Interview with Children's Fantasy Author
Laura Williams McCaffrey
by Debbi Michiko Florence
A school librarian, mother, teacher, and now children's writer, Laura Williams McCaffrey lives in Vermont with her husband and daughters. In this interview, she talks about her debut fantasy novel, ALIA WAKING and life as a writer.
As a librarian, you are obviously a lover of books. When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?
I suppose I always wanted to be a writer, though I didn't have a clear idea of how one went about being one. I knew I'd have to write, but initially all I was doing was putting words together not storytelling. I used to write snippets, character sketches, short scenes, almost prose poetry. I kept them in journals with some vague idea that I would sometime start to write "seriously," maybe, if I had any talent, which I wasn't sure I did. I thought talented people just sat down and wrote brilliant things, pieces they and everybody else recognized were brilliant. I didn't seem to be that kind of person. I had to get over a fear of failure that prevented me from really working and improving.
Then, I met a friend of a friend who was writing for children; I had never thought of writing the kinds of books I'd loved as a child, and still love. Something about becoming a fantasy writer and a children's writer made the whole process seem more fun and more possible. I also felt more passionate about learning how to do it: I wanted to make characters and stories that someone might love as much as I loved A WRINKLE IN TIME and THE HERO AND THE CROWN.
I was also helped along by my husband, who is a musician. He's taught me a great deal about being an artist.
You mention on your website that you were hesitant to call yourself a writer until you realized while reading THE BLACK CAULDRON by Lloyd Alexander that characters, like people, have doubts when taking risks. You decided to take a risk, and as someone who enjoyed ALIA WAKING, your debut fantasy novel, I'm glad you did! What was your path to published author like?
I feel a bit guilty telling this story because I love hearing ones about manuscripts that were rejected a bazillion times and then became bestsellers, or about writers who didn't get anything published for seven, ten, twelve years and then won the Newbery. I don't have this type of story. I started ALIA WAKING in 1998, in a writing for children class taught by Susan Bartlett (SEAL ISLAND SCHOOL and SEAL ISLAND SEVEN). It took me two years to write a solid manuscript, mostly by working 2 hours a day after my kids went to sleep. I was lucky to find a great writing group right as I was finishing a draft of the story. The members read it and gave me invaluable insight, and then, in 2000, I started sending it around. I had a couple of contacts in publishing houses, but mostly I sent it into the slush pile. After a few form rejections and a few personal rejections, I received two letters from editors suggesting revision and resubmission. I took four months to revise, and then Clarion offered a contract after seeing the revised manuscript. I was very lucky my manuscript fell into the hands of an editor who loved it. I also was very lucky to end up with Clarion, where such fantastic people work!
This story makes the process sound easy. Throw in two young children, a lot of financial insecurity, part time jobs, classes for school librarian certification, laundry, dishes, a lot of doubts and terror and exhaustion, and you'd have a clearer picture.
The main character in ALIA WAKING seems to feel the same about taking risks. She would like to stick to the safe path of what she, her family and friends envision for her future, but when she learns that that future might not be for her, she is confused. What was the hardest thing about writing this story? And what was the most fun about it?
I didn't know what I was doing when I wrote this book. This was hard. I didn't know how to make a character live and breathe. I floundered about. I had a lot of dark moments.
Creating the world, though, was pure fun. I like making up places, cultures, folklore, history. I'd be typing at my computer and down through my fingers would come these lovely details. Alia's leaf appeared that way. I was stuck and thought about advice I'd heard Gail Carson Levine give once. She said to think about what was in your characters' pockets. Well, Alia had this amazing leaf in her pocket and suddenly the story was transformed.
How long did it take to create Alia's world? How did you decide on all the aspects of Alia's world? I love the idea of the keentens, the women warriors.
I began mapping Alia's world, then wrote a short encyclopedia. Honestly, though, it grew and changed as I wrote. I had to keep track of everything with scribbled notes, incomprehensible to anyone but me. And I aimed for a feel. This sounds wishy-washy, but I really do write worlds this way. The feel of Alia's world is cold and bleak. The winter is hard, a lot like Vermont where I've lived most of my life. The village is small, like towns I've lived in, where everyone knows everyone else's business. The government is theocratic, as old New England was. I also wanted to create a society that seemed real, one that had haves and partial-haves and have-nots. You probably can thank Robin McKinley for the warrior women. All those times re-reading about Aerin and Harry....
Kay is both Alia's best friend and competitor. They both want to win favor from the keentens of their village while shunning the healers. ALIA WAKING is filled with fascinating characters. How did you go about creating the people who fill this story?
I've had friends like Kay, ones I've adored and been so jealous of. I think everyone has, or at least most girls and women. We love those friends so much but we also look at them and think—why do they have what we want? Why did they get it so easily, while I'm working so hard and falling on my face? Most of us, especially at twelve and thirteen and fourteen, have also had friendships that suddenly became a whole lot harder. We've been torn between doing what we thought was right and what our friends thought was right.
