Léna Roy Interview

The synopsis, from Goodreads: Seventeen-year-old Luke lives and works at the Moonflower Motel in Moab, having fled New York City where his father Frank drowns his sorrows after the death of Luke’s mother. Back in New York, eighteen-year-old Ava meets Frank at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. When these lost souls converge in Moab, what happens transforms them all.

I confess, it sounded like a huge downer to me. I figured it would be dark, possibly too high on the grit factor for me, so I put off reading it. Finally, I decided Léna was so cool that I needed to interview her. (I've been keeping up with her on Facebook for awhile, she has a really interesting blog and she's Madeleine L'Engle's granddaughter. How awesome is that?) To do a proper interview, I needed to read her book too. The lesson I learned? Don't judge a book by its blurb! Yes, the book deals with dark topics: death, alcoholism, mental illness, drug use, but the book itself is hopeful. Pair that with the amazingly unique characters and it's a story well worth reading. Try it for yourself!


 The Restless Writer (RW): What came to you first, the plot, the characters, the setting or something else?

Léna Roy (LR): Great question! I think it would have to be the setting, and then the characters. I had gone to Moab on vacation 17 years ago and was so stuck by it I decided to move there for a year. I was a therapist for troubled teens at the local mental health center. I knew that someday I would write about it. Then, back in the city, one day I had a vision of Luke moving into his trailer and hanging a painting. It haunted me for so long that I had to write his story. Why was he there? What was the painting?

RW: I loved the setting for Edges, since I have no personal experience with it. How did you decide to tell Luke's story in Moab?

LR: It had to be Moab!

RW: The recurring bear elements in the story were fascinating to me. Is this something you had to research specifically for the book?

LR: Ah, the bear. When I was writing, the bear (Ursula) came from somewhere deep inside my sub-conscious and had to be part of the story. It was one of the most fun and magical moments I have had  with writing, because I didn't think of her - she just appeared. I had to rewrite those parts a LOT.  Some people see her, and some don't. It is supposed to illustrate that there are many levels of reality, and that there are different truths for each person. Tangerine doesn't see the bear - she doesn't need to. She has her own faith. Ava catches a glimpse of something outside of herself, something her higher power could be. Hank - well, his grip on reality isn't so reliable. And Luke doesn't know what to believe. That's why Cin askes him: "Well, the question is, what do you want to believe? Do you want to live in a world where things are possible, or in one where they aren't?"

RW: How do you write? Extensive outlines or more by the seat of your pants?

 LR: Both! I have to write a really crappy first draft first though, so I'm a panther at first. Then for the rewrites, I really think about plot, structure and character development that makes sense.

RW: The story tackles a lot of heavy issues: alcoholism, drug use, runaways, mental illness, family estrangement and death. However, the story doesn't get bogged down in darkness. To me, the story had the perfect balance between the serious subjects, reality and hope. Was it easy to find this balance or did you have to work through various drafts to get to that?

LR: Thank you!!!  There were many drafts! But I primarily wanted this to be about healing - there are so many books out there that deal with the descent into addiction and the dark stuff, with no hope. I mean, I can write about all of that, but others have done it better!

RW: What audience did you have in mind while you were writing this book?

LR: I did not really have an audience in mind. My first draft had altering points of view between some of the adults and Luke, Ava and Tangerine.

RW: Do you visit Moab frequently?
LR: I haven't been back there in 16 years! But this summer, at the end of August, we are finally going! My husband and I met there - we have three children together, so we have been waiting until the youngest was old enough to do all of the hikes we love. She will be 8 this May! (And we have two boys - ages 11 and 13.)

RW: There are a lot of fascinating characters in this book. Which of them became particular favorites of yours? Will we see any more about them from you?

LR: Hal is very close to be heart as is Cin. I have a companion book to Edges already written called The Land of the Lost and Found. Bruno, a minor character in Edges becomes the focus, and I introduce some more characters too.

RW: What are you working on next?  

LR: I am still writing a rough draft of something so I can't talk about it, but I just finished India Flips - a story about a girl who follows a friend onto a Reality TV show.

RW: You are the granddaughter of one of the most beloved children's authors ever, Madeleine L'Engle. Have you ever felt daunted by her legend or just inspired?

LR: I could write a whole book about this! There is no simple answer. It is definitely both! I couldn't take myself seriously enough as a writer (even though I always wrote) because I could never be like her. And then publishing! I think that people expect me to be like her whether they are aware of that or no - I have a lot of fans who are also Madeleine fans, but I also know that some people were disappointed that I wasn't MORE like her. But my grandmother HAS informed my world view and inspired me - we were very close, and I wouldn't be myself without her! She lives on in my heart . . .

Thank you so much, Léna for a great interview and for writing a great book!

Gwendolyn Conover interview

Today, I'm spotlighting another of the new MeeGenius authors, Gwendolyn Conover, this year's 2nd runner up in the Author Challenge. Her awesome book, Robot Party is a lot of fun. Check it out!

