From the moment she first learned to read, literary genius Darcy Wells has spent most of her time living in the worlds of her books. There, she can avoid the crushing reality of her mother’s hoarding, and pretend her life is simply ordinary.
We had the pleasure of chatting to Laura Taylor Namey about her debut novel, The Library of Lost Things, which releases on October 8th, along with becoming a published author, writing, and what’s next for her.
Hi Laura! Tell us a little about yourself!
Hi and thank you so much for having me! I’m a Cuban-American Californian who used to teach elementary school. I now write young adult contemporary novels full time and have two teenagers of my own at home.
Your debut novel, The Library of Lost Things, is set to release on October 8th. If you could only use five words to describe it, what would they be?
Bookish. Witty. Coming-of-Age. Poignant. Lyrical.
Now let’s hear a little more! What can readers expect?
Readers will meet Darcy Wells and learn of her difficult home situation in living with a mother who hoards and shops compulsively. Literary genius Darcy does what many of us do: she hides her stress and frustration inside her beloved home library. But Darcy takes this a little too far. It’s easy to live vicariously inside the lives of book characters while painting herself “invisible.” This results in a high school senior who has missed out on a few teen milestones, and it’s left her a bit socially inept. From the first chapter, some changes in Darcy’s world and immediate future require her to step outside her library to find real solutions. Readers will watch Darcy slowly learn to shed her self-imposed invisibility, and to live out her own story. And maybe even fall in love.
Where did the inspiration for The Library of Lost Things come from?
My books always start with a character and a “what if” question. I have always used books as a form of escape. I wondered, what if there was a teen girl who did this, only to a much greater degree, where her book obsession actually started to impede real life? That’s how Darcy was born. Writing the novel branched like a spider web from there. She needed a reason to hide inside books, a backdrop that would press someone to desire some sense of escape and relief. Then the rest of her life grew and grew until you get her immediate world and rest of the cast. My inspiration for Darcy’s half-Cuban, half-Mexican best friend Marisol, came from mashing up my personality with my best friend.
Did you face any challenges while writing?
Darcy’s mother is a hoarder, and I took special care to research and write mental health in the most sensitive way possible. I had a lot of help from professionals, and it was often hard to tune the narrative just right. I am pleased about how Darcy’s mother, Andrea, is portrayed. This took time and cognitive distance. I always try to be mindful that I’m creating someone who could be a real person. Providing authentic representation is always my number one goal, as well as the fact that I’m not writing to make broad, general statements about mental health or hoarding in particular. In this book, I am writing the story of one person, and one family. I am so thankful for the readers and mental health professionals who helped guide me.
Was there a certain scene or character you enjoyed writing?
I write linearly. I don’t “cheat” and write scenes that come later in the story before they actually happen. I won’t spoil, but there is a scene that I designed as a gritty, urban retelling of one of the scenes from Cinderella. This was one of the first scenes that came into my big-picture plotting, and I couldn’t wait to reach that part in the draft.
What has the publishing journey been like for you?
You can sit in a room with ten authors, and none of our journeys will look the same. I feel blessed and honored to have gotten my fabulous agent and debut book deal within about three years of when I began writing seriously. Publishing is always full of surprises, and it’s often a roller coaster of emotions. I have a fabulous team and wonderful author peers who keep me grounded and moving forward through the tough days. I recently got to hold my finished copy of THE LIBRARY OF LOST THINGS and I’m so grateful that I get to do this.
Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Read widely in the genre and age group you hope to write for. Read 50 books. Study pacing, character arc development, world building, and tricks the authors use to generate suspense and emotion. I also tell new writers to pick up a copy of Story Genius, by Lisa Cron. This manual is one of the biggest reasons I am published today––it’s wonderful. Lastly, join the writing community on social media. Find friends who are slightly ahead of your journey, and a few that can walk beside you through drafting, revision, and querying.
What’s next for you?
I have two books coming out in the next two years from Atheneum Simon and Schuster! My beloved Cuban own voices story about a Miami Cuban bakery heiress and her reluctant England summer trip is coming fall 2020. Please add it on Goodreads, and visit my website to learn more about that story. My junior project will publish roughly a year after that, so I’m quite busy juggling books in a few stages right now. I am just so thankful for the opportunity to keep doing what I love most.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for us?
Please check out the titles from my young adult and middle grade debut group, the Novel19s. I love them all, but here are two standouts for me: Don’t Date Rosa Santos, Nina Moreno. And for middle grade, All of Me by Chris Baron.
