One Week of the Heart

Lizzy has an unforgettable week during the summer before her freshman year of high school in this lighthearted prequel to Lisa Williams Kline’s One Week of You.

For fifteen-year-old Lizzy Winston, summer is the time to do what she loves most: hang with the people who know her best. But this year, summer science camp with her best friend Kelly turns out to bring more drama than she bargained for.

Kelly and Lizzy made a pact years before: they will never act like fools because of boys. They want to become doctors after all, and they don't have time to flirt. But this summer, Lizzy has her first crush and learns that your brain can’t always control your heart—and sometimes choosing one love means losing another.

Old friendships are put to the test as new ones bloom in this sweet novella that reminds us of how much one heart can grow in only a week.

“In One Week of You, Lisa Williams Kline perfectly channels the inner workings of the young adult mind, complete with every quivering ounce of angst, fear, and self-doubt.” -Frank Morelli, author of No Sad Songs

An Influential Week in the Life of Lisa Williams Kline

When I was in high school I went to a summer arts and film program. I wasn’t initially excited about the program, similar to Lizzy in One Week of the Heart, because I wanted to hang with my friends at the pool. Like Lizzy, my parents made me go. But I ended up having a mind-blowing experience and loving it. The teachers were inspirational. Each of us had to make a film by the end of the program. Other participants made films on the campus, recruiting other kids to play the parts, and there were some really cool films made. One other guy and I decided to try our hands at animation. I still remember his project – he used clay, and there were all these scenes of clay monsters running around, melting, and reconfiguring themselves sort of like Mr. Bill on Saturday Night Live. It was so imaginative and fun. My project was a cartoon animation of that old song “Mama Told Me Not to Come,” by Three Dog Night. I did maybe a hundred cartoon drawings, to tell the story of this three-minute song, about this kind of nerdy person, like me, going to a wild party and being overwhelmed. My dad helped me tape our movie camera to our basement ceiling and take photos of my drawings one frame at a time to create animation. I treasure that memory of working with my dad on that project. My parents kept that little film for years. I never dreamed when I started that week that I’d create memories that have literally lasted for decades. Plus, the experience later influenced my decision to focus on radio, TV, and film in graduate school. Similarly, I think Lizzy’s summer experience in One Week of the Heart will also stay with her for many years.

Thanks so much for having me, BookCrushin! I hope readers are inspired to read One Week of the Heart and One Week of You. At least for a short time, One Week of the Heart is free!