Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m Laura. I’m an elementary school teacher and I just self-published my first book! I have written two more books, but I’m hoping to find a publisher for those books. I love writing, reading, eating junk food, and kickboxing.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called “6,393 Miles.” I just moved back from Japan (6,393 miles away from my hometown!) after working there as a middle/high school teacher for almost four years. This book was inspired by a lot of people and a lot of things in my life. It was inspired by my high school boyfriend who is now my husband of nine years, playing basketball only my senior year, friendships that I had, thing I would have changed about my high school days. It was inspired by lessons I learned before, during, and after high school. It was inspired by precious, precious people that I met overseas and by the heart-wrenching experience that was leaving them behind. I needed a way to express myself, to portray what an experience abroad does to and for you; how it changes you.
I actually wasn’t sure if I would publish this book when I was writing it. It’s almost too personal, you know? In fact, I still have moments when people I know personally mention that they’re reading it and my stomach knots up and I want to chew on my nails.
But I really felt like this story needed to be shared, even if it meant totally putting myself out there. I think there’s something to say for the deep relationships that are forged in the heart of the fire that is living in a country that isn’t your home. There’s something to say about living in a place where you can’t read or speak the language, where you have to rely solely on the graces of others to support you. A place where you think you can never belong, but, because of the people who accept you and love you and hold your hand as they walk you through more than you could have ever expected, you end up loving with your whole heart. I think it’s a really unique feeling and I think it’s really overlooked and misunderstood. I decided to publish this book because I hope it can share a bit of my heart and, hopefully, the hearts of other people who live away from their home countries and their own language.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I guess I don’t know what usual writing habits actually are? Haha. I don’t know if it’s strange but I write in really irregular intervals and do a lot of thinking and dreaming about the stories as I write. If I get stumped on something, I don’t just keep writing. I take time and I think about it and sleep on it before I write again. Sometimes I write for twenty minutes and nothing is really working, so I quit. Other times, I’ve written for five hours straight while the words just flow out of me.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
That’s kind of a hard question. I don’t know if there is really one author or one book that has a huge influence on me. I’ve always been a bookworm and I don’t stay in one genre, so I’ve read a lot of books that were really meaningful to me. My favorite book ever is “Blink” by Ted Dekker, and I’m also a big fan of “Chronicles of Narnia,” “Harry Potter,” and the “Divergent” series. I think every book I read influences my writing style because it gives me more examples of good writing, builds my vocabulary, and broadens my imagination.
What are you working on now?
I just recently completed young adult science-fiction duology. It’s about a society who lives underground post-Covid, post nuclear war. Nova, is a mechanic in one the poorest parts of the society. She’s content to remain that way until she hears from a friend who she thought was dead.
I’m still working on checking its flow, making sure my character development is on the page and not just in my head, and seeing if I have any additional scenes I want to add to it.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m just starting out, but I’m having a lot of success with Goodreads.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just keep going. Keep writing. Make it consistent but don’t push yourself when you can’t write. Just do something each day. Maybe you’ve got a bad case of writer’s block (do people still use that expression??) but you can think about it, you can research it, you can pause and read a book to inspire you to keep going, but don’t give up. You can do it.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice anyone has ever given me is to just start. No matter how small that first step is, do it. You’ll never regret starting to follow your dreams and someday, you’ll get there, even if you only take baby steps the whole way there.
What are you reading now?
“This Light Between Us” by Andrew Fukuda
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m going to keep looking for a publisher for my duology, and I’m going to start writing another book. I’m not sure yet what it’s going to be, but it’s going to happen. Now that I’ve started I can’t stop. It’s like I’ve always been a writer and, now that the dam’s broken, there’s no stopping it.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
“Blink” by Ted Dekker
“The Magician’s Nephew” by C.S. Lewis
“Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” by J.K. Rowling
“Farenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury
Ehh, maybe scratch the C.S. Lewis one and bring something like “Deserted Island Survival for Dummies”
Author Websites and Profiles
Laura J. Swallow Amazon Profile
Laura J. Swallow’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile