The Authors’ Backstory

Mojo J. Pientka and Charlee E. Michanczyk were born in Virginia. From a young age, they were more like best friends than just cousins—until life took a turn. Mojo’s family moved to California, and now the girls were miles apart. 

“For the first five years after I moved, we didn’t really talk at all,” Mojo admitted. “Honestly, there were times I completely forgot about Charlee. My mom had to remind me when it was her birthday and stuff,” she added with a laugh.

Charlee remembers just one text during those years: “I think the only time I reached out was when I was about to start fourth grade, a year after Mojo. I asked her how hard it would be… Spoiler alert: she said, ‘It’s not hard.’ Thanks, Mojo. I’ve always wanted to tell you that was super helpful,” she said, grinning.

It wasn’t until a family reunion in Virginia—five years after Mojo’s move—that the two reconnected. They were both around eleven at the time, and the moment was surreal.

“It was so weird seeing her again after all that time,” Charlee recalled. “My younger sisters hadn’t even met her—they were born after Mojo moved away. She was basically a stranger.”

But something clicked at that reunion. They started texting again. Then calling. Gradually, the friendship was reborn.

Creating Our Long Way Home~

About a year or two after reconnecting, Mojo and Charlee had the idea to start a project together. The name Our Long Way Home came to them instantly—it felt right. The plot, however, was a different story. “It changed every day,” Mojo said. “But we never stopped planning.”

The two started the book at fourteen and published at the age of 15!

Once they got started, it wasn’t long before daily calls became the new normal. Brainstorming sessions were filled with laughter, late-night ideas, and shared dreams. The story became a way for them to bridge the distance, not just in miles, but in time lost.

Shared Passions and Cousin Hiccups~

Beyond writing, both girls have deep passions for art, acting, and music. Over the years, they even wrote and performed their own musicals together. But casting family members as actors? That didn’t always go as planned.

“There were times we worked super hard on a play,” Mojo said, “only for all the cousins to back out five minutes before curtain call—good times.”

Charlee added with a smile, “We had some hiccups, to say the least. There was one really bad time… but if you know, you know.”

Despite the bumps along the way, their creative partnership has grown stronger than ever. Mojo’s family now tries to visit Virginia at least once a year, and the two girls make the most of every moment—talking, laughing, and continuing to build their story. Honestly admitting there were calls when all they did was laugh and not even do anything in the book. 

Their journey hasn’t always been easy, but it’s been theirs. From childhood memories to long-distance phone calls to co-authoring their own novel, Mojo and Charlee are living proof that sometimes, the long way home is the most unforgettable path of all.

Mojo J. Pientka

(wrote Anna and Fays Perspective) 

Hello there! My name’s Mojo, and I wrote the best character in our book—Fay, obviously. (Kidding! Mostly. I genuinely adore all our characters equally… or so I tell myself.)

The last two years have been a chaotic blur of exhilaration and, let’s be real, enough frustration to make us want to scream into our pillows. Seriously, nobody warns you how brutal writing a book can be, no matter how many “Write Your Novel in 15 Days!” YouTube tutorials we’d binge. Juggling eighth and ninth grade while secretly writing a book was quite the challenge.

In my limited free time, I enjoy rock climbing, drawing, and hanging out with friends. Honestly, writing Fay felt almost like I was pouring my own thoughts and feelings onto the page. We’re both competitive (a bit too much at times), obsessed with horses, always down for an adventure, and somehow always stumble into trouble. At one point, I was accidentally calling Charlee “Holly” so often, I think she started to question her own identity..

A massive shout-out to my friends! While they came and went, each one imparted vital life lessons that I’m forever grateful for. Charlee was always a big role model for me, she often taught me lessons that I still carry today. She always seems to know what the right thing to say is! (It’s a little scary at times..) I think that’s one of the most beautiful parts of our novel: the fact that we get to take those lessons and weave them into a story. 

Writing this book was filled with highs and lows, and of course, the most asked question Charlee and I received from our eleven cousins, grandparents, parents, and everyone in between was, “When will the book be published?” I would repeat exactly what I’d said hundreds of times before (Charlee and I practically had a script ingrained into our brains), explaining the entire process all over again. Other common questions some of my cousins would ask were, “Can you give us a dollar a day when you start making money?” or “Can’t we just read the book before it’s published?” Which is why I would describe many of my cousins as persistent. Of course, I love them, so a shout-out to them!

