Words with Writers: Interview with Laura Tims!

Welcome to Words with Writers! Today on the blog, I'm so excited to have the fantastic author Laura Tims! Laura is the author of young adult novel PLEASE DON'T TELL, which will be out from Harper Collins in Fall 2015.

Let's talk to Laura, shall we?

Hi Laura! Thanks so much for being a guest today on YA Stands. I’m so excited to have you and your novel Please Don’t Tell! Let’s get started! How long have you known you wanted to be an author?

I started writing and figured out I wanted to be an author at the same time, when I was ten. It was the only thing that seemed like fun at the time. 

Are you currently working on a new project?

Yes! I have like six different things I’m messing with, but right now I’m working on a YA contemporary about family counseling and drugs and a boy who can’t feel pain. 

Oh! That sounds so awesome! I can't wait to read it. Speaking of books, what book do you wish you could have written?

I would love to have written Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta. Pretty much anything by Melina Marchetta. It would be nice if I was Melina Marchetta. 

What writing tips or advice do you have to offer others writers and authors?

Remember that your first book won’t be your only book. I know so many beginning writers who have been writing and rewriting the same book for years. Sometimes the best thing for you is to start a new project. (And that can be the case even when it’s not your first book.)

 Do you have an agent? Who is he/she and how was the process? Painful? Painless? Do you have any tips for those who are querying?

I do! Her name is Sarah Davies, of the Greenhouse LiteraryAgency, and she’s excellent. I lucked out and had a pretty painless querying process—I got my first offer after about a month. My main querying advice is to make sure you edit your book like CRAZY before you send it out. It should be as perfect as you can possibly make it. Same goes for your query. Don’t rush to send a book out because you’re excited or because it happens to fit a trend.

Whoa awesome! That's nice to hear. Sounds like you really put a lot of work into it! So when you are writing, do you have any writing habits/practices? Tea and music? Silence?

Tea and music pretty much cover it, haha. When it’s warm enough, I love writing outside. I like to do my writing in large blocks of time instead of chipping away at it, but that’s not always feasible.

Who is your favorite book villain?

The most hateable bad guy I’ve read recently is Eleanor’s dad from Eleanor & Park, and the scariest one is probably the Mayor from the Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness. But my favorite villains are the ones you can kind of sympathize with. 

Which novel would you love to see made into a movie?

I would die to see more YA contemp made into movies. Eleanor & Park, for instance. I’d love to see a smart film adaptation of a Courtney Summers book. The Diviners by Libba Bray would also make an insanely awesome movie.

If your life had a theme song, what would it be?

The absolute first thing that popped into my head was the SpongebobSquarepants theme song, and I have no idea why but now it seems unfair to say anything else.

 I see on your blog that you’re a Harry Potter fan. Me too! What house would you be in if you went to Hogwarts and which character would be your best friend?

I was one of those kids who was never totally sure what their house was, but Pottermore said Slytherin so I’m gonna go with that. Plus snakes are cute. And I would totally stalk Hermione. I pretended to be her for an entire year in elementary school. 

What is your favorite genre to write? Is there a genre you think you will never write?

I love writing contemporary, obviously, but I also really enjoy playing with fantasy. I literally can’t think of a YA fiction genre I would never touch. I even googled a list of genres to double-check.

Who is your favorite current book boyfriend?

Does DaenerysTargaryen count? Also, Saf from Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore.

Yes. I think they both count! Hehe. Now, let's go on to the lightning round!

Skittles or M&Ms? 

M&Ms!

Coke or Pepsi? 

Coke for sure

Night or day? 

Day! It’s too dark at night.

Coffee or tea? 

Tea. Coffee makes me crazy.

Sour or sweet? 

I like both!

Lord of the Rings or Star Wars? 

I haven’t seen Star Wars and I’m obsessed with LotR, so…

           

Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty?

I don’t think I’ve seen either, weirdly enough.

Hermione Granger or Harry Potter?

HERMIONE. Hermione > everything.

The Goonies or The Sandlot?

I think this is the hardest question I’ve ever been asked. The…Sandlot???

Pirates or Ninjas? Pirate-ninjas? 

Pirates are way sexier, let’s be honest. 

Thank you so much Laura for being on YA Stands today! I can't wait to pick up PLEASE DON'T TELL! 

About Laura Tims

Laura Tims is an English major at Goucher College. She likes Hayao Miyazaki movies, Florence & the Machine, and bubble wrap. She’s never gotten seriously injured, so clearly she’s doing something wrong. PLEASE DON’T TELL, her YA debut about a girl who kills the boy who hurt her sister, will be out from HarperCollins in Fall 2015.

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What do you guys think? Have you added Please Don't Tell to your Goodreads? Will you read it? Let me know in the comments below.

Words with writers is a bi-weekly feature run by Jolene Haley. If you wish to be interviewed on YA Stands, please email jolene dot haley at gmail. dot com. Or tweet her!