Friday, February 24, 2012

Author Interview with Suzanne LaFleur

The DMS was lucky enough to interview Suzanne LaFleur, author of the middle grade novel Love, Aubrey. Lizzy read the whole book in one day because she had to find out what happened (read the review). We would like to thank Ms. LaFleur for sharing a bit about herself with us. So, without further ado... take it away! 




1) What inspired you to write Love, Aubrey?

I think a story starts as an impulse rather than an inspiration. I'd had several different stories forming in my head, but I felt most drawn to this narrator talking about a missing Savannah. I didn't know why she would already be gone and that interested me, so I wrote to find out. I thought the idea came out of nowhere. After I finished writing and got some distance from the piece, I was able to look back at my life at the time and see that I was very worried about my grandmother, who had just lost her sister. A lot of my own fears ended up in the story.

2) How long did it take you to write the book?

The first draft took eleven months. We did just a couple rounds of editing after that.

3) What are some of your favorite books from childhood? Were there any specific authors who inspired you?

When I was very young my favorite books were the Alice in Wonderland books and The Jolly Postman. When I was in middle school I had a list of my four favorite books, which were: The Neverending Story, The Giver, The Facts and Fictions of Minna Pratt, and Cassie Binegar. I think I was particularly inspired by Lois Lowry because, in addition to The Giver, I loved her Anastasia series, which I still read over and over.

4) Where did you come up with the character, Aubrey?

I didn't so much come up with her as she found me. I just listened.

5) If you could befriend any of the characters from Love, Aubrey who would you befriend and why?

My first reaction was Aubrey, because I feel closest to her, but I actually imagine myself inside her head and heart already, not outside, able to befriend her...so, like her, I'd want to befriend Bridget. Bridget's fun, sweet, and a good listener.

6) What is your favorite song?

My favorite piece of music is Mozart's Requiem. It's layered, rich, and complicated...sad, hopeful, and beautiful...

7) If you could live anywhere on Earth, where would you choose? Why?

I'm a bit stuck between Ireland and Italy, the two countries outside of my own (the US) where I've spent the most time and hope to spend even more. I love history, and both the recorded and still-visible history in those countries is amazing. There's also plenty of art, literature, and language to study. The landscapes are beautiful. There are quiet, lonely places and bustling, urban places, too. And--of course--there's nice cheddar cheese and butter in Ireland and pasta, pizza and gelato in Italy!

To pick a non-specific place, I've always wanted to live on a lake surrounded by trees. The lake would be safe for swimming. I would tie up a little boat so I could listen to the water lap against it; that's one of my favorite sounds.

8) Where can we purchase a copy of Love, Aubrey?

You can actually do that right at your local bookstore; if they don't have it in stock, they would most likely be happy to order it for you. You can also purchase it directly from the publishers online--US edition by Random House, UK edition by Puffin--or from any major bookseller. You can pick your favorite medium as well, because it's available in hardcover, paperback, audio book, and e-reader formats. Love, Aubrey is also available in German, Swedish, Dutch, Korean, Japanese, and Indonesian language editions.

Author biography: 
Suzanne was born just outside of Boston, Massachusetts in 1983. As she grew, she enjoyed many of the things that you might enjoy—swimming, eating pizza with her parents on Fridays, watching Saturday morning cartoons, riding her bike, listening to stories...read more. 



Visit Author Site

22 comments:

  1. Great travel choices. I love how the author says the voice just found her! I've found that happened a lot, but sometimes I'm too lazy to grab a pen.

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    1. I love how Suzanne said that, too! Whenever I get a great idea I try to write it down as soon as possible- but that doesn't always happen. :)

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  2. What an interesting interviee. I loved The Giver and liked finding out about the books the author liked as a kid. I think it's awesome that the book only took a year to write.

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    1. I agree with you and Suzanne that The Giver is a great book. I think it is fabulous that she wrote such a fantastic and deep book in a year!

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  3. The Neverending Story!!! Oh yes! :0) Great interview... I love finding out author tidbits! (And yay for Mozart.)

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    1. I love The Neverending Story! One of my favorites!

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  4. My dad loves Mozart and he always listen to him in the car. I like it. I checked out this authors website and it is really cool! Her new book looks interesting too. I remember reading the review of this book. I think I will read it because my friend's dad died and I don't know what to say to him. Maybe this book will help me because Aubrey had a lot of tragedy.

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    1. Mozart is cool! I agree with you that Suzanne LaFleur's website is very fun and interesting. I am sorry to hear about your friend's dad, Flex. I can imagine it is hard to know what to say or do. Aubrey's friend does a great job of showing how to help a friend in a difficult situation. I hope the book will help you help your friend.

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  5. Great interview. I can totally relate to characters finding me instead of me creating them. I love the way Suzanne put that.

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    1. Thanks, Kelly! I love the way she put that, too! :)

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  6. Fantastic interview. Characters do have a way of finding a writer. Sometimes they sneak up on you and sometimes they grab you. I'd love to either visit or live in Ireland, too!

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    1. They always sneak up on me! Thanks for coming by, Greg : ) ~ F

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  7. I read Love, Aubrey after reading the review Lizzy posted. I loved this book. My heart goes out to Aubrey and I feel like I know her and Bridget. It was so cool to get to know more about the author. She sounds nice.

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    1. I agree! Suzanne LaFleur is very interesting! ~ F

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  8. I think I have Love, Aubrey on my to-read list. I'll read The Giver this year, too. Nice interview here! Living near a lake surrounded by trees is also my dream. Hearing the water everyday would be such bliss.

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    1. I would absolutely LOVE to live by a lake! Always nice to hear from you, Claudine! ~ F

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  9. Oh, great interview. I love meeting new-to-me authors and learning more about then. And I'd also love to move to either Ireland or Italy, or maybe divide my time between both. :)

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    1. Glad you enjoyed the interview, Missie. I love meeting new-to-me authors, too! So fun!

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  10. The Giver is one of the books that sent me back to the writing road. I hadn't been grabbed by a book like that it awhile. Nice interview. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Suzanne. Love, Aubrey is definitely going on my TBR list.

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  11. Hi Leslie- So glad you enjoyed the interview. The Giver is such a great book! Enjoy Love, Aubrey! :)

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  12. Nice interview. I loved it when she said the character Aubrey found her. Isn't that how it works?

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