Becoming an author has been a total mind-bending, “is this real?” experience. From that very first chaotic draft to the final rounds of edits, and then seeing the cover for the first time—it’s been absolutely surreal. Charlee was my number 1 supporter through all of this.

I often remember years back to when Charlee and I would write theater shows where we would create elaborate scripts and songs. For my grandparents’ 50th anniversary cruise trip we performed a reenactment of how they met into a show on stage! (I still don’t know how we were allowed to do that.) There was lighting, sound, and an audience. We wrote a 45 minute show which involved our 11 cousins. When it was time to perform a minor incident took place where I started crying and ran off stage..(somehow that’s the only footage our family seems to have of the entire show.) I hid backstage thinking my life was over! But Charlee ran back and helped me to my feet encouraging me. My cousins never let me live it down, that video somehow resurfaces every year…At the end of the day I am forever grateful for Charlee, that was only one of the many things she’s helped me with.

 That is why I would like to thank my “irrelevant” cousin, Charlee. I’m thankful for every late-night text, frantic call, every laugh-until-we-cry joke—it’s all precious to me. She’s not just my annoying boss (don’t tell her I said that), partner in crime, my cousin, and my best friend; she’s always been, and always will be, the unwavering Holly to my chaotic Fay. I love you!

Charlee E. Michanczyk

(wrote Holly and Willows perspective)

Hi! I came on here to write this while Mojo is already ten steps ahead of me—probably watching me through our FaceTime call right now as I type this. But I’m still going to try and make this sound as heartfelt and genuine as humanly possible.

Writing a book in middle school was… an experience, to say the least. Between the actual writing, the late-night editing, and the overly stressful back-and-forth between choosing different graphic artists, there were definitely moments that tested every ounce of patience I had (and probably every ounce of Mojo’s too). Honestly, I think there were days she secretly wanted to destroy me. She’s the only reason I stayed in check, and a big reason my procrastinating self got anything done.  

But through it all, I’ll forever be grateful for everything Mojo has meant to me. I mean it when I say this: I have no clue where I’d be without her. I’d probably just be watching YouTube with my brother and snacking on Goldfish. (It’s an unhealthy addiction)

When Our Long Way Home started, it was nothing like the version many of you are holding right now. Our original idea? Two cousins (who had what might be the most siblings known to any human ever.) surviving in a zombie  apocalypse. So… yeah, safe to say things changed. A lot. But every twist, rewrite, and wild brainstorming session brought us closer to the story—and to each other.

I’m proud to say Mojo and I are a lot alike. (Even though she won’t always admit it.) We both love theater, acting, writing, and art. Though, let’s be real—her art is like a billion times better than mine. And working with her on this project gave me so many moments I’ll never forget: the good news we didn’t get a whole lot of, the bad news Mojo texted to tell me every other day, the things we absolutely overreacted and stressed about, and the moments we just sat there and laughed. 

And somewhere along the way, I completely fell in love with the characters we created—especially Holly and Fay. It’s kind of wild to think there was a time when I didn’t know them. Authors always talk about how much they grow attached to their characters, and I can now confirm that is 100% true. 

And to our families—thank you. You were supportive, curious, and a little too involved sometimes. (Joking, we love you all so much! ) Mojo and I always laugh about how our families talked about our book like it was their book. (Let’s be honest, they probably thought they were co-authors.) Pro tip for future young writers: don’t tell your family too early. We made that mistake—nearly two years early—and they did not enjoy the wait. Thanks for waiting guys, hugs! 

Lastly, to our readers: THANK YOU! We’re going to say the line you’ve heard a million times, if not more, but we really do mean it—we couldn’t have done this without you. Thank you so much for taking a chance on two teenage authors. It means more than we can ever say and I hope one day we’ll get the chance to tell you face to face. (Or maybe just with an email!) 

And for one last time, Mojo—thank you for putting up with me. Now, I can’t imagine my life without you. You resemble everything I love about Fay—and so much more. Growing up, and even more so now, you’ve been my partner, my personal therapist, and my best friend through it all. 

You mean so much to me, and I love you so much. I wish I had the words to explain how grateful I am that you’re a part of my life… but for now, you’ll just have to trust me when I say: thank you for being my Fay.

(Below are some photos of us growing up together!)