Kody Keplinger: Get The First Draft Done
In this interview, author Kody Keplinger discusses the decade-long process of her new young adult novel, Where Lost Girls Go.
Kody Keplinger is the New York Times-bestselling author of several young adult and middle-grade novels. She wrote her debut, The DUFF, when she was a senior in high school. It was named a YALSA Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Readers, and it later went on to be adapted into a feature film of the same title starring Mae Whitman, Robbie Amell, Allison Janney, and Ken Jeong. Kody’s other works include Shut Out, A Midsummer’s Nightmare, The Swift Boys & Me, Lying Out Loud, Run, That’s Not What Happened, Lila & Hadley, and the graphic novel, Poison Ivy: Thorns, with illustrator Sara Kipin.
Kody was born and raised in rural western Kentucky. She has been legally blind since birth and is passionate about the representation of disability in the media. She is also a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community. She frequently includes both queer and disabled characters in her work. Since 2013 she has been teaching writing classes with Gotham Writers’ Workshops, where she hopes to guide and inspire others along their writing journeys.
When not writing, you can find Kody playing Dungeons & Dragons, reading tarot cards for herself and her friends, rewatching “Parks & Recreation” for the hundredth time, or listening to podcasts about reality shows she doesn’t even watch. She currently lives in Rochester, NY, with her Bernese Mountain Dog, Emmett, and her senior black cats, Bettie and James. Follow her on Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook.
In this interview, Kody discusses the decade-long process of her new young adult novel, Where Lost Girls Go, her hope for readers, and more.
Name: Kody Keplinger
Book title: Where Lost Girls Go
Publisher: Scholastic
Release date: July 7, 2026
Genre/category: Young Adult
Previous titles: That’s Not What Happened, Lila & Hadley, Poison Ivy: Thorns, Run, Lying Out Loud, The Swift Boys & Me, The DUFF, Shut Out, A Midsummer’s Nightmare
Elevator pitch: A teen girl, living with several other young women in an isolated cabin in the mountains of eastern Kentucky, is tasked with proving her loyalty to the charismatic, older man who has taken them in, but when a new girl arrives at the cabin, she begins to question who really deserves that loyalty.
What prompted you to write this book?
I’ve known for over a decade that I wanted to write a book about a cult in the Appalachian Mountains, but it took me a long time to decide what the real story was. After a lot of research, I realized that the story I wanted to tell would focus on the question of how someone ends up in a cult and—more importantly—why someone might choose to stay. I’ve always found the theme of identity compelling, especially in YA literature, and a cult felt like a compelling way to really explore that theme.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
It took over a decade because I spent a few years with the idea in my head unsure of where to take it. My editor really encouraged me to pursue it though, so I put more time and thought into it. Once I started writing, the initial idea—mostly the concept behind the narrative structure—did change, because I wasn’t sure I could pull off the structure I’d originally wanted. Hilariously, though, after the first draft, as I began revising, I realized that that original concept could still work, so I rewrote the book to match the first version. So, the idea changed and then changed back after getting a draft done.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
It’s my ninth novel, so I don’t think anything really surprised me in terms of the publishing process. But I did learn exactly how amazing and supportive my editor is. She has really nurtured this project from conception to final draft, even when I struggled and missed deadlines and got stuck several times. I’ve known for years that she is amazing, but this book was a real challenge for me, and she never gave up on it. It’s why the book is dedicated to her.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
The biggest—and most frustrating—surprise was realizing that I actually wrote the first draft in the wrong tense. It was originally in first person past tense, but upon reading it my editor said it wasn’t working and wondered if present tense might make the prose feel more immediate. I decided to revise the first few chapters, just to see how it went, and sure enough, she was right. So, I had to change the tense in the book, but I think it was for the best.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
My primary hope is that they’ll get a good story. That’s always my main goal. Beyond that, though, I hope readers walk away feeling some empathy, understanding that people who end up in these groups are often intelligent, good people who were in a vulnerable place when the wrong people found them.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Get the first draft done. For me, this is the hardest part of the process and where I get stuck the most. It took me years to write the first draft of Where Lost Girls Go. But you will have so much time and space to shape the book after that draft. If you can finish the first draft, you can do anything to it. So, try not to get too in your head about the first draft being perfect. It won’t be. It shouldn’t be.
