Deb Tawna the adult and Deb Tawna the teen chat about ELIXIR

I don’t read many young adult novels, so I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up ELIXIR, the book co-written by Hilary Duff and our own Deb Elise.

I was delighted to discover how much I really enjoyed it, even though I’m about 5 years 10 years OK fine, 20 years past young adulthood.

The adult version of me liked ELIXR so much, I felt sad the teenage me never got to read it. I decided to rectify the situation by building a time machine in my garage using a roll of duct tape, a feather duster, and a jar of artichoke hearts.

I journeyed back to the fall of 1988 and gave ELIXIR to my 14-year-old self. Then we sat down for a rousing discussion about AquaNet hairspray, Wham, and ELIXIR.

Here’s what we liked best about this book:

36-year-old Deb Tawna

  • Wonderful travel sequences in Brazil, Japan, and France.
  • A mystery that kept me turning pages.
  • A heroine who has such cool dreams I’m surprised she ever gets out of bed.
  • The Elixir of Life would be way better for wrinkles than Oil of Olay.
  • The romance was hot, especially that one scene I read under the covers with a flashlight.

14-year-old Deb Tawna

  • A teenage heroine who never gets grounded for jetting off to Brazil. Lucky.
  • Not just one, but two cute boys to drool over.
  • You never have to ask for an allowance when your family is loaded and you’re a famous photojournalist.
  • The history stuff was way cooler than what Mr. Adams taught in third period.
  • The romance was hot, especially that one scene I read under the covers with a flashlight.

Well that was a fun experiment! And ELIXIR is a fun book for teens and grown-ups alike, so go read it today.

For those of you without homemade time machines, do you find yourself reading books differently now than you imagine you would have in your youth? What would your younger self think of what you read now?

Please share in the comments. I’m getting back in my time machine to visit 1985 and let myself know those parachute pants are a really bad idea.

22 Replies to “Deb Tawna the adult and Deb Tawna the teen chat about ELIXIR”

  1. What an interesting question. I think I read much more thoughtfully now. My 14-year old self would wonder why I no longer read romance novels (to which I would say, ‘Never study anything you do for pleasure – it will ruin the enjoyment,’), but I am terribly excited to read a romance written by one Tawna Fenske.

  2. Patrick, that’s an electric ear-cleaner you’re talking about.
    Tawna, you look just like Debbie Gibson. I mean that in the best possible way.
    I read less Sylvia Plath now, but otherwise my teenage self and I have the same likes. And it’s nice that I have a larger library of Blake Nelson to choose from. My poor copy of GIRL had to be replaced.

    1. Kate, My 14-year-old self would have been delighted by that compliment. Come to think of it, so would my 36-year-old self. Thanks!

      Tawna

    1. Sarah, thanks! Alas, I already forwarded my copy of ELIXIR to the rest of the Debs, so you’ll have to wrestle them for it.

      Tawna

  3. What? The 80’s are over? I just saw George Michael and Duran Duran in concert last summer!

    And if it is over, how do I break the news to my turquoise stretch pants, hot-pink button-down shirt, and chunky belt?

  4. What? If she’s had a ‘flashlight’ since she was fourteen, the wiring might be frayed and cause the ‘flashlight’ to buzz a little. Just sayin’

    I would like to read a romance written by THREE Tawna Fenskes.

    1. Larramiefg, good point, I honestly don’t remember a lot of YA when I was 14. I really WAS sneaking those romance novels under the covers!

      Tawna

  5. Tawna, what a cutie your 14-year-old self was! Do I see an Esprit bag in the distance? Oh the memories. AquaNet hairspray. Oh yes, I do remember that. But I was much more into Salon Selectives. Remember the pink bottles? xo

    1. Sarah, oh yes, that is indeed an Esprit bag. Good eye! I do remember the Salon Selectives. They always smelled less like a chemical spill than the AquaNet did!

      Tawna

  6. Tawna, what a cutie your 14-year-old self was! Do I see an Esprit bag in the distance? Oh the memories. AquaNet hairspray. Oh yes, I do remember that. But I was much more into Salon Selectives. Remember the pink bottles? xo

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