Interview with Lauryn April
A couple of years ago I was going through Amazon Kindle's
latest offerings for new reads. I came across Into the Deep by Lauryn April and something about
the cover appealed to me. When I read the book's synopsis I was hooked and by
the time I finished with the first few chapters, I couldn't stop reading.
It's years later and I've read all of Lauryn's books and I can
proudly say I'm a fan. With her fourth book Unearthed After Sunset on the way
and signalling the beginning of the Cereus Vampire Chronicles, I'm happy to present to you an
interview with Lauryn, where she talks about her writing inspirations, creative
process and her new book.
About Lauryn April
Lauryn has always been fascinated by the paranormal, picking
up a healthy Stephen King habit by the age of thirteen. Her favorite TV show
growing up was "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", and she's always preferred
bands like The Rolling Stones, and The Doors over whatever it is they're
playing on the radio (However she admits "I Love It" by Icona Pop
always puts her in a good mood).
Lauryn has been writing since she was a teenager. In the early years of her career she filled notebooks full of stories sharing them with friends. In college she spent three semesters writing for her school newspaper. Then, when she was nineteen she published her first work, a poem in her school literary magazine. When she wasn't writing, Lauryn was studying Psychology and Philosophy and graduated from UW Oshkosh with a BA in Psychology. She continues to learn and grow as a writer.
In 2012 she published her first novel "Into the Deep" which explores the intricacies of the adolescent mind and what it means to feel alone. The sequel "Hidden Beneath" followed a year later.
About her writing: Lauryn enjoys writing Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy
for both young adults and a general audience. Her characters tend to be between
the ages of 15 and 25, as she like to explore how young
people handle changes in their lives. She likes to write about people finding
their place in the world and figuring out who they are. She's a fan of
horror and humor, and is a sucker for a good love story.
And now... the interview!
Can you name a book or two that affected you the most when you were a child (and why)?
I think one of my favorite books when I was a kid was Holes.
I love stories about young people who fall into some bad luck and reading about
the journey they take to get to where they need to be. Holes was exactly that
and it sucked me in. I could envision myself in Stanley’s world and was with
him every step of his journey.
What is your favorite book of all times (and why)?
Wow, tough question. Honestly, I don’t know if I’ve found it
yet. I loved The Hunger Games, and a good handful of Stephen King novels,
Wuthering Heights is high on the list. But, I don’t think I’ve found my perfect
book yet. Guess, I’ll just have to keep reading.
Does setting in a book matter? Best setting you've ever
read?
YES! Books should take you to another place and they need
good scene setting to drag you into their world. Lauren Oliver has some
beautiful imagery in her books, and Stephen King has built worlds with words
that terrified me.
When did you first know you wanted to become a writer? How
did you settle on a paranormal genre?
I’ve been writing stories for as long as I can remember, but
I think it was when I was in high school that I decided really wanted to be a
writer. As for when I settled on the paranormal genre, that’s just always been
what I’ve wanted to write. I just always loved monsters.
Your professional background is in psychology…Does your
psychology training help inform your character developed? In what way?
I think it does. With my education and in my day job I spend
a lot of time thinking about why people do what they do and how they deal with
the things going on in their lives. It’s important for me to be able to look at
all sides of an issue and to understand other people’s points of view. So, when
it comes to writing stories I think I have an easier time knowing how different
characters will react to different situations.
Your new book is coming out in fall 2015, and it's about…
vampires! Why did you decide to write about vampires? How are your vampires
different from all the rest of fictional monsters?
I love vampires! They are by far my favorite paranormal
creatures, and I’ve been wanting to write about them for a long time. I just
love all the different story possibilities that exist with them. They can be
horrific monsters or darkly romantic, and I really wanted to write a story that
explored the complications of what it means to be a vampire. Unearthed after Sunset is written, mostly, from a male POV. I wanted to get away from the
“Twilight” style vampire story, though there will still be a love story in
there. I’m a sucker for a good love story. It’s also not YA. My main characters
are in their early twenties, and I’m labelling it general fiction. But, if
you’ve enjoyed my YA novels, you’ll find the same witty dialogue and themes of
loss and personal growth in Unearthed.
Where do your ideas come from?
Everywhere. Sometimes I’ll watch a movie or read a book and
think “What if this happened instead?” Other times I’ll draw inspiration from
my life. Sometimes I just have random ideas that come to me and I write them down.
Do you listen to music when you write? (If yes, what's been
on your play-list lately?)
I actually don’t. I tend to write in complete silence if I
can help it. I’m easily distracted by TV and music, and if I had something
playing while I was writing, I’d just end up singing along to it.
Have you got any advice for all the aspiring/emerging
writers out there?
Don’t give up. It’s hard work, and no matter how good you
think you are now, you still have a lot to learn. You will get better and it
will get easier.
Bonus questions!
Your dream holiday?
I would love to travel through Europe for like a month and just
hop from hotel to hotel seeing as much as I can.
In your writing style/routine, are you… a plotter or
pantser?
I will plot out a general outline, then I just let the story
take me where it wants to go.
Cats or dogs?
I have two dogs…but secretly, I’m a cat person.
Coffee or tea?
Coffee!
Thank you, Lauryn, for taking time to answer my questions. I am looking forward to Unearthed after Sunset and can't wait to see more from you!
Does setting in a book matter? Best setting you've ever read?
Thank you, Lauryn, for taking time to answer my questions. I am looking forward to Unearthed after Sunset and can't wait to see more from you!
Find out more about Lauryn
April's books on her blog or buy them
from Amazon.
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