GCC Presents: Laurie Faria Stolarz

I know I owe you a report from my writing retreat. The short version is that it went well and I'm sticking with the bartender book, but it is proceeding a little bit more slowly than I'd hoped. My goal is to have a draft that is good enough to send to my agent on March 1st. But ummmmm as soon as I got home things slowed down. I kinda forgot how hard to write the chapter I've reached was going to be. Once I get back on track, I'll get a proper retreat blog up.

But while I was gone, one of my girlfriends from the Girlfriends Cyber Circuit celebrated the release of her new book and I did want to wait any longer to share my interview with Laurie Faria Stolarz with you!

Let's find out about her latest book, DEADLY LITTLE GAMES:

High school juniors Camelia and Ben have discovered a powerful bond: they both possess the power of psychometry, the ability to see the future through touch. For Ben, the gift is a frightening liability. When he senses a strong threat or betrayal, he risks losing control. Camelia’s gift is more mysterious. When she works with clay, her hands sculpt messages her mind doesn’t yet comprehend. Before either one has a chance to fully grasp their abilities, a new danger surfaces, but this time, Camelia is not the target. Adam, a familiar face from Ben’s past, is drawn into a puzzle he can’t solve. . . and his life is on the line. As the clues pile up, Camelia must decide whether to help him and risk losing Ben or do nothing and suffer the consequences. But in these games, who can be trusted?

And now let's get to know Laurie!

Laurie Faria Stolarz is the author of Deadly Little Secret, Deadly Little Lies, Deadly Little Games, Deadly Little Voices, Project 17, and Bleed, as well as the bestselling Blue is for Nightmares series, which has sold nearly 750,000 copies worldwide. Born and raised in Salem, Massachusetts, Stolarz attended Merrimack College and received an MFA in creative writing from Emerson College in Boston. For more information, please visit her Web site at www.lauriestolarz.com.

Q: Please tell us what your new book is about and what inspired you to write it.

Laurie: I wanted to write a story where the main character has to struggle with the idea of falling in love with someone who could potentially be dangerous. I tinkered with this concept in the first three books of my Blue is for Nightmares Series [(Blue is for Nightmares (Llewellyn 2003), White is for Magic (Llewellyn 2004), and Silver is for Secrets (Llewellyn 2005), as well as in Bleed (Hyperion 2006)]. In Bleed, in particular, there’s a young male character who was convicted for the murder of his girlfriend. His next relationship consists of pen pal letters he exchanges with a young girl while he’s in prison. Without giving too much away, the relationship is briefly pursued once he is released, but I wanted to bring this concept to another level.

Additionally, I wanted to continue experimenting with the supernatural (which I also use in my Blue is for Nightmares Series as well as in Project 17), showing how we all have our own inner senses and intuition, and how with work we can tap into those senses and make them stronger.

I started researching different types of supernatural powers and discovered the power of psychometry (the ability to sense things through touch). The concept fascinated me, and so I wanted to bring it out in a character, showing how sometimes even the most extraordinary powers can also be a curse.

Lastly, I wanted to apply these concepts to be part of a series. I love the idea of growing a main character over the course of several books.

Q: If there was a soundtrack for your book what are five songs that would be on it and how do they relate the story?

Laurie: I actually had a contest going last year that involved this very question. You can see the winning playlists here.

Q: Who were some of your inspirations to become a writer or the inspirations that keep you writing? Feel free to include other authors, teachers, parents, or people in other creative fields, whoever is an inspiration to you!

Laurie: I was inspired by one of my college professors. I was a business major as an undergrad, so I didn’t have a lot of room for English courses. But I filled one of my open electives with a creative writing course, taught by MaryKay Mahoney at Merrimack College (MA). Even though I loved to write, I never imagined that I could actually become an author as a profession. She really believed in my work, and told me that I owed it to myself to pursue my passion for writing. Nobody had ever said that to me before, and I honestly feel it made all the difference. I’m also continuously inspired by other authors, filmmakers, and screenwriters. In grad school, I was so lucky to be able to work with some amazing authors including Lisa Jahn-Clough, Jessica Treadway, and Steve Almond.

Q: Even though music plays in so heavily into my storytelling, I rarely can actually listen to it while I'm writing. Can you? How does music fit into your writing process?

Laurie: I use music to help when I need to get into a particular mood to write a scene, but otherwise I find it too distracting. Once the scene is done, I need to shut the music off.

Q: What is next for you? What are you working on now?

Laurie: I’m currently working on DEADLY LITTLE VOICES, the fourth book in the TOUCH series.