Interview With Author Laura Lee
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written 21 books including biography, fiction, non-fiction and children’s literature. I’m best known for humorous reference titles like The Pocket Encyclopedia of Aggravation. Most of my titles are with mid-size presses, although I’ve also done everything from self-publishing to Harper Collins. For the past few years I have been researching Oscar Wilde and his circle. My previous book, Oscar’s Ghost was about the posthumous battle over Oscar Wilde’s legacy and the legal dispute over his prison manuscript, De Profundis.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The book is Wilde Nights & Robber Barons. In 2011, a pair of love letters, hidden for more than a century, were discovered uncatalogued in an archive in Sydney, Australia. They were passionate declarations of love from one young man to another. The writer referred to the recipient as his “darling pretty.” He talked about how much he missed him and imagined sending “millions of kisses all over your beautiful body.” He signed off “your loving boy-wife.” The letters were addressed to Maurice Salis-Schwabe. Of much greater interest was who they came from– Oscar Wilde’s lover Lord Alfred Douglas, known to his intimates as Bosie.
Until the discovery, Schwabe had been an obscure figure in the Oscar Wilde story. Although he introduced Wilde to his co-defendant Alfred Taylor, and was, himself, accused of having sexual relations with Wilde, his name was initially concealed, written on a piece of paper instead of being spoken in open court. The testimony made clear, however, that the mysterious “gentleman on the paper” was a catalyst for much of what followed. After Wilde’s first criminal trial ended in a hung jury, the decision of whether or not to re-try him fell on one man, Maurice Schwabe’s uncle, Solicitor General Frank Lockwood, which caused some of Wilde’s supporters to allege a cover up.
As I was writing a book that focused on the relationship between Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas, I felt that I had to know more about Schwabe, and what I learned was fascinating. In the early 20th Century, Schwabe hosted all-male sex parties for an aristocratic clientele, all the while collecting scandalous secrets that insulated him from prosecution. He spied and cheated on several continents as part of an organized crime syndicate made up of well-dressed, elegant men who adopted false titles of nobility. The false barons made their living traveling around the world on luxury ships, cheating at cards, selling shares in dubious business enterprises, seducing for profit and collecting secrets to be used for blackmail and espionage. They were even suspected of at least one murder. So I became a historic detective for a while searching for traces of these confidence men and across multiple aliases and continents.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I respect writer’s block. When I am sitting and staring at a computer screen, and the writing is just not coming, I leave it. I assume that there is a good reason why it’s not working and I let my subconscious work on it a while. At some point, in the shower or while driving, a thought will come to me and that will be the missing piece.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
The first author whose work I fell in love with, back when I was in high school, was Douglas Adams and his Hitchhiker’s Guide series. A lot of my early writing was first-person dry, humorous essays and plays. That voice was translated into the quirky reference books. Maybe there is a humorous novel in my future. Of course, Oscar Wilde’s De Profundis had a big impact on the direction of my writing. I’ve spent more than a decade now researching and writing about things connected to Oscar Wilde.
What are you working on now?
I have a lot of drafts and “in the works” projects that have been on the back burner as I worked on Wilde Nights & Robber Barons. Right now I’m pausing and playing with ideas to see which one sparks my interest enough to have the momentum to finish it.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
In all honesty, I haven’t found anything that works consistently. It is a matter of having a book idea cross paths with someone that responds to it.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Try to sell your book to traditional publishers before putting it out on your own. Don’t be afraid of rejection. It comes with the territory.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
My father, who was a writer, said, “Never, but never, under estimate publishers’ ability to delay payment.”
What are you reading now?
John Bristow’s book on the trials of Oscar Wilde. It’s a bit of a busman’s holiday.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ve been very focused on one particular period of history for a long time. At the moment, this is a question I’m giving a lot of thought.
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?
The Bible, the Complete Works of Shakespeare, the Complete Works of Oscar Wilde and a thick notebook to write in.
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