Author Interview: Laury Egan

Who’s ready for another interview? I know I am! Today’s is the chat we had with Laury Egan, a little while back, but nice and fresh for you to read now. Sit yourself down with a cuppa and have a scroll!

And don’t forget to follow her on twitter!

Have you always known you wanted to be a writer? How old were you when you wrote your first story?

I composed my first poem at age seven, wrote a novel between ages 12-13, and stories and poems in high school. Although I was accepted at Bennington and Bard Colleges in creative writing, I selected Carnegie Mellon University and graphic design/photography as a major. Why? Can’t recall! Probably because writing was too close to my identity and I didn’t want to fail. My first job was as a book designer at Princeton University Press, where I learned about publishing and also gleaned quite a bit of editorial knowledge. Finally, as I was phasing out my design career, I returned to my first passion, writing, and have been working full-time since about 2012.

What are your favourite genres to read and write, and are there any genres or tropes you wouldn’t write?

I began writing psychological suspense, inspired by Patricia Highsmith. My first title, Jenny Kidd, set in Venice, was in this genre as was A Bittersweet Tale (the former is an LGTBQ novel). I’ve written two young-adult novels, The Outcast Oracle and Turnabout (2021). Of late, I’ve turned toward more literary creations, such as The Swimmer and Wave in D Minor, both having some LGTBQ characters. I’ve even tackled comedy: Fabulous! An Opera Buffa, a madcap adventure about a gay tenor who is hired to sing soprano, among other crazy escapades. The Ungodly Hour, set in Mykonos, is a romantic suspense featuring two lesbians dealing with a murderer. As for genres I wouldn’t write: not traditional romance, though one portrait of a young woman and her enduring love is currently under consideration. Definitely never sci-fi, fantasy, steampunk, or horror, though I’ve had two horror stories published.

When you close your eyes and imagine an apple, what do you see? An actual apple, a sketch of one, a blackness? Do you think that impacts your writing process?

An actual green apple. (Kind of odd that it’s not red.) As a fine arts photographer (quite a few of my covers feature my images), the visual has strongly influenced my writing and my poetry. My initial poems were about the beautiful area where I lived—views of the Atlantic Ocean, the Manhattan skyline, and a forest behind the house.

Which three authors would you say influenced your writing the most?

Patricia Highsmith for psychological suspense. Virginia Woolf. However, her style has caused me some headaches because of the slowness with which she begins her books, which I love, but agents and publishers tend to prefer a fast hook rather than a “Mrs. Dalloway” approach. I greatly admire Michael Cunningham’s The Hours and the brilliant, wry Kate Atkinson.

When you’re building your world, what do you focus on? How do you try to make it come to life?

Recently, I realized that water (oceans, rivers, lakes) was often an essential setting, and much to my amusement, noticed that a series of my covers feature water: Wave in D Minor, Turnabout, The Swimmer, and the forthcoming Once, Upon an Island, which is set on an island—islands are another fascination. Setting is the spark for some of my novels—Jenny Kidd (Venice), The Ungodly Hour (Mykonos), and Once, Upon an Island (St. Croix). As a photographer, I’ve documented these locations in extensive detail, so the visual elements are deeply imprinted. Often, I create interior house layouts and sketches of buildings to help visualize the set. In Wave in D Minor, the house is almost its own character, as is the palazzo in Jenny Kidd.

What projects are you currently working on? Can you share any details yet?

One manuscript is under contract for July 20, 2022: Once, Upon an Island, which I consider my “big” book—definitely my fondest one. A lesbian romance/portrait of a woman from teenage years to adulthood, The Firefly, is under serious consideration, as is a slow-boil suspense, The Psychologist’s Shadow, about a therapist who suddenly becomes aware she is being stalked. My other favorite outing: two partially linked novellas, The Black Leopard’s Kiss & The Writer Remembers, a literary work with magical realism, inspired by Woolf’s Orlando, Djuna Barnes’ Nightwood, and some of José Saramago’s novels. Very twisty and strange. And, if I can get free from doing all of the required author’s promotion, I have a good start on Jack & I, about a teenage boy with dissociative personality disorder. Very busy!

Three images that capture the aesthetic of your book?

For Turnabout: a sailboat skimming down a blue river, the first second when Jessie sees Lindsay and falls in love, and the glitzy high school prom, with unicorns made of tissue flowers.

Three songs you would put in your book’s soundtrack?

For Turnabout: (1964-1968): “Cherish,” “Light My Fire,” and “Windy.”

What would be your dream project?

I’ve actually written the novel I dreamed about at age sixteen when I was staying on St. Croix. I had just finished reading Lord of the Flies and was wondering why people moved to islands and how islands affected them. I promised myself that I would tackle this when older and I have: Once, Upon an Island. Perhaps a more significant question would be what kind of future do I dream about: having an agent again and being published by a trade house rather than small publishers. Being “discovered.” Hey, maybe a book review in the New York Times or London Review of Books?

Which of your characters would you most want to fight a zombie apocalypse with?

Dana Fox in The Ungodly Hour…she’s fit, strong, and brave. Her lover, Cybele, who is a policewoman, would be a close second.

You’re stuck on a desert island and you’re allowed only three (LGBT) books. What are you taking?

Patricia Highsmith, The Talented Mr. Ripley; Michael Cunningham, The Hours; and Virginia Woolf’s books (whatever I can grab).

You can collaborate on anything with anyone in the LGBT community: who would it be and why?

Mary Trump. We could write a novel about a sociopathic politician. Besides, I’d love to meet her!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Laury A. Egan is the author of two young adult/adult novels: The Outcast Oracle (listed as a Kirkus Reviews “Best Book of 2013”) and Turnabout; a literary work, The Swimmer; a literary suspense, Wave in D Minor; a comedy, Fabulous! An Opera Buffa; Fog and Other Stories; a psychological suspense, Jenny Kidd; and two mystery/romance titles: A Bittersweet Tale and The Ungodly Hour. Forthcoming in 2022: a suspense, Doublecrossed; a literary novel, Once, Upon an Island; and a romance, The Firefly. Her stories and poems have appeared in 40 literary journals and in several anthologies. Two full-length poetry volumes, Snow, Shadow, a Stranger and Beneath the Lion’s Paw, were issued by FootHills Publishing in limited edition, as were two chapbooks, Presence & Absence and The Sea & Beyond. Laury is also a fine arts photographer and a former book designer. She lives on the northern coast of New Jersey.

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