The bewitching Laurie Faria Stolarz talks new Beginnings (A Q&A)

 Cover design: Llewellyn art department

Today, I am delighted to welcome back young adult author Laurie Faria Stolarz as she prepares to launch Black is for Beginnings, the fifth installment of her bestselling Blue is for Nightmares series. Black officially hits store shelves tomorrow, though you can find it exclusively at Barnes & Noble right now.

Somewhat of a departure for the series, Black is for Beginnings is presented as a graphic novel (illustrated by Janina Gorrissen) and serves as a companion piece to the previous titles. In addition to introducing never-before-seen backstory, readers will delight in seeing some of their favorite scenes from the series brought to life, in addition to learning the fate of their beloved characters.

For readers who may be unfamiliar with those characters, Blue introduced protagonist Stacey Brown, a teenager who suffers chronic nightmares that prove to be prophetic. Fortunately, her ability to perform the folk magic passed down from her grandmother has helped to save a few lives—including her best friend Drea’s. In White is for Magic, Stacey met the enigmatic Jacob—a transfer student who had been having nightly premonitions of her death. He enrolled at her boarding school in an attempt to stop the mysterious killer, and romance blossomed in Silver is for Secrets. But his own harrowing experience in Red is for Remembrance has left him with amnesia. As he returns to his childhood home in Colorado to piece together his past, will he find that there’s room for Stacey in his future?

Laurie, who attended Merrimack College and received an MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College in Boston, is also the author of the Touch series (AKA the Deadly Little... books) and the stand-alone titles Bleed and Project 17. She was kind enough to take time out of her busy schedule to answer a few probing questions—and to address that nasty “Laurie is a witch” rumor…

1) The most recent entry in the BLUE IS FOR NIGHTMARES series comes in the form of a graphic novel. Why this change in format? What challenges did this pose to you as a writer?

I wanted to try something different. The arcs of the first four books are similar in many respects, and so I wanted to give the series a creative spin. I felt the series was finished at four books, but readers kept asking me for a fifth. When my editor approached me with the idea of writing a graphic novel, I was very intrigued, because it gave me the opportunity to not only try something new, but to really picture the book as a movie. I have a background in screenwriting and wrote BLACK IS FOR BEGINNINGS in screenwriting format, adding in ideas for illustrations and sidebars. It was an absolute thrill to write, and to have the opportunity to work with an illustrator for these characters and situations I’d created.

2) What was it like to see your characters come to life on the page? Did you ever find yourself struggling with somebody else's vision of the world you created?

I worked closely with the illustrator and helped choose her from a number of illustrators. Janina Gorrissen and I were on the same page from the start. I was very happy with her work.

3) For fans of the series (and there are a lot of them!), how would you best describe the book--sequel, prequel, both, or other? Did you ever find yourself surprised at where the story went or revelations about the characters?

It’s part prequel, part sequel, part love letter to the fans. It’s really written for the fans, which made it all the more rewarding to write. I knew exactly where the book would go, and even got a little teary at the end. I’m very happy with the way it turned out.

4) You were raised in historic Salem, MA. How did growing up there influence the supernatural elements in your books? And I have to ask: How often do people ask you if you're a witch or practice Wicca?

I get asked that all the time, and the answer is no, I am not a witch. Having been raised in Salem, MA, and having done a lot of research on Witchcraft, I do have a lot of respect for the religion, however. Growing up, it was really no big deal to have practicing Wiccans in class with you in school. They’re normal people, with normal jobs, who go about their normal lives. It’s a major religion in Salem, and people take it very seriously. I think Salem’s biggest influence on me is that I’m open to that.

5) What are your plans for the future of the series? What happens when you run out of colors?

If I do another book in the series, I’d like to change it up just a bit, perhaps hand the narrative torch over to another character, or do a spin-off/companion series. That could be fun.

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With gratitude to the bewitching Laurie Faria Stolarz, whose next book, Deadly Little Lies, will be released in November.

To read part one of Hartford Books Examiner's discussion with the author, click here.

Please leave a comment (including email address) in the comments section below. One lucky person will be chosen at random to receive a copy of Black is for Beginnings.