Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Resau.
Hi Laura, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I have my mom to thank for sparking my love of story-telling. We would read books together every night of my childhood, even through middle school. I discovered that the only thing I loved more than immersing myself in a great book was trying to write one myself. As a kid, I shared my hand-written and illustrated tales with anyone who would read them . . . but as a teen, and into my early twenties, I kept my story-writing a secret. It made me feel too vulnerable to bare my soul through my stories. In fact, I was so terrified of criticism that I kept my manuscript-in-progress locked in a box and wore the skeleton key on a string around my neck. But once I had a solid draft of my first novel, What the Moon Saw, I realized I needed feedback, so I gathered my courage and opened the box. I reached out to form a writers’ group and joined SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators). After several years of revising my book—while supporting myself with an array of part-time jobs— I was offered a publishing contract with a wonderful editor at Delacorte Press. Of course, I panicked when it dawned on me that thousands of people would likely be reading my book, and I considered stuffing it back into the locked box. Thankfully, I forged ahead, and the book was well-received. I’m grateful that my fantastic readers paved the way for me to write and publish eight more books, with two more under contract at the moment. These days, I’m writing full-time, often in the little vintage trailer named Peachy, who serves as my writing studio.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
My main struggles have centered around insecurities, self-doubt, and fear of criticism. Over the years, however, I’ve gathered strategies to deal with these psychological obstacles. When I feel doubt creeping in, I can pull one of my tools out of my now-enormous tool kit—which might mean a self-pep-talk, a fun writing exercise, or journaling about my anxiety. My writers’ group and writing partners have been essential in offering encouragement and camaraderie. Even though we’re professional authors, we each have our moments of crisis—we support each other during the hard times and celebrate together during the happy times. We also share our goals, give each other feedback on works-in-progress, exchange updates, and hold each other accountable in our writing practice. The book publishing industry can be an emotional roller coaster, so it helps immensely to feel that we’re all in it together.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My specialty is writing books for kids and teens, with themes of exploring the world and creating meaningful connections among people in different cultures. After traveling extensively and living abroad, I’ve become fluent in French and Spanish and had experiences that opened doorways for inspiring relationships, story settings, and ideas. I have a Masters in Cultural Anthropology—specializing in Indigenous healing practices in Latin America—a worldview that definitely informs my work. My books are known for their touches of magic, multi-sensory details, and environmental and human right issues. Some of my most fulfilling projects have been collaborations with Indigenous South American women to help them tell their heart-expanding stories. María Virginia Farinango, from a Kichwa community in the Ecuadorian Andes, asked me to co-author the true story of her childhood in forced servitude. Our collaborative labor of love resulted in The Queen of Water, a popular book with both teen and adult readers. This project was so rewarding that I reached out to another inspiring Kichwa woman, Patricia Gualinga, from the Ecuadorian Amazon, about collaborating on a picture book recounting her community’s triumph over an oil company that invaded their sacred forest. Our book is called Stand as Tall as the Trees: How an Amazonian Community Protected the Rain Forest and will be released in Spanish and English in Summer, 2023.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I think that luck has played a role in my professional life, but only after I laid the groundwork through consistently working hard, opening myself up to adventure, making meaningful connections, and following my passions. For instance, through high school and college, I filled dozens of journals, worked on short stories, and read voraciously—which developed the skills for my future book-writing. Then, in my early twenties, I overcame my fears and followed my intuition to take a job in rural Oaxaca, Mexico, despite not knowing anyone there or speaking Spanish. Immersing myself in the culture, learning the language, and forming soul-filling friendships ended up being essential for writing my future books. A few years later, when I was in Colorado, revising my first novel, I attended events at bookstores and libraries and supported local authors’ books. As an introvert, networking didn’t come naturally to me, but I’ve found that if you put yourself out there, uplift other creatives, and spread the word about their work, it will all come full circle. For example, while submitting my manuscript for publication, I was helped by an established children’s author in town who connected me with a fabulous agent. I think that by forming genuine relationships and opening our arms to possibility, our hard work can combine with luck to realize our dreams.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.LauraResau.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraresau/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Author-Laura-Resau-103626396356793
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/LauraResau
Image Credits:
Tina Wood Photography
Ken Burgess
Javier Santa Fe
Ian Schneider
