Ask the Author: Laurel Snyder
Answered Questions (20)
Laurel Snyder
Here in Atlanta, summer vacation in long gone. But currently, I'm reading Circe. I just finished The Jumbie God's Revenge. And next up is The Blossom and the Firefly!
Laurel Snyder
Oh, gosh, no! I'm no good at horror. Can you tell ME a two-sentence horror story?
Laurel Snyder
I was reading The Little Prince to my kids at night, and when we were done, they spent a few weeks talking and thinking about it, puzzling it out. I was left with a deep desire to write a book that left readers puzzling in that way...
Then, the next book I read to the them was My Side of the Mountains, and they were super excited by the idea of a kid living alone, without adults.
Somehow, the ghosts of those two books got together in my head, and after some months of dancing around in there, produced Orphan Island!
Thanks for asking.
Then, the next book I read to the them was My Side of the Mountains, and they were super excited by the idea of a kid living alone, without adults.
Somehow, the ghosts of those two books got together in my head, and after some months of dancing around in there, produced Orphan Island!
Thanks for asking.
Laurel Snyder
Ha! Good question.
In my dream world, it would have been out for the last day of the school year, but I'm not in part of scheduling.
:)
I hope you'll like it!
In my dream world, it would have been out for the last day of the school year, but I'm not in part of scheduling.
:)
I hope you'll like it!
Laurel Snyder
I never know for sure how things will turn out, and books can take a long time... but I'm trying hard!
Laurel Snyder
It's important to me that folks understand that whatever THEY imagine to be true, that's as true as what I imagine.
That said, there's a very slight magical system at work!
(I think the fin was a whale, but again, if you see it differently, that's totally valid)
That said, there's a very slight magical system at work!
(I think the fin was a whale, but again, if you see it differently, that's totally valid)
Laurel Snyder
Yes, I think it would be just right for you! I'm working hard to write books for people your age right now. (my own kids are 12 and 13) . Thanks for writing!
Laurel Snyder
Can I request Narnia, but during a long peaceful period? Like, for vacation with talking animals and tea parties and feasts?
Laurel Snyder
Yes, I think my editors are all currently closed to unagented manuscripts. One good way to connect with editors is to attend conferences where they offer manuscript critiques. You might check out SCBWI.org.
Laurel Snyder
I'm working on something right now!
Laurel Snyder
I'm working on something right now! I can never promise anything until I finish a book and know it'll actually come out, but I'm writing a prequel that explains some of what you're wondering. Abigail's story!
Laurel Snyder
My characters are all a mixture of real people, pretty much. Physically, Ess was inspired by a kid who lives down the street from me. But there's a lot of my sister in her, and a lot of my son.
Laurel Snyder
It's certainly a conversation that's come up!
I feel very strongly that menstruation is not a dirty topic at all. Increasingly, it's something that girls as young as 9/10 experience, so the idea of holding off on introducing it as a topic until middle school seems wrong to me.
I've had a few people say that they don't think boys should read about periods, but that also seems very strange and sexist to me. Kids read about all sorts of things that they don't personally experience. That's what the whole "windows/mirrors" conversation is about, right?
I feel very strongly that menstruation is not a dirty topic at all. Increasingly, it's something that girls as young as 9/10 experience, so the idea of holding off on introducing it as a topic until middle school seems wrong to me.
I've had a few people say that they don't think boys should read about periods, but that also seems very strange and sexist to me. Kids read about all sorts of things that they don't personally experience. That's what the whole "windows/mirrors" conversation is about, right?
Laurel Snyder
This seems to be the big question!
:)
I'm working on a companion, that may or may not be published. It's not a sequel, but an origin story, a d prequel. Abbie's tale. The beginnings of the island, and if I can pull it off, it will explain a lot of things.
There are two reasons I'm not writing a sequel. One is logistical, and that's simply that Jinny isn't a kid anymore, when she gets out of the boat. She's a young woman, in a sense, and so the sequel would be more YA and less middle grade.
The other, and more important reason, is this: I wanted the end of the book to be a question. I wanted you to think about it, and puzzle your own answers. I wanted to leave readers with that sense of longing that Jinny lives with. I understand that not everyone loves this, that some people want the answers. But different books do different things, and it was important to me that this one be a book people fought with a little, worked at, and pondered after they closed it. I hope that makes sense...
:)
I'm working on a companion, that may or may not be published. It's not a sequel, but an origin story, a d prequel. Abbie's tale. The beginnings of the island, and if I can pull it off, it will explain a lot of things.
There are two reasons I'm not writing a sequel. One is logistical, and that's simply that Jinny isn't a kid anymore, when she gets out of the boat. She's a young woman, in a sense, and so the sequel would be more YA and less middle grade.
The other, and more important reason, is this: I wanted the end of the book to be a question. I wanted you to think about it, and puzzle your own answers. I wanted to leave readers with that sense of longing that Jinny lives with. I understand that not everyone loves this, that some people want the answers. But different books do different things, and it was important to me that this one be a book people fought with a little, worked at, and pondered after they closed it. I hope that makes sense...
Laurel Snyder
Urgh, this is the hardest thing-- that it's really about the work itself, just like anything. Like jogging or cooking dinner or folding laundry, you just need to set aside a little time everyday, and get in the happy of doing the work. I know it's not a fun answer, but it's true. (and we all struggle with it-- here I am on goodreads right now, procrastinating)
:)
:)
Laurel Snyder
I was reading with my kids at night, and first we read The Little Prince, and they had all sorts of big questions and ideas as a result, and then we read My Side of the Mountain, and they LOVED the idea of living without grownups. Somehow, those two books sort of mingled in my head and about a year later, I wrote Orphan Island...
Thanks for asking!
Thanks for asking!
Laurel Snyder
Thank you so much! That's so appreciated. And if you're talking about The Forever Garden, it was inspired by my friend Thisbe's Garden, on Devenport Street, right there in the City of Iowa City. Go Hawks!
:)
:)
Laurel Snyder
Thanks so much for the question! I'm puzzling that out right now. Not so much a sequel, but I've outlined a companion/prequel that I might take on.
I didn't envision the book as the start of a series, but a lot of people are asking me what comes next...
:)
I didn't envision the book as the start of a series, but a lot of people are asking me what comes next...
:)
Laurel Snyder
Oh, hey, thank you! Sorry I didn't see this sooner.
I get ideas from many places. But for these books, I really drew on my own life experiences. Rebecca is pretty much my own childhood-self. Of course, we manipulate and alter our memories, when we turn them into a novel, but the emotions are "true" no matter what.
I get ideas from many places. But for these books, I really drew on my own life experiences. Rebecca is pretty much my own childhood-self. Of course, we manipulate and alter our memories, when we turn them into a novel, but the emotions are "true" no matter what.
Laurel Snyder
I'm so glad you like it! Bigger than a Bread Box is very much based in my own childhood, so a lot of it is true. In a lot of ways, writing a book based in your own life is about revising your memories to make them more fun, more intense, more magical, and hopeful more interesting. So thank you!
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