In 2019 our goal is to work with as many debut authors as possible and spread the word about their debut novels. Follow us this year as we pick the mind of the 2019 debuts and chat with them. Also stay tuned for news of giveaways, Twitter chats and more!
Last year, we Tweeted about wanting to discover more debut authors and their books. We ended up finding Laura Taylor Namey and her novel THE LIBRARY OF LOST THINGS, and we have been interested in it ever since. We are so excited to have Laura on the blog today to answer some of our questions!
About Laura!
Laura is a Cuban-American Californian who can be found haunting her favorite coffee shops, drooling over leather jackets, and wishing she was in London or Paris. She lives in San Diego with her husband, two superstar children, and her beloved miniature schnauzer/muse.
Interview!
The Book Bratz: First of all, congratulations! How does it feel to be a debut author?
Laura: Thank you! Being a debut is equal parts fun, exciting, and terrifying. Debut year is busy, but overall, I’m so honored to be able to share my work with the world.The Book Bratz: In your opinion, what is the best part of the writing process? What's the hardest?
Laura: There are “best” parts of each stage of writing books. But my favorite stage is after I’ve gotten the entire story out and revised it with my critique partners to make it the best it can be. At that point, I place it on a virtual potter’s wheel and edit and fine-tune the prose. This looks like me, sitting all day with a small portion of the book, and many snacks and hot drinks.
The Book Bratz: Where did you get the idea for THE LIBRARY OF LOST THINGS?
Laura: Storytelling is often about combining ideas that might not seem to go together at first. This is the approach I took in building my book. I wanted to explore a teen character who was using books to escape, but in an extreme way. Darcy is truly living out other people’s happy endings. Then, I visited a hoarder’s home when I was in college. I wasn’t there long, but what I saw has stuck with me ever since. I felt that placing Darcy inside a hoarder’s home––her mother’s––provided a situation that she would want to mentally escape from, even while she is trying so hard to support her mom and help her find some emotional freedom.The Book Bratz: Who was your favorite character to write? Who was the hardest?
Laura: Sorry leads, Darcy and Asher, I had the most fun writing Darcy’s best friend, Marisol. She is half Cuban and half Mexican, comes from a big family full of love and tacos de pollo and flan, and she’s a budding fashion designer who tries to style more than Darcy’s everyday looks. One of my readers said, “Everyone needs a Marisol.” Another said, “Always take a Marisol.” I hope you love her as much as I do! The hardest character by far was Darcy’s mother. When I was researching hoarding and consulting mental health professionals, first-hand accounts, and books, one thing stood out: there is not one type of umbrella hoarding experience. And hoarding and compulsive shopping behaviors can result from a few catalysts, and a number of different triggers. Simply, hoarding can manifest and evolve differently from person to person. But it’s my job to personalize this issue and place it within a real person. With help, I crafted this particular experience and told the story of one person, one mother. My book is not a “hoarding looks like this for everyone" guide. Some of my readers may say, “My family’s or my own experience with hoarding looked a little different than this.” And they would be right! THE LIBRARY OF LOST THINGS is a story about one family and how one girl copes and lives and changes . . . and loves.
The Book Bratz: In THE LIBRARY OF LOST THINGS, Darcy spends a lot of her time in the world of books. Did you have a similar experience growing up?
Laura: Oh, very much so. I have always been an avid reader and I can recall many times when I escaped stress and even heartbreak by reading books. It is an honor and a privilege to be able to write those books, now.
The Book Bratz: What do you hope readers will take away from reading THE LIBRARY OF LOST THINGS?
Laura:That they would feel affirmed in the fact that we are all messy. And that’s okay!
The Book Bratz: Do you plan on returning to the world of THE LIBRARY OF LOST THINGS in the future, or do you have other projects in mind? Can you tell us anything about them?
Laura: I will never say never about returning to this world. I get a lot of “Marisol needs her own story.” Maybe she’ll get one! Right now my newest heart project is my story of a teen Cuban baker, not unlike myself except for the baking part, who finds herself in England the summer after high school graduation. That one is done and I’m currently drafting a secret project. I will just say it combines a ride-or-die friendship and betrayal. More to come!
About THE LIBRARY OF LOST THINGS!
Title: The Library of Lost Things
Author: Laura Taylor Namey
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Publication Date: October 8th, 2019
Summary: From the moment she first learned to read, literary genius Darcy Wells has spent most of her time living in the worlds of her books. There, she can avoid the crushing reality of her mother’s hoarding, and pretend her life is simply ordinary. But when a new property manager becomes more active in the upkeep of their apartment complex, the only home Darcy has ever known outside of her books suddenly hangs in the balance. While Darcy is struggling to survive beneath the weight of her mother's compulsive shopping, Asher Fleet, a former teen pilot with an unexpectedly shattered future, walks into the bookstore where she works…and straight into her heart. For the first time in her life, Darcy can't seem to find the right words. Fairy tales are one thing, but real love makes her want to hide inside her carefully constructed ink-and-paper bomb shelter. Still, after spending her whole life keeping people out, something about Asher makes Darcy want to open up. But securing her own happily ever after will mean she’ll need to stop hiding and start living her own truth—even if it's messy.
Thank you so much to Laura for stopping by and answering our questions! We are super excited about THE LIBRARY OF LOST THINGS and can't wait for it to be out in the world on October 8th!
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