Laura Pauling-Interview with the Author
The Reading Cafe would like to introduce YA author Laura Pauling.
Short bio:
Laura Pauling writes about spies, murder and mystery. A Spy Like Me, her YA debut novel is available now. Her short story, The Almost Assassin, appeared in the In His Eyes Anthology and is free on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Long bio:
Laura Pauling writes about spies, murder and mystery for all ages where the real and the incredible combine for heart stopping and often hilarious adventures. Her YA debut, A Spy Like Me, released in April of 2012.
She lives her cover of suburban mom/author perfectly, from the minivan to the home-baked snickerdoodles, while hiding her secret missions and covert operations from the real world. And her kids wonder what she does all day while they’re at school; or why on Monday mornings she’s a bit grumpy. Living the life of a secret agent isn’t easy, but someone has to do it. But shh – don’t expose the truth to her friends and family.
This may or may not be what she really looks like.
And she may or may not actually bake cookies.
You decide.
TRC: Hi Laura and welcome to The Reading Cafe. Please tell us something about yourself?
Laura: I write about spies, murder and mystery while living the cover of suburban mom/author perfectly, from the minivan to the home-baked snickerdoodles. I hide my secret missions and covert operations from the real world. But shh don’t tell anyone.
TRC: You are a member of the INDELIBLES indie author site. Would you please tell us how you became involved with this group of YA authors?
Laura: I feel so blessed to have stumbled upon the Indelibles. We are there for each other, whether tweeting or blogging announcements, sharing good and bad news, answering questions and becoming friends! I was already blogging/writing friends with Susan Kaye Quinn and Addison Moore. When they learned I’d decided to self publish, they nominated me for the group.
TRC: What do you find the most challenging about writing? About indie publication?
Laura: Information abounds in the blogosphere: from craft tips to social media tips. I’ve read some terrific books on the craft of writing. I have the head knowledge, so my biggest challenge is applying that to my writing. I work on this every time I sit down to write. Writing is a journey and I will always be growing.
Indie publishing opened up a flood of creativity for me. So my biggest challenge is finding the time! I love this spy series but I have other mysteries I’d like to rewrite. I have new ideas, simmering in the background, begging to be told. So it’s hard to be patient when there are five different stories I want to be writing!
TRC: Many authors bounce ideas and information between friends and family. With whom do you bounce your ideas?
Laura: I don’t often share ideas with anyone until they are fully formed. At first, the idea is too fragile and often transforms over the course of writing the first draft. But when that’s done and I’ve already spotted and fixed the major plot holes, then I start sharing with readers and writing friends.
TRC: A SPY LIKE ME (April 2012) is your debut novel. Would you please tell us about the premise?
To Order
Amazon Kindle
B&N Nook
KOBO
Smashwords
Laura: Sure, I’d love to. After dodging bullets on a first date, Savvy must sneak, deceive and spy to save her family and friends and figure out if Malcolm is one of the bad guys before she completely falls for him.
TRC: How much background research was involved with this novel?
Laura: A lot. I’ve never been to Paris, France. I read other books set in Paris to see how others authors handled setting description. I read blogs. I researched foods, way of life, weather…etc. I spent time on the Louvre website, looking at the floor plan and pictures. I used Google to zoom in on the streets of Paris. I loved the Youtube videos tourists put up – that really helped with details.
TRC: How many books do you have planned for the series?
Laura: Right now, I’m hoping for three novels. Depending on how sales go, I’ll write more. I also have five short stories to come out in the next six months based on the Savvy’s mother. We learn her story, history and understand the present danger. I also have the seedlings for a spinoff of a future generation of spies. I’m not sure if that spin off will be novels or novellas.
TRC: Will Savvy and Malcolm continue to be the principle characters?
Laura: Savvy and Malcolm will be the primary characters in the first three books. Maybe more? There could possibly be companion novellas and short stories based on the other characters.
TRC: Will you tell us something about what you have planned for your next novel in the series?
Laura: I’ll just say that Savvy feels the backlash from her experiences in Paris. The second story is set in Athens, Greece, and Savvy continues to make the necessary decisions to keep her family together even though her actions seem contradictory.
TRC: What are you currently working on?
Laura: Book two of course! J Plus I’m editing the short stories.
TRC: Would you like to add anything else?
Laura: Thank you so much for having me. There are so many fantastic books out there that I truly appreciate the time and effort in your reading and reviewing A Spy Like Me.
LIGHTNING ROUND
Favorite Food – Pizza. I’m a pizza-aholic.
Favorite Dessert – Easy. Chocolate chip cookies straight from the oven.
Favorite Movie – True Lies. The balance of humor, spy action, underlying themes of family, and over the top plotting perfectly reflects what I love to read and write!
Favorite TV Show – Castle. I love the wit, the creative storylines, the acting…and Nathan. They have some great writers behind that show.
Favorite Song – I honestly don’t have one.
Dark or Milk Chocolate – Milk chocolate. Dark is too bitter.
TRC: Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. It is always a pleasure to meet the real person behind the author. We wish you all the best.
Laura: Thank you!!!!!
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/jsmoP
Email: laura@laurapauling.com
Blog: http://www.laurapauling.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/laurapauling
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13372106-a-spy-like-me
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Laura-Pauling/308338192559237
Google +: https://plus.google.com/u/0/101571386103546921436/posts
