WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:
Website: www.preblebooks.comTwitter: www.twitter.com/LauraPreble
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laura.preble1
Welcome to Nuttin’ But Books. Tell us a little about you and your writing background?
I’ve been writing since I could hold a pencil, and reading got me through my childhood.
I was also a compulsive reader, so that had a lot to do with it. I went to Ohio State University and got a degree in Journalism, then worked as a reporter for several years. I figured if I could write for a living, that was the way to do it. But I got really tired of writing bad news all the time, and I wasn’t great at being intrusive to other people, so it wasn’t a great career choice for me. My first published book, Lica’s Angel, I self-published, and I’ve had books published by Penguin (Queen Geek Social Club series) and the latest, Anna Incognito, was published by a small indie publisher, Mascot Books.
Anna Incognito tells the story of Anna Colin Beck, a woman with severe OCD and significant trauma. When she is invited to her therapist’s wedding several states away, she decides to take a road trip to stop the wedding, since she is sure that she and the doctor belong together. A friend of mine actually inspired me to write it…she deals with trichotillomania and dermatillomania (hair and skin picking), but she is so much more than her conditions. She is highly intelligent, funny, and has a skewed look on life that I really love. The story isn’t at all about her, but I based the character on her. I had her read the book to be sure I got everything right. I wanted to portray a character who dealt with a mental illness, but who was not defined by the illness.
What is a regular writing day like for you?
I’ve never had one, so I don’t know. I am maddeningly inconsistent. I have worked in public schools for 30 years, so most of my writing is done in the summer. When I have that chunk of summer, I usually wake up at 8 a.m., have coffee, pet my dogs, and then at about 9 or so I start writing. I write for about three hours (with breaks…don’t want eyestrain) and then either do marketing stuff or answer email or post nonsense on Facebook. If I’m really into what I’m doing, I might go back to it later, but maybe not. I’m kind of lazy.
How long on average does it take you to write a book?
The one I wrote the quickest was Queen Geek Social Club because I had a book contract with Penguin and a deadline. Anna Incognito took several years because I had to work on it when I had time, and I did not have a publisher or an agent at that time, so no deadline except my own. I also have a writing critique group, so I wrote a lot when we had a monthly meeting.
What is the usual response when you tell a new acquaintance that you’re an author?
It depends on who I’m telling. If it’s a student at my school, they don’t believe me until I show them my picture on the back of the book. If it’s an adult, they usually think I mean that I’m just a dabbler, but when I explain that I have six books published, they most often say “Oh, I have an idea for a book!” I run really fast away from people who say that. I do not want other peoples’ ideas!
What do you do on those days you don’t feel like writing? Do you force it or take a break?
As I said, I’m kind of lazy. If I don’t feel like doing it, I don’t, or I do desk work instead (interviews, workshops, etc.) Have you ever heard the phrase ‘don’t force the tool’? It’s like that. I used to make myself write when I didn’t want to, and it was helpful, but I never got anything good out of it. If I don’t feel like writing, it’s usually because something else has taken precedence, and is on the top of my mind, so writing in that frame of mind isn’t useful to me.
What would you do if people around you didn’t take your writing seriously or see it as a hobby?
I suppose some people do see it that way. I am definitely not JK Rowling, and I have not made millions. If that makes it a hobby, I guess it is. But you can’t write for praise and recognition. You will always be disappointed, and if you do get attention, you’ll just crave more. I try something called detachment from the outcome. When I write something or send it out to an agent or editor, I let it go, and I hope that if it’s meant to be, it will be.
Some authors seem to have a love-hate relationship to writing. Can you relate?
There is nothing better than being in the zone, writing like it’s being dictated directly into your head. That happens sometimes, and other times, it’s like trying to dance with the shoes on the wrong feet.
Do you think success as an author must be linked to money?
Ha! No. Money is great, I’m a fan. But there are many great writers who are never recognized, or only kind of recognized (probably me among them.) It feels wonderful to have someone give you money or tell you you’re talented. But those things are fleeting, and if you depend on them to feel ‘successful’, you’ll find it empty. I feel success when I get an email from a student who tells me my book made her feel less lonely, or when I read a reader comment that a book stayed with them for weeks. That’s success. If I get my cool million, I’ll let you know if it changes my perspective.
What has writing taught you?
Writing has taught me to be honest in my thoughts and feelings. The best writing, to me, is like being privileged to see inside someone’s mind and soul. I treat my characters the same as I’d treat real people: I ask them what they need, what they want, what they are afraid of. And that drives what I write. Writing has also taught me immense amounts of patience. Everything in publishing takes forever.
How can readers discover more about you and your work?
The Google machine is very helpful! I’ve also done music, so there are sites about me singing and writing music, but my own website, www.preblebooks.com, is probably the best place to find info about me and my writing. Goodreads is also a really cool place to see what other readers think.
Thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to take part in this interview. What’s next for you?
It was a pleasure! I don’t exactly know what’s next for me. I have an idea that has been pursuing me pretty diligently, so I think I might explore that, but I am also so incredibly moved and angry about the current situation in the US. I would love to write something about race and class. I don’t feel like my voice on those matters would be important, though. There are so, so many writers of color who have never been given attention, and those voices are finally being heard in a wide context, so I think my desire to talk about these issues is less important than listening to what other writers say about that issue.
Anna Incognito is available to purchase at the following stores:
