Where are you from? Arlington, VA
What do you do with yourself beside writing? I’m an Early Childhood Educator.
When did you first know you wanted to be a writer? Not exactly sure, but I knew I had an ability to write when I was about 20 years old.
What is your favorite book? The Bible, without a doubt. Infinite amount of wisdom. I use it as a driver’s manual for my life. Also, it has the best stories ever written.
Tell us a bit about your book? My book is about a Superhero-teacher and his sidekick that both have the power to transform chaotic classrooms into amazing places by providing strategies for both teachers and children.
What inspired you to write? When I was a child, I didn’t always have access to cable TV, so I would imagine a lot. Instead, I would listen to music on my walkman. (if you’re old enough to remember them)While listening, I would imagine what the music video would be like. When I had the opportunity to actually see the videos, I didn’t always think they were as creative as the ideas I had in mind.. After awhile I began to realize I had many stories in my head. For many years, this ability laid dormant. Not sure why, but one day I decided to write a small skit for children to act out in front of their parents at the school I was working at. From there, I began to work on writing as a hobby. After many years had passed I decided to write a teacher resource guide in the form of a children’s book so both teachers and students could benefit from it.
Does writing energize or exhaust you? Energizes, without a doubt. When I’ve developed a character in a story, it seems as if the character is alive and he/she dictates what they say and do. It’s no longer me writing the story, it’s the character that’s in control of the narrative.
What are common traps for aspiring writers? Not getting your manuscript proofread and edited. Also, not honing your craft by reading material within and outside of your genre.
Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want? I try to be original, there’s way too many copies of the same. I understand that you want to create in the form of what’s trending, but I love to see originality.
Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book? A bit of both. Captain Curriculum Saves Circle Time is a the first of a series but each book will be able to stand on their own because of the unique message behind each story.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be? Start on your writing career path much sooner than I did. I knew I could write early on, I was just too distracted by living in the moment rather than pursuing any real goals in life.
How did publishing your first book change your process of writing? By teaching me that a marketing plan should be established before the writing actually begins. An author needs to build a fan base beforehand so that when the book is finally released, you won’t be searching for your audience..
What was the best money you ever spent as a writer? Finding my illustrator. Her name is Oleana Shkoliar, what a blessing she has been to me. I went through four others before finding her. She showed me how meticulous and thought out your plan needs to be before the illustration process begins.
How many unpublished and unfinished stories do you have? Eight, I believe. I have a habit of writing one story and believing that it’s done only to find out later that there’s so much I either have to add or edit from the story. “Captain Curriculum Saves Circle Time!” was put on the shelf for 3 years before I became serious about having it published.
What does literary success look like to you? When I can hear about or witness someone reading my books and putting the strategies into practice to either help others or themselves.
What did you edit out of this book? So much, the first time I read it publicly, the manuscript was about 20 minutes long. I never clocked it beforehand. I was such a novice. Around the 15 minute mark of reading it, I was getting vibes from the audience . Their body language was suggesting to me, “The story should’ve been over 10 minutes ago!”
Happy Reading!
Laurelle Lewis