Where are you from? All over, my father was in the military and we moved every two years. Living in places as faraway as Japan and throughout the United States.
What do you do with yourself beside writing? I am always busy. I have a three-year-old son and a husband. I also work full-time and do other freelance work.
When did you first know you wanted to be a writer? I knew since I was a teenager that I wanted to write a book, but I didn’t know what direction I wanted to go with my writing.
What is your favourite book? The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want? I try to be both but being original takes priority. I am a children’s book writer and I like to create books that I’ve never read before. I think that keeps the industry fresh and exciting.
How did publishing your first book change your process of writing? Publishing my first book changed everything. Initially, I had no clue what the publishing world was like. I was so overwhelmed in the beginning because in my mind I assumed that I would mainly be responsible for creating my book and doing some marketing here and there. I have since found that being a writer and making a business out of it requires a lot more work then just writing the book. However, I have grown to enjoy the process and the learning curve associated with it.
How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have? I have at least three unpublished manuscripts.
What’s the best way to market your books? Everywhere you can possibly think of. Sometimes it’s the most random marketing places that give you the most success. I always tell myself that if I don’t market my book how will people even know that it exists?
What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book? I spend at least 80% of my time researching. That is the way that I have been able to navigate the book publishing world. There is always something new to learn.
Do you view writing as a kind of spiritual practice? Yes, I do. The thought of inspiring this next generation of children keeps me motivated. I look at it as spiritual in nature because I am doing something bigger than myself. The best part of books is the legacy that they leave behind, books withstand the test of time. I dedicated my first book Shiloh and Dande the Lion to my son, that absolutely was therapeutic and spiritual for me. In my opinion, it’s one of the greatest gifts that I can leave behind for him.
How many hours a day do you write? I don’t write every day. I am inconsistent. My writing comes in waves, I must feel a certain type of energy on any given day or time and then it just flows naturally. I notice when I force myself to be more consistent with my writing, I get writer’s block.
What period of your life do you find you write about most often? (child, teenager, young adult) Children and families, I love the thought of people reading my books together and discussing it.
If you didn’t write, what would you do for work? I am not only a writer, but a licensed therapist. I love my main job as a therapist and often find that I get a similar type of fulfilment doing both.
Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find? Yes, I do. I love books with a ton of symbolism. Every book you will read from me, will have secrets interwoven within the text.
Do you Google yourself? Yes, all the time, maybe more than I should.
What is your favorite childhood book? I loved The Witches by Roald Dahl and The Very Hungry Catepillar by Eric Carle.
What is the most difficult part of your artistic process? That word ‘process’ is the hardest part for me. I take forever to process everything, especially when it comes to my writing. It can take me hours to write a few sentences.
Does your family support your career as a writer? I am grateful for my immediate family, because they are very supportive and are always willing to give me ideas or their honest opinions about my books.
How long on average does it take you to write a book? Anywhere from 8 months to year.
Do you believe in writer’s block? Yes, I absolutely do! I feel like as writers we get so emotionally involved in our writing that sometimes we get writers block and must walk away from it for a little while.
Happy Reading!
Laurelle Lewis