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ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: Mysterious Ways
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://www.wendywunderauthor.com/
CITY: Boston
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY:
LAST VOLUME: SATA 315
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Married; children: Cadence.
EDUCATION:Rutgers University, B.A. (political science and journalism), 1990; Emerson College, M.F.A. (creative writing), 2000.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Author, editor, and educator. WCBS-FM, New York, NY, desk assistant, 1990; Baker & Taylor, Bridgewater, NJ, assistant editor, 1990-92, international sales associate, 1992-94; Ned’s Berkeley Bookstore, Berkeley, CA, textbook manager, 1994-96; Northeastern University, Boston, MA, writing instructor, 1998-2000; Emerson College, Boston, circulation manager, 2000-03; Lighthouse Writers Workshop, Denver, CO, online writing instructor, 2006—; O2 Yoga, Boston, instructor and studio manager, 2008-10; Pearson North America, Boston, digital editor, 2012-13; Grub Street, Boston, writing instructor, 2012-; Porter Square Books, Cambridge, MA, bookseller; occasional librarian.
AVOCATIONS:Yoga, writing, reading, skiing.
AWARDS:Promise Award, Sustainable Arts Foundation, 2013.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
An editor and writing instructor, Wendy Wunder also writes novels for young-adult audiences. From her poignant debut, The Probability of Miracles, onward, Wunder has earned recognition for her ability to address delicate issues with humor and sensitivity.
In The Probability of Miracles Wunder introduces Campbell “Cam” Cooper, a sixteen-year-old battling terminal cancer. Unwilling to accept her daughter’s fate, Cam’s stubbornly hopeful mom takes the family to Promise, Maine, which is purported to have healing powers. Once there, a skeptical Cam succumbs to the town’s many charms and sets about fulfilling her “Flamingo List,” an inventory of things she hopes to accomplish before she dies that includes getting fired from a job, drinking beer, and getting her heart broken.
A Kirkus Reviews writer noted that “irreverent humor, quirky small-town charm and surprises along the way help readers brace themselves for the tearjerker ending.” Wunder “gracefully balances comedy and tragedy,” a Publishers Weekly reviewer noted in recommending The Probability of Miracles, and she “creates a large, memorable supporting cast to bolster” the story’s likable teen heroine. Booklist critic Ilene Cooper observed that Wunder’s “strong debut is as much about living as it is about dying,” and Ragan O’Malley, writing in School Library Journal, called The Probability of Miracles “a witty, clever, meaningful … tour de force.”
In The Museum of Intangible Things Wunder presents “a crisp, beautifully crafted story of adventure, love, and the limits of friendship,” as Lexi Walters Wright noted in Booklist. Friends since childhood, dependable Hannah and volatile, bipolar Zoe Dream of escaping from their dead-end New Jersey hometown. When Hannah discovers that her alcoholic dad has drained her college fund and Zoe’s ill-fated encounter with a college boy triggers a manic episode, the two teens embark on an impromptu road trip. During their wild journey, the increasingly unpredictable Zoe uses their experiences—which include an overnight stay in an IKEA—to teach Hannah about life’s intangibles: concepts such as loyalty, audacity, and insouciance. “In a finely crafted blend of heartbreak and humor, Hannah begins to see the reality of Zoe’s disorder,” a writer noted in Kirkus Reviews. According to a Publishers Weekly contributor, the “well-rounded and memorable characters” in The Museum of Intangible Things combine with “a realistic perspective on mental illness [to] make for a thought-provoking story.”
[open new]Wunder’s next young-adult novel, Mysterious Ways, is narrated by Maya Storm, who has a gift that proves a curse: the ability to read people’s thoughts. She opens the story amidst a six-week stay at the Whispering Pines Psychiatric Hospital, where she comes to terms with her situation by brainstorming a list of potential careers that includes “God(?).” Enrolling at a new school, Maya becomes friends with a quick-witted, queer Korean American girl named Lucy and crushes on a spiritually minded olive-skinned boy named Tyler. Wise beyond her years as a result of her mental intake, she steadily delivers wry observations while navigating daily teenage life and seeking a way to do good in the world—perhaps divinely.