As to the characters' more idiosyncratic personal characteristics, I write a lot of that by feel, too. I close my eyes or pace around the room and try to see and hear what each one feels about the situation she or he's in.
What books did you love when you were growing up? Which authors today inspire you?
When I was a kid and teen, I loved Katherine Paterson's A BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA, Natalie Babbitt's TUCK EVERLASTING, anything by Robin McKinley, Ursula LeGuin, J. R. R. Tolkien, Lloyd Alexander, and Patricia McKillip. I also wanted to be Madeleine L'Engle's Meg Murray for a number of years.
I still love all of those mentioned above. Now, I also love Franny Billingsley's THE FOLK KEEPER, Eloise McGraw's THE MOORCHILD, Elizabeth Pope's THE PERILOUS GARD, and almost everything Donna Jo Napoli has written. I'm fascinated by Holly Black and Charles de Lint and Midori Snyder, people who are writing urban fantasy or mythic fiction, call it what you will.
They weave folklore and fantasy into stories with contemporary characters and settings. Pullman's work is always intriguing, and I enjoy Harry Potter. As far as "adult fiction" is concerned, I often get stuck in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries with Jane Austen. I love Margaret Atwood's work, A.S. Byatt's POSSESSION, and Barbara Kingsolver's ANIMAL DREAMS is one of my favorite books. I also read a lot of folklore and fairy tale collections. I, of course, will think of several other books I should have mentioned in about ten minutes.
Tell me a little about your job as a librarian. What do you like about it?
I get to read everything from Brent Hartinger's GEOGRAPHY CLUB to the Artemis Fowl series to Garth Nix's books to the Junie B. Jones series to Rita Murphy's NIGHT FLYING, as well as all kinds of fabulous picture books. I read and tell stories aloud. I talk about books with kids. They come to me and tell me what they think and why. My job as a librarian complements my writing work: I get to see the other side, when the books are on the shelves and in people's hands.
What is a typical work (writing) day like for you?
I'm in the middle of a transition because both my kids will be in school full time this year. I'm working at the library part time, and so, for the first time ever, I'll have three writing days a week. Before, I wrote about two hours a night from 8pm to 10pm, or two hours a day whenever I could sneak the time in. Now, three times a week, I'll get up, help everyone out the door, and the days are mine.
Last year I had one writing day, so I do generally know what this new schedule will be like. I'll check e-mail, respond to anything pressing, and then write for two or three hours. I'll have lunch, take a quick walk, check e-mail again, then write or research for another two or three hours. I might have to use some of the writing time for ALIA's publicity stuff: scheduling and going to author visits, book signings, readings. I also do publicity work each evening, about an hour's worth. I write promotional postcards, snoop online and find sites to contact that list authors or review fantasy, etc.
What do you do when you're not reading/writing?
Drive kids around, go to parent/teacher conferences or school performances or events, work at the library, chores, watch movies. My husband and I do sometimes actually go out on a date or sit around and talk about the meaning of life.
What is the best thing about being a writer?
So much. I don't even know where to begin. The words. The characters. The stories. When something comes out that's so beautiful and unexpected and thrilling. Growing. Fan mail.
What is the hardest thing about being a writer?
Words, characters, stories. Falling short, falling flat, knowing who the characters are but not finding the right words. Growing. The "bunny-eat-bunny," or perhaps more aptly shark-eat-shark, world of the publishing and book selling businesses.
What inspires you?
I adore the land around me, the river, the woods, and the turning of the seasons. Folklore and fairy tales inspire me, as do great novels, my kids, my husband, and music.
What can fans expect from you next?
I'm working on a fantasy for teens. It's more of a fairy tale, and a love story. It's not yet on a release schedule. I'm about to do a thorough revision. I'm also working on a story that takes place in a fantasy world but has a contemporary feel.
What advice do you have for beginning children's writers?
Write. BIC as Jane Yolen has so famously said—Butt In Chair. Find a great writers group or someone who'll critique your work when you're ready for that. There are a lot of good books both on the craft and business of writing. Do your research. Know the cold hard facts about this profession's business side, but while you're writing, really give the story you're working on all your love and sweat and passion. If you don't have any love and sweat and passion to give to it — because what you really want are the Oprah interviews and the big checks and you think writing itself is fairly boring — I would tactfully and kindly suggest moving on to other things. If you love to write, write.
Interview © Copyright 2003, by Debbi Michiko Florence.
See also my follow-up interviews with Laura, in 2004 and 2006.
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For more information about Laura and writing, see her web site and read her blog at Here There Be Dragons
Also see my follow-up interviews with Laura, in 2004 and 2006.
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