Q&A: Meg Elison, Author of ‘Find Layla’

A neglected girl’s chaotic coming-of-age becomes a trending new hashtag in a novel about growing up and getting away by an award-winning author.

We had the pleasure of chatting to Meg Elison about her latest novel Find Layla and how it was inspired by her own experiences as an adolescent, as well as writing advice, book recommendations, and more! We also have an excerpt to share with you at the end of the Q&A!

Hi Meg! Tell us a bit about yourself!

I live in Oakland, California and I write books and essays. I’ve lived all over this country and in a handful of others. I have eight different colors of sealing wax in my desk right now and I am trying to be the living revenge of the girl in “The Hundred Dresses.”

When did you first discover your love for writing?

I wrote my first terrible fantasy novel, my first terrible play, and my first terrible poems in grade school. I was a full-time reader, with a book in front of my face as I walked to school and while other kids played at recess. I was fascinated by writing, but I didn’t understand it at all. I was just mimicking what I thought went into it. It turns out this is a necessary phase of the process, and ended in my case sometime in my late twenties. But I loved it even when I was bad at it. It has always been the only job worth having. 

Find Layla is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Poor girl’s video virality sucks. 

What inspired you to write Find Layla?

Layla is based in large part on my own experiences as an adolescent. As I’ve grown up, I’ve come to realize that telling stories about that time in my life makes my friends get weirdly quiet and uncomfortable around me. It is easier to tell these stories in fiction, change them up, obscure what’s mine and what’s imagined. I still get to tell about my struggle with homelessness, with abusive parents and terrible bullies. But this makes it safer for everyone involved. 

As this is such a personal story, did you find it was challenging to write at times? How did you deal with this?

It was challenging to write! I’m old enough now that the anger about how I was raised is fading. I’m at the point where I feel a terrible pity for the kid I used to be. I wish things had been better for her, and I wrote from that compassion and caring rather than from straight-up rage. That’s new for me, especially in writing anything personal. Rage is like gasoline for your work; it burns fast and leaves a lot of pollution behind. It’s time for me to upgrade to a hybrid. 

What piece of advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Follow your obsession. The thing you cannot stop writing about must be written. Write it over and over until you can see your face in the shine. And then put together a good writing group. They’re the best thing that can happen to you. 

With the current state of the world, what are you doing to cope with the changes we’ve had to make with our day-to-day?

I think a lot of us writers expected to thrive with all this extra time at home and a total lack of social expectations during the pandemic. Unfortunately, most of us have discovered that the ongoing horror of existence weighs on us more than usual during this terrible time. A lot of this ‘extra time’ is swallowed up in anxiety and depression. A lot of mental energy goes to working out brand-new problems. And those social expectations stimulate us, inspire us, keep us in touch with our peers so that we’re motivated to work and work well. Absent all that, I think most of us are creating listlessly, if at all. I think there are going to be a lot of books due in 2020 that aren’t finished on time. 

What’s next for you?

I’ve been writing thriller and horror material lately, so I think that’s the next thing. I’m always working. 

Lastly, what are you currently reading and do you have any book recommendations for our readers?

If you liked Layla, you should read “Free Lunch” by Rex Ogle. And if you like books at all, you should be reading Somaiya Daud, Catherynne M. Valente, and Maggie Tokuda-Hall. 

Will you be picking up Find Layla? Tell us in the comments below!