About her impetus in writing Mysterious Ways, Wunder told Robert Lee Brewer of Writer’s Digest that while both working with teens at a school and raising her own Gen Z daughter, she found herself “noticing the barrage of circumstances we’d handed down to them that were creating a perfect storm of anxiety and of knowing too much. Climate change, the phones, social media, gun violence, the 24-hour news cycle, hate, the rat race that is college admissions, the pressure to be liked and likable. So, I wanted to testify to it, document it, really, but also apologize for the mess they’re inheriting.” Wunder added that she wanted to “help them find their power. I truly believe they will lead us out of this into a hopeful, beautiful future.”
A Kirkus Reviews writer affirmed that Wunder’s “depiction of Gen Z anxieties feels spot on” as Mysterious Ways proves a “humorous and stimulating reading experience that offers glimpses into a girl’s exhausting inner thoughts.” A Publishers Weekly reviewer hailed Maya as a “magnetic personality who’s wholly aware of the systemic patterns that have shaped her,” making for a “dynamic … tongue-in-cheek read.” The reviewer enjoyed the “wonderful yet wrenching climax.” Declaring in WebOnlyReviewsSLJ that Wunder “masterfully weaves a myriad of seemingly disparate events into a cohesive narrative,” Jessica Perovich called Mysterious Ways a “captivating and insightful read.”[close new]
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, December 1, 2011, Ilene Cooper, review of The Probability of Miracles, p. 63; April 1, 2014, Lexi Walters Wright, review of The Museum of Intangible Things, p. 46.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, February, 2012, Deborah Stevenson, review of The Probability of Miracles, p. 328; May, 2014, Karen Coats, review of The Museum of Intangible Things, p. 102.
Horn Book Guide, fall, 2014, Rachel L. Smith, review of The Museum of Intangible Things.
Kirkus Reviews, October 15, 2011, review of The Probability of Miracles; March 15, 2014, review of The Museum of Intangible Things; June 15, 2024, review of Mysterious Ways.
Publishers Weekly, October 31, 2011, review of The Probability of Miracles, p. 59; December 19, 2011, Ingrid Roper, profile of Wunder; February 17, 2014, review of The Museum of Intangible Things, p. 102; May 27, 2024, review of Mysterious Ways, p. 57.
School Library Journal, December, 2011, Ragan O’Malley, review of The Probability of Miracles, p. 135; March, 2014, Anne Jung-Mathews, review of The Museum of Intangible Things, p. 165.
Voice of Youth Advocates, December, 2011, Marlyn Beebe, review of The Probability of Miracles, p. 503; April, 2014, Lis Gotauco, review of The Museum of Intangible Things, p. 76.
WebOnlyReviewsSLJ, August 23, 2024, Jessica Perovich, review of Mysterious Ways, p. 1.
ONLINE
Wendy Wunder website, http://www.wendywunderbooks.com (May 1, 2017).
Writer’s Digest, https://www.writersdigest.com/ (August 29, 2024), Robert Lee Brewer, “Wendy Wunder: Be Grateful for the Edits.”
Wendy Wunder is the author of The Probability of Miracles, which was called “beautiful” in a starred review from Kirkus Reviews and a “graceful balance of comedy and tragedy” by Publishers Weekly. When she’s not writing or spending time with her family, she teaches yoga in Boston. Like her on Facebook and follow @WendyWunder on Twitter.
Wendy Wunder: Be Grateful for the Edits
In this interview, author Wendy Wunder discusses the process of wanting to both apologize for and document the circumstances of being Gen Z with her new contemporary YA novel, Mysterious Ways.
Robert Lee BrewerAug 29, 2024
Wendy Wunder has an MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College. She is the star-reviewed author of Probability of Miracles and The Museum of Intangible Things. When not writing, she often works as a rogue librarian and is currently a bookseller at Porter Square Books in Cambridge. She lives in Boston with her husband, daughter and two quirky pets, but will remain ever-faithful to her Jersey roots. Follow her on X (Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.
