I can’t believe the October installment of Debut-to-Debut is already here! I’m so excited to help celebrate the release of a debut YA historical fantasy that totally captured my heart.
If you’re joining us for the first time, here’s what this series is all about: as a debut young adult author myself, (See All the Stars released from S&S/McElderry in August!), I found myself eager to start a conversation with a variety of authors in the debut year before, during, and after my own about their books, YA and the writing life more generally, and the experience of putting a first novel out into the world. I wanted their wisdom, and I wanted to share it with other authors, emerging writers, and readers. So each month, I chat with a fellow young adult debut novelist, and then I share our conversation with you. You can find all the interviews in the series collected right here.
I recently corresponded with Laura E. Weymouth about her debut young adult novel The Light Between Worlds (HarperTeen, October 23, 2018).
From the jacket:
Five years ago, Evelyn and Philippa Hapwell cowered from air strikes in a London bomb shelter. But that night took a turn when the sisters were transported to another realm called the Woodlands. In a forest kingdom populated by creatures out of myth and legend, they found temporary refuge.
When they finally returned to London, nothing had changed at all—nothing, except themselves.
Now, Ev spends her days sneaking into the woods outside her boarding school, wishing for the Woodlands. Overcome with longing, she is desperate to return no matter what it takes.
Philippa, on the other hand, is determined to find a place in this world. She shields herself behind a flawless exterior and countless friends, and moves to America to escape the memory of what was.
But when Evelyn goes missing, Philippa must confront the depth of her sister’s despair and the painful truths they’ve been running from. As the weeks unfold, Philippa wonders if Ev truly did find a way home, or if the weight of their worlds pulled her under.
KIT FRICK: Hi, Laura! I’m so excited to chat with you about your debut novel, The Light Between Worlds. Let’s talk worldbuilding. I love reading a really immersive fantasy, but as a writer, I’m all contemporary, all the time, so I’m dying to know “how the sausage gets made.” In your debut, you create two different worlds for the reader to fall in love with: post-war (WWII) England and the fantastical world of the Woodlands. What kind of research did you do to bring your story’s historical setting to life, and what can you tell us about your creative process for developing a fantasy setting?
LAURA E. WEYMOUTH: Hi Kit!!! I’m so thrilled to be here! This is a great question, as I actually did an enormous amount of research for the post-war England aspect of the book in particular. I looked into wartime rationing—what was rationed, and how long rations lasted for—watched a lot of documentaries, read literature from the time period, and listened to audio recordings of actual air raids in order to better describe the bombing the Hapwell children live through.
The National Gallery of London circa 1951 is a huge part of the second half of the book, and the intricacies of that setting required the most research of all. I ordered a lot of material from the Gallery itself, looked at photos of the damage that occurred to the building during WWII bombings, and actually had an archivist from the Gallery send me a floorplan from 1950, which was enormously helpful. I did a lot of research into the process of art restoration, as well, which is a fascinating discipline. All of the Gallery history and the details of art restoration provided in the book are factually accurate, and I really enjoyed giving readers a little glimpse into that particular environment.
The Woodlands, which is the magical kingdom the Hapwells are called away to during an air raid, actually proved to be the easier of the settings to write. I did intentionally code it to be reminiscent of classic portal fantasies like The Chronicles of Narnia and The Bridge to Terabithia, so I was able to use a lot of shorthand when it came to the worldbuilding. It’s really more of a suggestion of other, more familiar fantasy worlds than a fully fleshed out location, which leaves a lot of room for readers to fill in the blanks. That being said, the forest itself is definitely a character in its own right. I live at the edge of a little woods and within walking distance of several other forests, and used them heavily as inspiration for the aesthetic of the Woodlands.
KIT: That’s so fascinating on both counts! And that first question was kind of a two-parter (I’m greedy like that), so I’ll keep this one short and sweet. If you could spend a day with any character from your novel, who would it be and why?
LAURA: Oooo, this is hard! I really love all of them, but I think I’d like to have Presswick give me a tour of the National Gallery—she’s so efficient and insightful, I think it would be a really fascinating experience!
