Laura In Her Own Words
Following the release of 'Envelope of a Letter' in September of 2005, Laura was kind enough to provide us with a personal insight into her early writing experiences, inspirations and creative aspirations. Read on to discover who Laura's favourite authors are, how she reacts to being described by her publisher as 'the most exciting Regency novelist who has ever written' and where her future ambitions lie.
Creative Beginnings - Restoring The Regency - Beyond Books
Creative Beginnings
Who and/or what inspired you to become an author?
I think it was probably a collection of things. I'd always liked reading a lot as a child and enjoyed writing stories in English. Around my early teens I was very ill and decided as I had a lot of time on my hands I would start reading the classics. I began with 'Wuthering Heights', 'Jane Eyre' and 'Pride and Prejudice'. I just loved these books and enjoyed being in inside a whole different world so much that I thought it would be fun to start inventing my own.
What do you regard as your earliest success in the creative writing field?
Probably a poem in year nine I wrote about a war horse. My teacher kept raving about it and I got very embarrassed. It wasn't even real poetry!
Who are your favourite authors and why? What are your favourite books?
I have so many favourite books that this will probably take all day! My favourite authors are definitely Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, they both have such a fabulous ironic touch but in very different ways. I also love the Bronte sisters, though my favourite Bronte is Anne, which is probably quite controversial! Books by other authors that have really touched my life include 'The Mill on the Floss' by George Eliot. There was so much I could relate to in that book I couldn't believe I didn't know the author!
I loved 'Peter Pan' - I didn't read it until I was 18 and I think that helped me to appreciate the wistfulness and deeper meaning in it. It was so funny and yet I was sobbing by the end - it was a very, very clever book. I also like French novels like Les Miserables (that took some time to read!) and 'Phantom Of The Opera', and I do read some modern fiction! Recently I've enjoyed 'The Shadow Of The Wind', 'Big Fish' and 'The Time Traveller's Wife'.
How long have you harboured ambitions to write published fiction?
I never started writing with the idea of becoming a published author. I started writing as a pastime and to amuse myself. It was only once I'd written a few things and started getting more ambitious with what I was trying to do that it occurred to me how much I'd love to see my work in actual book form and share it with other people.
When did you first believe that you could achieve this?
I don't have much self-belief - it took me quite a while! But I had some very positive feedback about some of my stories from people I trust to be honest with me - and some constructive criticism too!
Creative Beginnings - Restoring The Regency - Beyond Books
