BIO

Laura Ruby spent much of her childhood and young adulthood languishing in the suburbs of NJ before moving to Chicago, where she lives with her husband, two stepdaughters and two cats. LILY'S GHOSTS is her first novel.

AUTHOR TALK

September 2005

Novelist Laura Ruby talks about her decision to write a book and specifically what inspired her to write LILY'S GHOSTS. She also reveals how some people have reacted after reading the book and offers valuable advice to children who would like to become writers.

Q. What made you want to write a book?

LR: I have always loved to read, something I get from my mother. When I was little, she and I used to go to the library and always came out with so many books that we could barely carry them. And since I always preferred the world of make-believe to the real world, I was also a big day-dreamer [An actual line from my 2nd grade report card: "Laura is doing better this marking period, but she still looks out the window and appears stupid."] As a matter of fact, I was so bored with the real world that I couldn't bear to write in my own diary; real life was far too dull. So, I started to make things up --- first, short stories, and then, much later, books.

Q. What was your inspiration for this story?

LR: The things I especially liked when I was young, and still like, were ghost stories. So, in the summer of 1999, while on vacation at Point Pleasant, NJ with my family, I suddenly decided that I would write a ghost story. And I knew just where I wanted to set the story: my friend Andrea's house in Cape May, NJ, an old Victorian that's supposedly haunted. Though nothing strange ever happened to me when I visited, it was easy to imagine that something could.

Q. What's the strangest reaction you've gotten from people who have read your book?

LR: People tell me all of their own ghost stories. I had one reporter who was supposed to be interviewing me spend at least 20 minutes talking all about the ghost of her dear departed grandfather, who apparently wandered around her house in a blue suit. I didn't mind though. I love hearing ghost stories.

Q. Do you believe in ghosts?

LR: This might sound odd, but I WANT to believe in them. I think the world would be a much more interesting place if all sorts of ghosts were rattling around. But I've never seen one myself.

Q: Are you reading any ghost stories right now?

LR: I'm on a fantasy kick right now. I recently read Libba Bray's A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY, Jonathan Stroud's THE GOLEM'S EYE, and Edward Bloor's STORY TIME. Shannon Hale's THE GOOSE GIRL remains a favorite from the last couple of years. I think it's amazing.BR>
Q. Are you working on any new books?

LR: I'm working on way too many things! My next novel is called THE WALL AND THE WING, and it's set in a city where nearly everyone can fly, except for one girl, who discovers she has the power to turn herself invisible. It will be out in March. I also have a contemporary novel for older teens called GOOD GIRLS that will be published next fall.

Q. Do you have any advice for kids who would like to become writers?

LR: People seem to think that writing is an easy way to become famous, but it isn't easy and there's not much fame involved. Mostly, you spend a lot of time mumbling incoherently to yourself in front of a computer. How glam is that? So, I'd say first, try other, much more exciting, things. Dance, piano, soccer, chemistry, spelunking, reading. And then, if you absolutely can't help yourself, write. It might not be glam, but it is a lot of fun.

© Copyright 2005, Laura Ruby. All rights reserved.

FUN FACTS

• She has the lady-writer's cliched affinity for cats.
  
  
• She sews, albeit pretty badly.
  
  
• She loves plants and flowers, but for some reason, they tend to die under her care.
  
  
• Like Lola, the poltergeist in LILY'S GHOSTS, she danced in the chorus of her high school's production of Damn Yankees, wearing fishnets and a fuchsia satin skirt.
  
  
• Visit her at www.lauraruby.com.
  
  

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