Guest Interview with Author Laura Thomas

Today’s guest is author, Laura Thomas!

Laura is a published Christian author with a heart for inspiring and encouraging readers of all ages. She is married to her high school sweetheart, has three wonderful children, and an adorable English bulldog. Born and raised in England and Wales, she immigrated to Canada in her mid-twenties, and now lives in Kelowna, British Columbia, where her authoring dreams have become a reality.

Laura has four books published by Dancing With Bear Publishing: Christian teen fiction novels Tears to Dancing (2012) and Tears of a Princess (2013), non-fiction marriage book, Pearls for the Bride (2014), and middle grade novel, The Candle Maker (2015). She also has numerous children’s short stories, articles and devotionals published.

Why did you become a writer…was it a dream of yours since you were younger or did the desire to write happen later in your life?

I was an absolute bookworm as a child, and harbored a secret dream to write my own book one day, but that dream didn’t actually materialize until about thirty years later. Call me slow, or a procrastinator, or a scaredy-cat, but I buried my childhood dream completely until my husband probed me for my aspirations in 2006. I confessed my secret dream, he urged me to take some writing courses (even though I was a busy homeschooling mom), encouraged me to jump into the writing world with both feet, and the rest is history!

What was the inspiration for your latest work?

The Candle Maker, published just a couple of weeks ago, is a middle grade book for ages 8-11, set in Victorian England. Being English, when I think of history, my mind tends to focus on the UK, and I am particularly fond of the whole Dickensian era with classics such as A Christmas Carol and Oliver Twist. The Candle Maker actually evolved from a writing exercise in one of my courses, where we were building storylines from a single word—in this case, “candle”. My mind honed in on a scary old candle maker, misunderstood and lonely. I drew from my memories of walking cobbled streets in England, and the result was a young lad facing his greatest fears and encountering the candle maker. I would be remiss to not mention my English bulldog, Ginger Lily, when it comes to inspiration for this story. She is the star of the show in our household, and when I wrote a dog into the storyline, I felt compelled to make it an English bulldog because they are rather sensational!

What was the most interesting research you had to do for any of your books?

Writing my non-fiction marriage book, Pearls for the Bride, was incredibly rewarding. It started as a letter to my daughter, who was soon to be married. I wanted to pass on some words of wisdom and advice, and my letter grew until it reached ten chapters…. and was ultimately a book. The research was an interesting process—I got to dig deep to remind myself what the Bible has to say about marriage, taking particular note from the legendary Proverbs 31 woman. I also took many strolls down memory lane with my husband as I rehashed and recalled our experience thus far as man and wife. It was sobering to remember the mistakes we made along the way (I’m pretty sure we were mere children when we got married!), and utterly joyful to see how we have grown ever closer through the years. There were moments of hysterical laughter too—many of those! It was a rewarding experience not only for me as a mother with some pearls of wisdom for my daughter, but also for me as a wife who is blessed beyond belief.

How did you decide to write books for kids? Have you always wanted to write children’s books, or did that come about later on? 

I had high hopes of being the next Beatrix Potter. I was always enamored by her adorable, mischievous characters, and simply presumed I would launch into picture books. I took two correspondence courses with the Institute of Children’s Literature, and learned the art of writing for children of all ages. As a homeschooling mom, I longed to write books for little ones, and as my children grew, I became aware of the need for good, moral stories. As it happens, my published books are for middle grade, teens, and adults, and I am still yet to publish a picture book. But I have had short stories published for little ones, and I am still holding onto my picture book dream.

.Have you written any books for adults (I don’t mean “adult” as in erotic romance, just non-children’s books)?

I love writing for adults—it’s so refreshing after generally writing for children. I do have one adult book published, which is my non-fiction book for brides-to-be and newlyweds, Pearls for the Bride. I also blog regularly, have had various articles published, and have written a Christian romantic suspense novel, which is yet to be published. Another one for the “dream pile”.

What’s your writing schedule like? When do you find time to write?

I would love to say my writing schedule is incredibly organized, and I have each day planned to perfection, but I am a writer, and that’s not usually how we roll. I write whenever I can seize the opportunity, preferably during the day, in a silent house, in my office. Possibly with an English bulldog snoring loudly at my feet. Of course it also happens in the orthodontist waiting room, coffee shop, or out on the deck. Flexibility is key in this game. My writing has to work around my family, and sometimes it can definitely be a challenge, but I have very understanding loved ones. I envy those who can burn the midnight oil and write through the night— my brain goes to mush at about nine in the evening, so I dare not trust myself to write anything important beyond that point, for the sake of us all. I do write each day in some capacity, even if it’s journaling or blogging, and when I have a clear five hours undisturbed to get into the flow of some serious writing, I’m in heaven.

Do you have any writing idiosyncrasies?

My main oddity in writing is my ineptness at typing. It’s pitiful. My family think it’s completely amusing for a writer to tap away haphazardly in no apparent hurry, but I maintain that I type as fast as I think… which probably isn’t the smartest comment I could make, but it all works out exceedingly well in the long run.

What’s the most challenging aspect of writing for you?

Time is definitely the most challenging aspect of writing for me. I long to be marooned on a desert island with my laptop and maybe a cooler full of chocolate, and just have gloriously unending time to WRITE!

Connect with Laura:

Website: http://www.laurathomasauthor.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Laura-Thomas/183771121724664?ref=hl

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Laura_Thomas_

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=292223105&trk=hp-identity-name

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lauracthomas/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/lauracthomas/

Thank you for being our guest, Laura. I enjoyed learning more about you. And being on a deserted island with chocolate, laptop, and unlimited writing time would be blissful for me too. I wish you continued success in you writing career, and in all aspects of your life.

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