Up-close look at 21st century college life, love and loss
ON THE REBOUND: He Lost His Girl but Gained the Whole World
When college sophomore Will Ellermets approached Michigan author Susan K. Maciak to co-write a book based on journals he kept in his freshman year, she knew immediately that she should do it. People in the publishing business realize that it is rare to get a birds-eye view of campus life from a student’s perspective. Undergrads seldom have the desire or discipline to put college life on paper. Maciak was eager to help do that.
The result: On the Rebound: He Lost His Girl but Gained the Whole World. This sad, but often humorous, saga became a modern-day memoir for almost any student. The book has been compared to the mid-1990s’ hit Catcher in the Rye, but with a better ending. The book was an immediate must-read with hundreds of high school and college students. Its audience grew rapidly to include not only students, but also parents, teachers, college professors and young professionals.
From Heartbreak to Self-Discovery: A Journey of Resilience
On the Rebound tells a tale of love and loss. The main character is a young man who rises from the ashes of his failed first romance to find real purpose in life, accomplishing much more than his college education promised. To get over despondency caused by the break-up, he tries everything from writing rap songs to working out his frustrations in gyms. Keen insight into his own therapy led him to a way to help other young people handle setbacks and overcome life’s disappointments.
His obsession with getting his girl back eventually affects his college performance. He starts cutting classes, questions everything from religion to relationships, argues with classmates into the night over inane issues and starts to question why he needs a degree, anyway. He spends many lonely nights shooting basketballs in a dark park near his apartment.
Spreading Hope Through Youthful Activities and Personal Growth
When he realizes that being active is a good way to reduce pain, he starts setting up events that appeal to young people . . . including activities like balloon fights, beach parties and summer street festivals. His new goal was to spread a message of hope to other students. Most of his peers seemed to be suffering from some type of anxiety or depression that too often pushed them in the wrong direction — toward drugs and alcohol, or sometimes even suicide.
To lessen his own pain, he takes on more and more activities. He goes from thrift-store shopping with his brothers to dare-devil tubing with college friends. He accepts disastrous blind dates and delves into deep discussions with old girlfriends. With each compulsive action, he makes readers laugh at amusing details and identify with his lack of results.
His misadventures shed light on the candid, often comical, sides of today’s campus life. Some of his more hilarious antics include an all-male sleepover in a smelly car, awkward attempts at impressing co-eds on other campuses and a spring break road trip to Florida for a not-so-much-fun vacation with a couple of buddies. Throughout the book, he describes his many futile, but often funny, attempts to reunite with his former girlfriend. He urgently tries texting, calls her repeatedly even though she won’t answer, and jumps into a swimming pool from the second balcony of a hotel room to relieve his anxiety.
From Heartbreak to Empowerment: The Battle of the Gains Movement
Nothing works, but in the end, he discovers purpose in life without her. He finds himself in a better place and launches a crusadeto encourage other young people to turn their troubles into triumphs. He calls his effort Battle of the Gains, a movement to embrace healthy solutions to problems and turn losses into gains rather than relying on drugs, alcohol, or suicide, to escape the agony of life’s disappointments.
Susan K. Maciak, author of six books, (See samples at cameo100.com or amazon.com) coached co-author William P. Ellermets in the art of writing entertaining, yet compelling, stories.
Ellermets was an English major in his second year of college. In the story, Maciak plays the role of his mentor, which she became while they wrote the book.The co-writers met at coffee shops weekly to turn his college journals into On the Rebound: He Lost His Girl but Gained the Whole World. For further details about this book, visit the Authors’ Lounge at readersmagnet.com
What’s next? On the Rebound has attracted interest from several different movie and TV producers. The book earned accolades from four agencies at a recent New York Pitch Fest. Co-writers Maciak and Ellermets are contacted regularly by agents and investors interested in doing more with their book. Both are always open to opportunities to expand their audience.
