A Debut Y.A. thriller
in the querying trenches
Eight girls.
One secret that won’t let go.
Two lives that will never be the same.
spared
by
r.m. lavender
An artistic introvert saves her longtime tormentor at a deadly cost, then must conspire with her to cover it up.
A thriller for young adult readers
SPARED explores a sharp enemies-to-friends arc and a fraught shared-secret reckoning—all in the unforgiving wild.
With a friend like her, who needs enemies?
The Story . . .
An artistic introvert who saves the life of her arch nemesis at a deadly cost, then must cover it up with the girl she saved.
Mae lives for painting, but she’s still reeling from Jessica’s latest cruelty. She can’t take another minute of abuse, but the chance to paint high mountain scenes among girls of different backgrounds on Foxmoor’s Junior Bio trip is too good to pass up—if she can survive a week trapped with Jessica and her minions.
When a small plane crashes into their camp, killing a classmate and both teachers, and wrecking the bus, their divide only deepens. Mae helps the injured pilot, while something about him unsettles Jessica. Sneaking back to the wreckage alone, she finds a gun and a stash of cash—and takes them. As factions form around Jessica’s drinking and need for control, Mae wrestles with past trauma triggered by the chaos and her growing entanglement with the pilot. When she overhears him threaten Jessica and finds him holding her at knifepoint, her past floods back, driving her to stop his assault—leaving the pilot dead.
Mae’s shock doubles when Jessica pulls her into a trembling hug and insists they hide everything, or Mae could face a murder charge. Mae can’t disagree. But once home, police scrutiny strains their fragile alliance, and Mae discovers how much Jessica is still willing to hide. Now Mae must decide whether to hold Jessica’s secret or betray herself.
About R.M. Lavender
A career in teaching, artmaking, writing, and parenting his daughter led Lavender to write stories about distinct, strong female protagonists who face rising complications in pursuit of driving needs. Characters’ past experiences condition their motivations, their decision making, and, ultimately, their growth and change.
Developing compelling fiction and screenwriting projects is in some ways much like the work of painting and sculpture—but with words invoking millions of mind’s eye images instead of singular ones made to invite multiple interpretations. “Painting with words” is a kind of collaboration—one that creates immersive reader experiences crafted simultaneously between the writer and reader.
Lavender was briefly represented by Michael Hamilburg until his passing, has earned finalist awards in three creative writing competitions, including one sponsored by the SCBWI, and was a semi- or quarter-finalist in four others. Also an accomplished realist painter, Lavender studied and practices the oil-on-panel techniques that were in use from the Renaissance through the 19th century, many of them originally developed by Leonardo da Vinci and shared with his apprentices in his Treatise on Painting. Lavender has also published several journal articles on art education and contributed a chapter to Garb: A Fashion and Culture Reader.
determination | Mae
Mae’s insides churn as she sets eyes on Foxmoor School for the first time since her … time away. Sure, the place is as beautiful as ever, but the idea of facing a bunch of gawking girls, not so much. They’ll all be shaking their heads and wondering if that nutcase Mae Reynolds really thinks she can handle the fall wilderness trip. Especially since all eight of them will be stuffed into one tent together every night for a week.
That part sounds grim. But those girls have no clue what I can handle by now.
Her dashboard clock ticks down another minute she doesn’t have as she swings her dad’s old pickup into the school’s farthest-out parking space, and—damn it, her front wheel rides up the curb, then flops back down, hard. The load of stage scenery from his last play clatters loudly in the back.
God, could that have been any more cringey? Luckily, it looks like nobody noticed. They’re all gathered by the school’s small bus, helping Ms. Strand cram duffel bags and supply boxes into the rear section while Ms. Rooney checks her watch. Foxmoor School for Girls has a rule that the Fall Junior Bio trip must start on schedule, and Mrs. Rooney always makes it happen.
Gritting her teeth, Mae yanks her bags out of the pickup, then pulls on the vintage velvet coat she’d restyled for herself. Wearing something she loves usually helps on a tough day.
Except it’s not working this time. Forget butterflies, there’s a whole flock of geese in her stomach, swirling and pecking at each other. The last time she saw these girls, that snake in lip gloss, Jessica, and her bitch-clique had just wrecked Mae’s final History presentation on Leonardo da Vinci. Pushed every button I’d kept un-pushed for years, all in less than ten minutes. Mae had ended up sprawled on the blazing hot playing field, where Ms. Strand found her and called the Psych Emergency Team to come pick her up.
After that shitshow, she ditched the whole first week of fall, then asked the school for a home study plan. They okayed it, for the one month it’s allowed. Still, it got her this far.
… Cont’d Read sample chapters
Other Projects
Other Projects
Outlined or In-Progress
Several YA stories focusing on finding identity and agency, with high stakes and sustained tension, including:
Hunted. A YA thriller featuring SPARED’s main character, Mae and Jessica, as they try to outrun and stop the killer who’s after them.
Shades of Indigo. A YA thriller with high tension, including Foxmoor School for Girls’ new girl, Indigo, and SPAREDs’ main characters, Mae and Jessica.
A novel for the adult fiction market.
The Golden Boy. A Pacific Northwest timber-man loses his young son in a river accident, and finds his only solace in carving large wooden figures. When he is ‘discovered’ by a vacationing art dealer who draws him into the New York art world, his inspiration is nearly destroyed by the trappings of his remarkable success. Ultimately, he's forced to choose between two very different worlds.
Screenplays
Latude. Based on the true story of a pre-revolutionary French man wrongly imprisoned for 27 years, this historical drama includes two prison escapes—one of which historians have called “the most daring in history”—and features a remarkably noble-hearted woman whose tireless determination aids Latude’s struggle for freedom.
No Turning Back. A contemporary suspense-drama about a group of teen girls stuck in the wilderness after a cataclysmic event kills their teachers, leaving two antagonists to confront nature, overcome the clash of a lifetime, and liberate themselves emotionally. (The inspiration for the YA novel, Sudden Sisters.)
The Golden Boy. A contemporary drama with threads of romance about a timber-town folk artist who’s discovered by a vacationing art dealer, only to become a New York art world sensation. When the source of his inspiration is all but destroyed by his own success, he must face his wrenching past, and choose between newfound fame and true love.
Awards and honors
Semi-Finalist, William Faulkner-William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition, 2012, No Turning Back - Novel
Third Place, 5th Annual IndieProducer Screenwriting Competition, 2007, The Golden Boy - Original Screenplay
Finalist, SCBWI Kimberly Colen Memorial Grant, 2006, No Turning Back - Novel
Semi-Finalist, William Faulkner-William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition, 2006, No Turning Back - Novel
Quarter-Finalist, 11th Annual Writers Network Screenplay & Fiction Competition, 2004, Latude - Adaptation Screenplay
Finalist, 1st Annual IndieProducer Screenwriting Competition, 2002, No Turning Back - Original Screenplay
Quarter-Finalist, Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting Competition, 2002, No Turning Back - Original Screenplay
Finalist, Malcom-Vincent Screenwriting Contest, 1992, Latude - Adaptation Screenplay
Contact R.M. Lavender
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