This Saturday, Nov. 1 at 4 p.m., Lopez’s newest author is set to launch Book Two of her young adult trilogy, “Headwinds,” at Lopez Library. With a dramatic reading from a chapter entitled “Googling the Enemy,” Gretchen Wing will re-introduce her heroine, 14- year-old Jocelyn Burgowski, whom Lopezians first met last spring in “The Flying Burgowski.”

Wing did not plan to write a trilogy from the beginning, but her characters “weren’t done.” Out walking one day, she was “visited by a character who wanted to become Jocelyn’s antagonist. Even the name came to me. You don’t ignore those tugs.”

The time difference between the launch of Books One and Two is mirrored in their plots: “Headwinds” begins only a couple of months from the end of “The Flying Burgowski.” But where the first book could be described as a coming-of-age novel, “Headwinds” features a darker theme. Someone wants to bring the Flyer down. Jocelyn has an enemy.

Beyond superpowers and family conflict, “Headwinds” delves into some heavy-duty social issues like homophobia and teen pregnancy. Wing credits the presidential campaign season of 2008 with providing ideas for plot and character. “People were so nastily self-righteous. I thought about dedicating the book to Sarah Palin,” she jokes. “I’m pretty sure the book’s theme of ‘live and let live’ sprang from that time.”

Politics in a young adult novel? Isn’t Wing afraid of alienating readers? “No. I was a  teacher; I believe in the power of cognitive dissonance—making someone uncomfortable in order to challenge beliefs. If my book makes someone uneasy for a time, I think that’s a good thing. I trust in the characters’ charm, and the story’s pace and humor, to keep readers reading. Plus—there’s romance!” If the book were to be banned by some well-meaning school board, Wing says, so much the better.

Wing does struggle with the “young adult” label. Written from the point of view of a 14-year-old girl dealing with family relationships, friendship and that wonderful question, “Is this love?” the label seems to fit. But Wing’s experience with “The Flying Burgowski” leads her to say, “It’s a young adult novel for young adults of all ages.”

Although Wing began “Headwinds” before moving to Lopez full-time, it was more challenging than she had expected to avoid letting the characters of fictional Dalby Island reflect real Lopezians. “I had to be careful,” she comments. “But I can safely say that all my characters were fully formed before I became fully integrated into this community. Phew.”

Joining Wing in the reading will be Anah-Kate Drahn, Gavin Goodrich, and Ron Metcalf. Author Q & A, book signing and refreshments will follow.