KIT: Presswick! That is not what I expected, but makes complete sense. Can you tell us something about The Light Between Worlds that isn’t apparent from the book cover or flap copy? We want the inside scoop!
LAURA: So, I don’t expect a lot of readers to notice, but throughout the book, Evelyn, the younger of the Hapwell sisters, often quotes poetry. There are some places where she misquotes it, particularly in letters to her sister, and every time she does, it’s intentional on her part. She’s doing it to convey something to Philippa. Phil never picks up on it because she’s not a poetry reader like Ev, and I really just put it in for my own benefit because I like knowing it’s there, but props to any readers who do end up noticing!
KIT: That is such an amazing Easter egg! I love it! What gives you the most joy about your life as a YA writer right now? What’s bringing you satisfaction at this moment in time?
LAURA: I’m going to cheat and pick two things. As far as actual process stuff goes, I have always loved that moment when everything comes together and you write a sentence that just sings. When you know you’ve summed something up artfully and in exactly the way you wanted to. It’s like alchemy, that distillation of ideas or emotion into words on a page, and it’s what I keep writing for.
I always think of my author self and writer self as occupying two different spaces, and the one aspect of author space that really gets to me is hearing from readers who’ve loved the book. I don’t think that will ever get old—having someone reach out to say that my words made a difference in their life. It’s a privilege and a responsibility, to be able to connect with other human beings like that, and I don’t take it lightly. My readers mean the absolute world to me.
KIT: The publishing journey is unique for every author, but it’s safe to say that the road to book publication is filled with surprises, twists, and turns for all of us. What has surprised you most about the process of putting a first book into the world?
LAURA: How much goes on behind the scenes. I signed my contract about a year and a half before my pub date, and people outside the book industry are always surprised by how long the wait till publication is, but you need that time. And in my case, I turned my second book into copyedits a few weeks ago, so just heaps of things go on before a book hits the shelves.
KIT: Congrats on reaching the copyediting stage on book two! That’s a huge milestone. Drawing from your own unique experience, what advice would you to give to future young adult debut authors, or debut novelists in general?
LAURA: The standard piece of advice while querying—start something new while you wait—really applies to every aspect of publishing. Be the rolling stone that gathers no moss. While you’re waiting for your contract, start the next thing. In between rounds of edits, keep working on it. If you can possibly draft one, or even two, manuscripts before your first book comes out, get it done. It’s enormously helpful to have other projects under your belt before the reception of your debut starts to mess with your head.
KIT: So true! I’m so glad I completed drafts of my second—and third—manuscripts before my debut hit shelves in August. It’s of course not possible for every writer (we all have different schedules and demands on our time and writing speeds) but it’s definitely advisable if you can swing it!
Thanks for hanging out, Laura!
Laura Weymouth is a Canadian living in exile in America, and the sixth consecutive generation of her family to immigrate from one country to another. Born and raised in the Niagara region of Ontario, she now lives at the edge of the woods in western New York, along with her husband, two wild-hearted daughters, a spoiled cat, and an indeterminate number of chickens.
Website | Twitter | Instagram
Kit Frick is a novelist, poet, and MacDowell Colony fellow. Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, she studied creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College and received her MFA from Syracuse University. When she isn’t putting complicated characters in impossible situations, Kit edits poetry and literary fiction for a small press, edits for private clients, and mentors emerging writers through Pitch Wars. See All the Stars, her debut young adult novel, is out now from Simon & Schuster / Margaret K. McElderry Books and will be followed by All Eyes on Us on June 4, 2019 and Windermere in 2020. Her debut full-length poetry collection, A Small Rising Up in the Lungs, is coming from New American Press on November 13, 2018.
The Light Between Worlds is out now! Allow me to recommend your local indie, in addition to Barnes & Noble and Amazon.
Stop back soon for future posts in the Debut-to-Debut Interview Series. I’ll be chatting with more fantastic authors throughout the year!