Wendy Wunder: Be Grateful for the Edits
Wendy Wunder
In this interview, Wendy discusses the process of wanting to both apologize for and document the circumstances of being Gen Z with her new contemporary YA novel, Mysterious Ways, the impact of COVID on her writing process, and more.
Name: Wendy Wunder
Literary agent: Joelle Hobeika
Book title: Mysterious Ways
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release date: August 27, 2024
Genre/category: YA Contemporary
Previous titles: Probability of Miracles and Museum of Intangible Things
Elevator pitch: Mysterious Ways is about a girl who thinks she’s god and tries to save the world, since the world so desperately needs saving right now.
Wendy Wunder: Be Grateful for the Edits
Bookshop | Amazon
[WD uses affiliate links.]
What prompted you to write this book?
I was working with Gen Z kids at a school and raising a Gen Z kid of my own and noticing the barrage of circumstances we’d handed down to them that were creating a perfect storm of anxiety and of knowing too much. Climate change, the phones, social media, gun violence, the 24-hour news cycle, hate, the rat race that is college admissions, the pressure to be liked and likable. So, I wanted to testify to it, document it, really, but also apologize for the mess they’re inheriting.
At the same time, I wanted to help them find their power. I truly believe they will lead us out of this into a hopeful, beautiful future. And I think that is ultimately the trajectory of the book. It’s hopeful and funny.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
This book has been in two separate files on my computer for about eight years. I started it in two different voices and couldn’t decide which one to go with. I finally landed on Maya and sold it on spec to Wednesday Books in 2019. It took me a long time to finish after that, because I got very sick with COVID and couldn’t get my energy back. My brain wasn’t working … I almost lost hope, but somehow, plodding along, I eventually found the story after the third or fourth draft. Thanks to the patience of my agents and editors, Mysterious Ways is a book and not still just a Word Doc.
The idea didn’t change necessarily, but my editor, Sara Goodman, helped me to find the story and make it bigger. I needed license to go for it and try to make it about more than a girl struggling to fit in at high school. When she gave that to me, I saw the light.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
I was surprised that there were SO many rounds of edits from different folks in different facets of the business. It made me grateful to have completed an MFA. I don’t think you need one. But that training really helped me to have confidence in knowing which edits to keep and which edits to discard. You have to let go of your ego and be grateful for the edits that are improving the book. You also have to be confident enough to discard the edits from people who aren’t seeing your vision.
Wendy Wunder: Be Grateful for the Edits
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
I am a “discovery writer,” which means that the writing process is a constant surprise—lol. I don’t have an outline but write to discover the story and understand my own mind. The benefit of this is that if you are surprised, then the reader will be, too! The downside is that you can sometimes write yourself into corners and need to back out with your tail between your legs and find a new path forward. Which can be frustrating and take a lot of time. George Saunders is one of my favorite discovery writers and he describes this process brilliantly in his newsletters and his book, A Swim in the Pond in the Rain.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I hope they’ll see themselves and each other, and I hope they’ll laugh.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Read. Write. Be tender and brave. (I read that somewhere and I don’t know who said it, but it’s the best possible combination of virtues) Think deeply for yourself. Be wary of sloganeering (even from your echo chambers). Don’t lose your sense of humor. Read. Write. Don’t worry about publishing. Repeat.
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Wunder, Wendy MYSTERIOUS WAYS Wednesday Books (Teen None) $20.00 8, 27 ISBN: 9781250770202
A girl who can read people's thoughts tries to devise a way to survive high school.