The Restless Writer (RW): How long have you been writing for children?

Gwendolyn Conover (GC): In second grade, my teacher, Mrs. Spangler, put one of my poems in the glass display case in the hallway at school.  It was a poem about two birds who were in love and sang to each other.  I called them doves in the poem, but really they were inspired by the pigeons in our barn!  So I guess what I’m saying is that I’ve loved putting words together as long as I can remember.  I started really focusing on trying to get published about five years ago.  That might sound like a long time, but there is a lot to learn!
 

RW: Who are your favorite children's book authors?

GC: Oh, there are so many to love!  But I will try to hit the highlights . . .

 

I love Dr. Seuss.  One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish was one of my favorite books when I was a kid.  The Pale Green Pants is not one I hear about a ton, but I love that story.  How the Grinch Stole Christmas has so many great rhymes and cool word-smithing.  Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now! is fantastic if you love to really get into a dramatic out-loud reading. 

For picture books, I also love Margaret Wise Brown, Karma Wilson, and Mo Willems.

For older kids, one of my favorite books is When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead.  The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie is amazing.  I also love Suzanne Collins and Scott Westerfeld.  And J.K. Rowling is awesome, but duh.

I’m sure when I read this later I will slap myself in the head and say, “How could I forget (fill in the blank)!” but that’s a good start, anyway.

RW: How did you get the idea for Robot Party?

 

GC: It came from playing with my kids, which is where many of my ideas come from.  My son was pretending to be a robot and his arm was a crank.  Pulling it made him say “Please,” or “Thank you.”   That’s actually where the line in Robot Party, “His Thank You Crank is out of whack,” comes from.  My daughter has a great sense of humor and lots of fun ideas come from her.  My kids also ask great questions, and those sometimes spark ideas for books.

RW: For me, it was a tough decision to try for ebook publishing vs. print publishing. Did you have any struggles with print vs. digital?

GC: The high quality of the MeeGenius book collection really turned my head.  I hadn’t really considered e-publication before discovering them.  I hope to also get a chance to go the route of print publishing at some point, but I am thrilled to count myself among the authors at MeeGenius.

RW: What do you do when you're not writing?

 

GC: Well, I have two kids, and I am lucky enough to spend a good chunk of my time with them.  When my youngest is in school for half days, sometimes I feather-dust four floors worth of antiques or make thirty pounds of mashed potatoes.  (I work part-time at a bed and breakfast and do a little bit of everything, including helping out with large catering gigs.)  I am one of those people that needs my daily exercise, and I also like to spend some time every day reading.

RW: I've always had a bit of a robot phobia (not about your book though). How do you feel about robots, apart from the partying kind?

GC: Ha!  Well, robots can be freaky, I agree.  That’s why I go in for the cute kind.  I guess I dig more of a Rolie Polie Olie kind of vibe versus something like AI or I, Robot (though those are both interesting films).

RW: What was the most exciting part of this whole contest process for you?

GC: Seeing Lucy Mara’s illustrations was very exciting.  Seeing my book in that bright shiny MeeGenius store, and hearing Robot Party read aloud in such a fun way via the Read To Me feature . . . those were very cool moments.  Also, the support and enthusiasm of family, friends and my fantastic little town all meant a lot to me.

RW: Are you part of a critique group or do you go it alone? 

GC: I am part of an SCBWI critique group that I love.  They are responsible for much of my growth and development as a writer, and I highly recommend both SCBWI and their critique groups to any aspiring writers out there. 

RW: If you could hang out with either C3PO or R2D2, but not both, which one would you pick and why?

GC: That is an interesting question.  While I would like to say R2D2 because he’s a fun, adventurous kind of bot, the truth is, I’m probably more of a C3PO kind of person.  I’m not a huge fan of danger, and tend to like to think things through.  Though, I’d like to think, if it was up to me to fight The Dark Side I could be brave. 

RW: I know Robot Party has JUST been published, but are you working on any other books now? 

 

GC: Yes!  I am trying to finish a YA novel that it seems I’ve been working on FOREVER.  I have a tendency toward obsessive reworking (especially when it comes to word choice and the way individual sentences read) that does not lend itself to finishing a longer work!  But my critique group is a great support, and a few of them are successful novel writers, so it helps that they understand and can offer support (and occasionally, a kick in the pants).  I am also always working on picture books.  Right now I have a couple that are bouncing around in my brain, one growing in complexity, the other getting some polish.  I have a couple of steampunk picture books that I really believe in, and they are ready to query.  I’ve sent them out to just a couple agents, and I need to send out more queries.  I hate querying and often procrastinate horribly when it comes to this part of my quest.

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You can hang out with Gwen on Facebook, or find her on Twitter.

Thank you so much, Gwen and best of luck with all your other creative endeavors!