We chat with debut author Laura Leffler about Tell Them You Lied, which follows two New York artists’ tumultuous friendship as it gets turned on its head when one of them goes missing and the other may be to blame.
Hi, Laura! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi, Nerd Daily! I’m an author and art historian, and even though I’ve wanted to be a fiction writer since I was in middle school, I spent most of my adult life working in commercial art galleries. I adore visual art—I could write about materials and process and theory all day—but books are my one true love.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I wrote my first poem around age 9, and I was so proud of it! I remember reading it aloud in class, which was huge for me, as I was a painfully shy child. I think that’s why reading had always felt like a refuge. My sisters and brother would be outside swimming or roller-skating or playing with friends, and I would be inside, quiet, often hiding, with a book and a snack. When I realized that I, like the authors of the books I was reading, could communicate through the written world, I was reborn!
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Little Bear by Maurice Sendak
- The one that made you want to become an author: Remember Me by Christopher Pike
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka
Your debut novel, Tell Them You Lied, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
New York artist’s fever dream.
What can readers expect?
Tell Them You Lied is a suspenseful story about ambition, envy, and toxic friendship, so you’ll find plenty of bad behaviour. Lots of art—darkrooms, paintings, gritty studios, sleek galleries—and a little bit of art history. Y2K vibes. Thrift stores. Lies, obsession, revenge, and dive bars.
Where did the inspiration for Tell Them You Lied come from?
Most obviously, it came from my memories of being in New York on 9/11. I was a young woman at the time, fixated on my own (very trivial) dramas, totally naïve to the world around me. That day was a wake-up call, and I think many coming-of-age stories are like that: something shifts and you suddenly realize just how little you know. You start to see the world differently. You start to see yourself differently, too.
So, I imagined a young artist of that time, trying to find her place in a superficial, ever-changing art world, while constantly being shoved into a mold that didn’t fit.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
After I’d figured out the story and understood what the plot needed to do, I slashed about a third of the manuscript—much of the B timeline, when the characters are in art school—and completely rewrote it. That was some of the easiest (and therefore most fun) writing I think I’ve ever done.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
So many! The biggest thing was that I didn’t have an outline and ended up writing myself in circles for a long time. I found a great writing group who introduced me to Save the Cat Writes a Novel, which I put to good use. I had to start over so many times before I understood what I was doing. It took me a long time to get it right, but I knew what I wanted, and I was stubborn enough to work for it.
This is your debut novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
A long and twisty road! I always knew I wanted to write, but it’s not easy. The first time I gave up was when I didn’t get into the 4 MFA programs that I’d applied to after undergrad. I decided to study art history instead, with the idea that I could write about art. I did that for many years: worked in galleries and wrote reviews and essays on the side. But it didn’t satisfy my need to be creative. It wasn’t enough.
Then, when I was about 35, I started writing creatively again. I was hugely pregnant with twins at the time, feeling out of place at the very posh Manhattan art gallery where I worked, and angry with myself for not going after my dream. I finished that manuscript, got an agent, then watched it die a quick death on submission, and pretty much quit again.
A few more years though, and I was back at—and this time I didn’t give up.
What’s next for you?
I wish I could answer this! All I can say is stay tuned!
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year?
