House of Mystery Radio Sessions: Women Authors #4 – Tara Hodgson
- Apr 7
- 4 min read
By Alan R. Warren and Michael Hawley
Tara Hodgson is the YA contemporary author of Chasing Through Time and At Least I’m Trying. As a long-time teacher, she is passionate about communicating the potential implications of a technology-centred world and sparking necessary conversations about these impacts on teens, using her fiction to do so. When she isn't teaching or writing, she is reading. She loves all genres of books, but especially YA Contemporary, Fantasy, and Dystopian (but she’ll read anything, really!) She spends her downtime walking, camping, boating, and relaxing at home with her family and animals.
Interview originally conducted: October 10, 2025
When Snapchat Becomes a Story: Tara Hodgson Turns Teen Digital Life into Fiction
Author Tara Hodgson is looking forward to slowing down next week — just a bit — to focus on writing her second novel, with the beginnings of a third already taking shape. For many writers, finding consistent time to create can feel impossible.
Hodgson, though, has built her days around it, drawing inspiration from the same place she spends much of her professional life: the complicated, digital-centered world of teenagers.
Her latest novel, At Least I’m Trying, is what she jokingly calls “Snapchat gone wrong.” Hodgson laughs when she admits she doesn’t even use the app herself. “I don’t Snapchat,” she says. “But my students do, and I hear everything.”
A junior high teacher with nearly 20 years of classroom experience, Hodgson has watched firsthand how social media shapes teen relationships, self-esteem, and decision-making. Conversations about SnapMaps — a feature that allows users to share their location — and casual online interactions with both friends and strangers planted the seed for her story. Those everyday observations became the foundation for a novel that explores just how vulnerable young people can be in digital spaces.
The story centers on Reese, a high-achieving perfectionist whose carefully constructed image begins to crack. “She’s the kind of student who wants to excel at everything,” Hodgson explains. “And when things start slipping, she doesn’t have the coping skills yet.”
As Reese becomes emotionally overwhelmed, she leans more heavily on social media — and that’s where things begin to unravel. Someone who initially appears charming and attentive turns out to have hidden motives, placing Reese in a situation she isn’t prepared to navigate.
Hodgson says she brought Reese to life by tapping into the quiet, unspoken pressures many teenagers carry. She also relied on young beta readers to help fine-tune dialogue and emotional reactions. “Teenagers are incredibly quick to notice when something doesn’t feel real,” she says. “I wanted Reese to feel like someone they might actually know — or maybe even see themselves in.”
The novel’s antagonist, Liam, represents another layer of realism. Hodgson researched common manipulation tactics found in unhealthy relationships, including “love-bombing,” where excessive attention and gifts are used early on to build trust quickly. Because the story is told entirely from Reese’s perspective, readers experience how easy it can be to overlook warning signs when you want to believe someone genuinely cares.
While At Least I’m Trying deals with heavy themes, Hodgson was intentional about keeping the content appropriate for older teen readers. “It’s intense, but nothing is graphic,” she says. “I want it to be impactful without being overwhelming.”
The message behind the book is deeply personal for her — not just as an author, but as a teacher and a parent. “Most kids are growing up online,” she says. “And a lot of that happens without much guidance. By 10 or 11, they’re handed devices and expected to figure it out on their own.”
From her perspective, the difference often comes down to family communication and boundaries. Some teens have strong support systems and clear limits around technology use. Others spend nine to twelve hours a day on screens, sleep with their phones in their bedrooms, and experience very little parental oversight. “Some parents don’t even realize what’s happening behind the screen,” Hodgson says. “Or they don’t feel equipped to handle it.”
Through fiction, Hodgson hopes to help bridge that gap. She wants to give teens a story that feels relatable — and opens the door to conversations about online safety, self-worth, and emotional resilience. “If a reader finishes the book and pauses to think about whether they really need to share their location, or whether they’re trusting someone too quickly online,” she says, “that’s a win.”
Between editing, publishing, and drafting her next manuscript, Hodgson stays connected with readers online under the name Tara Hodgson, Author, and through her website, where she regularly shares updates. For her, storytelling is more than entertainment. It’s a way to reflect the realities teens are navigating every day — both on screen and off.
Full Interview: Tara Hodgson - At Least I'm Trying - House of Mystery Radio on NBC | Acast
House of Mystery is an electrifying weekly radio program hosted by Canadian author and broadcaster Alan R. Warren, airing on the NBC News Talk Radio network and syndicated across the U.S. and Canada. Through insightful interviews with acclaimed authors, experts, and cultural figures. With a rich mix of fiction and non-fiction topics
Alan R. Warren is an award-winning Canadian true crime author and broadcaster whose work has captivated readers and listeners across North America. With more than three dozen books published. He is also the long-time host of the popular House of Mystery radio show on the NBC News Talk Radio network.
Michael Hawley studies the Whitechapel murders mystery, authoring over 30 research articles and multiple books. He has lectured across the US and London and has been a guest expert on TV and online documentaries.
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