Featured Neighbor I helped Zach when the kids were asleep (and when my handywoman skillset would allow), and my other long-term goal kept me busy. While my children were in their beds and my husband was in the garage, I would sit crisscross in the hallway with my laptop, because I wanted to be a writer. I was working on my second novel when we moved into Canyon Creek. (The first manuscript I penned was great for learning—but not for reading.) Now, seven years later, the long game has led to some big changes for our family. We can now use every room in our house (it is not “done” necessarily, but house projects never really are) and all my late-night typing has turned into a real-live book. My debut middle grade novel, EXIT STRATEGY, was published by Simon & Schuster in June of this year. The release of my novel is definitely on the shortlist for one of my all-time-favorite moments, and it was made even sweeter by the support and love I’ve gotten from my neighbors. But it also took our family away from the neighborhood for a while. Just after my book was released, our family took a five-week RV trip around the country visiting independent bookstores and promoting EXIT STRATEGY. Our family loved being on the road. Surprisingly, we all got a long so well in the tight spaces. Maybe because there wasn’t enough room to fight, but I’d like to think it’s from all the practice we had sharing a room during our extreme renovation.
Lauren Zutavern Author
D
id you know that Canyon Creek has a published author? This month, we are thrilled for Lauren Zutavern to tell us her story of how making their home here in Canyon Creek and writing her first published novel go hand in hand. Neighbors, please hear from Lauren in her own words! In our home, we often tell the kids that things that are worth doing often take time. This is our philosophy in our life. We play the long game. Take our house for example. In 2010, we bought a very brokendown house in the Canyon Creek neighborhood. Everything needed to be renovated—and not because we didn’t like the tile color or countertops—we needed to fix pipes, termite damage, and scare off the uninvited animals that had taken residence. Our extended family thought we were crazy for selling our perfectly respectable house in Dallas to move into a live-in project, but we loved the neighborhood with its fantastic people and stellar schools. Luckily my husband is handy and was up for the challenge. It was six-weeks after closing before any part of the house became inhabitable. It was another six months of my husband working night after night (after coming home from his day job), until we could live in more than 30% of the square footage. 24
www.CanyonCreekLifeMedia.com
