On Jan. 27, Class of 2022 graduate Anya Nagle published her debut novel, a young adult fiction story following a teen musician named Stars as he becomes the frontman for one of America’s new favorite indie rock bands, Mothic Wreckage.
“He’s kind of like a living ghost,” Nagle said. “He doesn’t like talking to people or about himself at all, which makes him a very frustrating narrator.”
Nagle began writing Mothic Wreckage the summer after graduation, but she said the bones of the story formed at McCallum. Whether in a Writing Center shift, a theater rehearsal or the library, Nagle was always writing.
In writing this and learning about these characters, I learned more about me and the world I live in.
— Anya Nagle
“I definitely formed some of the ideas once I started going to all the concerts in my senior year because I wanted to have all these different experiences,” Nagle said. “I was always friends with all the music kids, and I was like, ‘I’ve never written about music before, so that would be kind of new to go into this niche and see if it works for me,’ and I think it stuck.”
For two years, Nagle focused on her writing process, developing a world where Stars could shine. She brainstormed through playlists and Pinterest boards then sat down to write with her cat by her side. Within a couple of months, she had a first draft.
“When I get an idea, I’m struck with a feeling or an image, and I sort of ruminate on it for a little bit,” Nagle said. “I let it try and tell me what it means. Once I do that, and I outline, then the writing starts.”
Nagle has written plays for Austin-based theater companies, but Mothic Wreckage was her first book to complete and publish.
“I’m a chronic project starter, like I pick something up and I ditch it halfway through, but that wasn’t happening for some reason,” Nagle said. “I was like, ‘There could be something here, and I feel like this is a very important story to tell.’ The idea that I could finish something was really cool.”
Anya was 19 years old when she wrote this book and got it published. That’s just a rare thing. That’s a unicorn.
— English teacher Amy Smith
Nagle said the writing process was simultaneously terrifying and enlightening.
“It was very scary to confront all these different parts of myself that I had not necessarily seen before, but it was also really freeing and gratifying,” Nagle said. In writing this and learning about these characters, I learned more about me and the world I live in.”
AP English Literature teacher Amy Smith said Nagle was always loyal to her creative writing despite the confines of high school schedules.
“Anya is a very creative mind and loved to write, even when she was supposed to be doing an essay or something,” Smith said. “She’s always been like collecting little ideas to write about characters and plots and things like that. It doesn’t surprise me that she’s already written a novel because she was ready to get out of school and start writing.”
According to Smith, getting published at 19 is almost unheard of, but Nagle beat the odds.
“To get published at any age is a feat in and of itself,” Smith said. “Especially today, so many people are trying their hand at it, so you’re competing with so many more places to actually get published. But Anya was 19 years old when she wrote this book and got it published. That’s just a rare thing. That’s a unicorn.”
Nagle queried agents all over the world, attracting representatives for people as prolific as Colleen Hoover, but none of the offers resonated with her. She ultimately decided to publish independently, working with an editor at Bloomsbury Press in London.
“My editor helped me realize a lot of things about the story,” Nagle said. “Originally, it was a very sad story. It was not a fun trip at all. Then she and I had a Zoom meeting and she was like, ‘Have you ever considered giving it a happy ending?’ The more I thought about it, the more I was like, ‘Yeah, I think my editor is right. I think it needs a happy ending.’ And so I changed it.”
When Nagle finished her final draft, she burst into tears in the middle of a library.
Being able to hold it up and show it to people and say, ‘Look, I did it. I made this’ [was amazing].
— Nagle
“I was obviously happy to be done, but it’s kind of like a breakup,” Nagle said. “I was like, ‘Oh, it’s over. It’s done. There’s no more to do.’ But that quickly faded, because I was like, ‘Now I have to get the cover. And now I have to schedule a release date and all these different things.’ But that brief period of time, where all I felt was just that rush of relief, was insane.”
Before she knew it, the first physical copies of Mothic Wreckage had arrived in her mailbox, complete with a cover design from McCallum graduate Bella Rothenflue.
“It was 20 of them all in this big box–it was so heavy,” Nagle said. “I carried everything back and collapsed at my kitchen table. I was sweaty, my arms hurt and I was struggling with the tape.”
When she saw Mothic Wreckage on the “New & Noteworthy” table at Book People, Nagle finally understood that her lifelong dream had been accomplished.
“The first time I went, I got so nauseous,” Nagle said. “I was like, ‘This is not real. This is like a dream.’ My friends send me selfies of them holding it at the bookstore. This is all I’ve wanted since I was super duper little, so it’s really exciting. I go to Book People quite often just to stare at it.”
On Feb. 8, Nagle hosted a release party for her debut novel where she sold autographed copies and an assortment of Mothic Wreckage-related merchandise. Nagle said seeing her loved ones come together to celebrate two years of hard work made the party one of the best nights of her life.
I heard she was getting published, and I was like ‘That’s amazing.’ I didn’t know that was something that a 19-year-old could do.
— Class of 2023 graduate Layn Mayfield
“It was really beautiful to watch my community consolidate into one group so I could thank them all at the same time,” Nagle said. “Being able to hold it up and show it to people and say, ‘Look, I did it. I made this’ [was amazing].”
Class of 2023 graduate Layn Mayfield, a longtime friend of Nagle’s, was one of the first to read Mothic Wreckage.
“I read the first draft for a movie she wrote, and I’ve sent her first drafts for songs, so as soon as I heard that she had a book coming out, I wanted to read it,” Mayfield said. “I pre-ordered it as soon as it was available.”
Due to strong descriptive writing and thought-out characters, Mothic Wreckage exceeded Mayfield’s expectations. Nagle’s ability to write “casually queer” characters stood out to them as they read.
“All the characters in this book are three-dimensional and have struggles going on that you don’t see,” Mayfield said. “The way that she writes queer characters is the way that most people write straight characters where it’s just normal. You don’t have to make a point of saying they’re straight. It’s just they are what they are.”
Mayfield said Nagle’s journey as a writer inspired them as a fellow teen.
“I heard she was getting published, and I was like ‘That’s amazing,’” Mayfield said. “I didn’t know that was something that a 19-year-old could do. I’m realizing that I can be doing things like that.”
If there’s one thing I want my readers to take away from ‘Mothic Wreckage’ it’s that what we are able to build with other people is so crucial and so beautiful.
— Nagle
For Nagle, writing is all about giving a voice to young people.
“Other people my age are looking for some sort of escapism in their literature, and if I can provide that, that’s awesome,” Nagle said. “I think the first step to that is writing things that young people will relate to.”
Nagle said she is currently working on a prequel, and a web series is being discussed. But in the meantime, she hopes readers can focus on the core message of Mothic Wreckage.
“If there’s one thing I want my readers to take away from Mothic Wreckage it’s that what we are able to build with other people is so crucial and so beautiful,” Nagle said. “We should really be paying more attention to telling people we love them and forming bonds– leaving love behind where we stood.”
Sophie • Apr 5, 2024 at 4:30 pm
I loved this article! I think you did a great job of displaying the novel writer’s experiences and struggles, as well as their determination for writing a book so soon after graduation. Reading this felt very inspiring and I was delighted to find so many different perspectives as well. Great job!