Photo Credit: Joseph Puleo/Portraits of Light
Today, Laurie Faria Stolarz joins Hartford Books Examiner to discuss writing for a young adult audience. Perhaps most well known for the series of books that she launched with Blue is for Nightmares in 2003, Stolarz is also the author of Deadly Little Secret (December 2008), the first in the Touch series. (The follow-up, Deadly Little Lies, will be out in November.) In addition, she has released two stand-alone novels: Bleed and Project 17, which was recently released in paperback. (For your chance to win a signed copy of Project 17, see below.)
Laurie attended Merrimack College, and received an MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College in Boston, which is where the idea for Blue first came to her. It was during an adolescent fiction workshop that she wrote a scene in which Stacey, who would become the series’ protagonist, was meditating in front of a blue candle. That spark of an idea would spawn three sequels to the first book and reach more than half a million readers--and the tradition will continue when Black is for Beginnings is released (in the form of a graphic novel) this September.
Raised in historic Salem, MA, Laurie has become well known among fans for introducing supernatural elements into her books—the Blue is for Nightmares series features Wiccan practices and the Touch books explore psychometry, or the ability to sense the future through touch. But Laurie and I are merely human, and so our conversation was a down-to-earth one…
1) In addition to the BLUE IS FOR NIGHTMARE series, you also write the TOUCH series (a.k.a the DEADLY LITTLE... books). What do you find to be the key to writing a successful series? Has the success of the Harry Potter books and the Twilight saga made it easier or more difficult to define yourself in the YA market?
I'd say the key to writing a successful series is having a likeable, relatable character who's different in some way. It's helpful if this character has a secret, as well as a lot to learn. He or she needs equally flawed and interesting friends, who come with their own set of problems, challenges, and goals. It's helpful to think of your series as suspense, even if it's not "suspenseful." Even a romantic comedy can have an element of suspense in it, i.e. will the guy get the girl in the end. Lastly, cliffhangers. Leave your readers with a satisfying ending, but don't make it too satisfying. Make them beg for more.
I think the huge success of series like Twilight and Harry Potter helps the middle grade and young adult market overall. These books are getting tweens and teens to read. These young readers, once finished with these books, look for similar titles, creating more books in the market, and more opportunity for writers.
2) Two of your books--BLEED and PROJECT 17--are stand-alone novels, though some of the same characters appear in both. Do you have a preference as to whether you're writing a stand-alone or an installment? Does your writing process differ depending? 
My process doesn’t really differ. Even when I’m working on entire series, I like my main character to jump through all the hoops a protagonist would in a stand-alone title, i.e. having a goal, overcoming an obstacle, learning something valuable in the end. I love working on series, because it enables me to grow my characters over several books. I also get to know my characters that much more. But I also love stand-alone titles. I like to experiment and try new things. BLEED was very experimental for me. I challenged myself in a whole new way, writing from 10 different perspectives (and from perspectives that are vastly different than mine). PROJECT 17 gave me the opportunity to do something similar, but also to fictionalize a real-life place, which presented its own challenges. When I was doing the research on the former Danvers State Hospital, the mental institution on which the novel is based, I became so haunted by what I was learning that I suggested a new idea to my editor. In the end, my publisher was really excited about the concept, and for better or worse I ended up numbing up to what I was learning so that I could write the book. I’m glad I stuck it out, though. I think it’s important that stories like that are told. Ditto for BLEED.
3) Your books deal with heavy subject matter (cutting, child abuse, sex, etc.) that, sadly, is reality for a lot of teenagers. Is it a balancing act to present a realistic portrayal of life in a way that is marketable? Do you ever feel torn between an obligation to your readers and an obligation to their parents, who may find some of the content objectionable?
That’s a really good question. For me, and for my books, I think it’s important to keep the situations as authentic and believable as possible. For me, authentic and believable doesn’t always mean tying things up in a neat little bow at the end. Life doesn’t always work that way. And teens know that. I do feel, however, that my characters need to learn something. In BLEED, for example, the novel takes place over the course of a single day. How can you solve some of the devastating issues that occur in there by the end of a 24-hour period? It isn’t believable. However, each character in BLEED learns something valuable – a tool that will hopefully help them to dig out of the hole in which they’ve found themselves.
4) What made you want to write for a young adult audience? Do you find that doing so brings an extra responsibility? And how do you keep your characters' actions and dialogue authentic? (Not to say that you're far from teen-dom yourself, Laurie!)
I feel a responsibility to make things authentic, as mentioned above. I speak about BLEED because it’s probably my most controversial novel and was actually written with an adult audience in mind. BLEED deals a lot with consequence, showing how the decisions we make every day – even the smaller decisions – can have a domino effect, impacting other characters in the novel, even those they’ve never met before. I think consequence, and knowing that our decisions and actions can have a substantial impact on others – is an important lesson shows for young adults and adults alike. As far as keeping the characters’ dialogue and actions authentic, I work hard at that. I try to keep abreast of what teens are into and the way they talk. I watch an embarrassing amount of reality TV, geared for teens. I also read magazines marketed for teens, as well as all their books. I work with teens in workshop settings, and speak with them about their interests. Authenticity is important to me, because if it’s not real, teens will be the first to call you on it.
5) If someone were to look into a crystal ball, what would they see in your future? Care to drop a tantalizing tid-bit or two? After all, you do write suspense...
Hopefully I’ll still be plugging away on my books. After my TOUCH series, I’d love to try something else experimental. I just completed a graphic novel, BLACK IS FOR BEGINNINGS, which was an absolute joy to write because I got to approach it almost as screenplay, picturing it as a movie, and including ideas for sidebar illustrations.
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Laurie is currently hosting a contest to celebrate the paperback release of Project 17, and three lucky winners (and their English teacher or favorite young adult librarian) will receive signed copies of the book. Those wishing to enter are asked to embrace their artistic side by creating their own cover art for the book and submitting it to lauriestolarz@yahoo.com no later than Midnight, Monday, August 31, 2009. Full contest details can be viewed here.
And please check back in September, when Laurie will make a return visit to give us the inside scoop on Black is for Beginnings…
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