Find Out Friday: Laura Ruby

What inspired you to write novels for young adults?

When I was young, I was a voracious reader -- still am. But I had some of my most powerful reading experiences when I was a young adult. I felt as if I could fall into a book and live inside it, that the characters were my friends. With my own stories, I hope to give teens the same kind of reading experiences I had when I was young if I possibly can.

Are you currently working on any other books?

Lots of others! I usually have a bunch going at the same time. At the moment, I just finished the first draft of a middle grade mystery, am about a hundred pages into sci-fi sort of teen novel, about 50 pages into another contemporary YA.

What is your favorite young adult book?

Right now, I'm thoroughly enamored with a novel called SOME DAY THIS PAIN WILL BE USEFUL TO YOU. But if you ask me in five minutes, I might have a new favorite. It's so hard to pick!

Was there a certain person that inspired you to become an author or to start writing?

Besides the authors I loved so much, I'm not sure I can say that any one person inspired me. I always felt the need to write things down, it's a weird sort of compulsion. I have been doing it since I was about eight years old.

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While you were writing, did you imagine the cover of Play Me looking as it does?

I don't usually envision a cover until after a book is completed, and then I'm often surprised as to what the art directors come up with. I like the cover a lot, though I have to say that I'm not sure a boy would pick up the book with all that pink on it!

Were your characters influenced by anyone you know in real life?

Hmmm. Yes and no. Every character has a bit of me in him or her. But I can tell you that Lucinda is loosely based on a friend of mine. My friend was quite the inadvertent heartbreaker -- that is, she had no idea the effect she had on the guys she dated. They fell in love with her, and she was like, huh? What? Really? She was always surprised by the depth of their feelings. Always shocked.

Do you love movies as much as Eddy, and if so, what is your favorite movie?

Well, almost as much as Eddy. But, again, it's hard to pick only one favorite, and my favorites change all the time. I love Hitchcock's Rear Window. I love Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I love The Incredibles.

As a female, was it difficult to write from a male's perspective in Play Me (Eddy)?

I thought it was a lot of fun. I'm so nosy that I love slipping into the skin of others— kids and adults, men and women, even the occasional cat.

Thanks so much Laura!

Click here to visit Laura's website.

Click here to read my review of Play Me.