To write her recent books, Erin Teagan decided she had to go to Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala.
She wanted to immerse herself in the experiences of 11-year-old Luciana “Luci” Vega, the main character in a new American Girl series. “Luciana” and “Braving the Deep” are the first two novels.
Luci wants to be an astronaut when she grows up. At the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, Space Camp gives her — and real kids ages 9 to 11 — a chance to train like an astronaut and learn about the work there. Kids try on spacesuits, launch model rockets and work in teams on missions.
Teagan especially enjoyed the experience of being weightless, like an astronaut in space. Walking on the bottom of a pool mimics that feeling.
Luci loves science, but Teagan did not when she was a kid.
“Math and science were hard for me then,” she said in a phone interview from her home in Purcellville, Va.
Growing up close to Philadelphia, Teagan preferred writing stories for her two younger sisters and brother.
But that changed in her teenage years. As part of a school requirement, Teagan and her classmates had to “shadow,” or follow, a professional for a day to learn about different careers. Teagan shadowed a scientist at a genetics lab.
“I saw how she worked with her hands and problem-solved with her teammates,” Teagan said. “I began to see science and research in a different way. I became really interested.”
This interest led to better grades in math and science, then to college, where Teagan studied technology and science. She did biochemical research in labs for about 10 years.
At the National Institutes of Health, she worked to develop a treatment for a rare blood disorder called Von Willebrand disease.
When her children were born, Teagan decided to work at home as a writer. But she missed science and research, she said, so she started writing about girls with those interests. She used knowledge from her lab experience in her first novel, “The Friendship Experiment.” The main character has Von Willebrand disease.
An editor at American Girl read Teagan’s novel. The company creates popular historical and contemporary dolls and books, and it was developing the Luciana doll. It was looking for a writer who might bring Luciana to life on the page — and quickly.
Teagan got right to work. She went to Space Camp twice, and she researched, wrote and revised both books in less than nine months. Teagan checked facts carefully with scientists to make sure all information was accurate. Megan McArthur Behnken, an astronaut, helped her with the precise wording for mission communication.
The third novel — “Out of This World”– will be published in May.