Overwhelmed by her mysterious power, Maya Storm, who's cued white, has a breakdown and begins the story while on a six-week "Grippy Sock Vacation" at a psychiatric hospital. Upon her discharge, she starts fresh at a new school, where she's befriended by Lucy, a queer Korean American girl with a quick wit and entrepreneurial ambitions, and develops an instant attraction to Tyler, an olive-skinned boy with a spiritual streak. But Maya can't shake off the anxieties of her classmates, whose unquiet thoughts plague and fuel her own: a deep generational angst over the pending climate apocalypse and other social crises, plus the constant barrage of everyday teenage stressors like body image, college admissions, and social awkwardness. A tragic accident spurs Maya to take on a personal challenge: She founds Save the Bobcats, a club that will help the local bobcat population (which would look great on her Common App) while also giving Maya a way to use her powers to help her classmates with their own challenges. Maya's wry, older-than-her-years narration moves at a fast clip and is peppered with references both modern and retro. The depiction of Gen Z anxieties feels spot on, though Maya's voice stretches credibility as that of an authentic teenager.
A humorous and stimulating reading experience that offers glimpses into a girl's exhausting inner thoughts. (content note) (Fiction. 14-18)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Wunder, Wendy: MYSTERIOUS WAYS." Kirkus Reviews, 15 June 2024, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A797463116/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=238eda66. Accessed 25 Oct. 2024.
Mysterious Ways
Wendy Wunder. Wednesday, $20 (336p) ISBN 978-1-250-77020-2
Of the three career options that 17-year-old Maya comes up with during her "Grippy Sock Vacation" at Whispering Pines Psychiatric Hospital, the one that stands out is "God (?)." What explanation is there for the fact that Maya can read minds other than "she might actually, kind of, be god?" Despite her solitary meditation on the matter ("No one knew about this, obvs"), Maya wonders if there had always been "girls with elusive powerful magic they can't understand or unleash, because the patriarchy is stronger than god and much more insidious." It's this expansive way of thinking that makes up Maya's appeal: she's a magnetic personality who's wholly aware of the systemic patterns that have shaped her, a dynamic that sets the stage of this tongue-in-cheek read. Seamlessly moving between the humorous and horrific realities of Maya's omniscience, Wunder (The Museum of Intangible Things) chronicles the protagonist's stay at Whispering Pines and her eventual enrollment at a new school where she makes a friend and happens upon potential romance. But Maya, realizing that her powers might have more practical applications, attempts to use them to help the people around her, a decision that results in a simultaneously wonderful yet wrenching climax that emphasizes how, even when one has hit rock bottom, there's always hope. Maya reads as white. Ages 13--up. Agents: Joelle Hobeika and Sara Shandler, Alloy Entertainment. (Aug.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
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MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Mysterious Ways." Publishers Weekly, vol. 271, no. 21, 27 May 2024, p. 57. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A799270304/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=54f6b1d1. Accessed 25 Oct. 2024.
WUNDER, Wendy. Mysterious Ways. 336p. Wednesday Bks. Aug. 2024. Tr $20. ISBN 9781250770202.
Gr 9 Up—Seventeen-year-old Maya grapples not only with the typical challenges of fitting in with her peers but also with the extraordinary burden of a gift that sets her apart—the ability to delve into others' thoughts and past actions, perhaps even reflecting a divine nature within her. This unique skill lands her in the Whispering Pines psychiatric facility due to the overwhelming influx of information. Upon her release, Maya navigates the complexities of her gift, striving to use it for benevolent purposes while also craving the attention of an intriguing boy. While the story's initial pace may be a bit slow, it significantly intensifies as Maya sets clear objectives for herself. Wunder masterfully weaves a myriad of seemingly disparate events into a cohesive narrative, culminating in Maya's overarching mission to positively impact those around her. Readers will be anxious to know how each character's story will play out, Maya's role in that result, and if her gift is truly a gift or a curse.
VERDICT: YA readers who enjoy coming-of-age tales will find this a captivating and insightful read.—Jessica Perovich
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Library Journals, LLC
http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/reviews/xpress/884170-289/xpress_reviews-first_look_at_new.html.csp
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Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Perovich, Jessica. "Mysterious Ways." WebOnlyReviewsSLJ, vol. 70, no. 8, 23 Aug. 2024, p. 1. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A807277420/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=02f5e067. Accessed 25 Oct. 2024.