miranda still lives on the prairie today with her husband, two kids, and two majestic bulldogs named Princess Jellybean and Captain Jack Wobbles. If Miranda’s not writing or reading, she’s most likely convinced everyone to load up in the family muscle car and hit the road.

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