Books-n-Kisses is pleased to welcome Laura Deluca to the blog today to talk about her new book Phantom.
Laura “Luna” DeLuca lives at the beautiful Jersey shore with her husband and four children. She loves writing in the young adult genre because it keeps her young at heart. In addition to writing fiction, Laura is also the sole author of a popular review blog called New Age Mama. She is an active member of her local pagan community, and has been studying Wicca for close to eight years.
Can you please share with us a little about yourself.
In addition to being a young adult author, I am also a mom to four great kids, own a restaurant, and run a product review blog called New Age Mama. I live at the Jersey Shore (no, I don’t know Snooki), and I love spending the summer on the beach. It’s the best place to write.
Have you always wanted to be an author? I knew I was a writer for as long as I can remember. When I was in kindergarten, I wrote a book about bunnies getting married. When I was thirteen, I completed my first novel. I think writing is definitely in my blood, and I’ll probably die with a pen in my hand.
What is your most interesting writing quirk?
I write like I’m still in the 90’s, when I was a teenager myself. I want to hang Guns N Roses posters on the wall, I have people talking on touch tone phones, and I never think to add in cell phones or computers on my first draft. Those are normally things I edit in on the second or third draft when I realize that I forgot what decade it is…
Can you please tell us about your latest book(s)?
Phantom is a modern day version of the Phantom of the Opera. The high school drama club is performing the play, and like the musical, my heroine, Rebecca, finds herself torn between her two co-stars, the Gothic Phantom, Justyn, and the surfing hero, Tom. When real life begins to mimic the play, and people start to get hurt, Rebecca needs to figure out who is bringing the twisted character of the Phantom to life before it’s too late.
How did you come with the idea for this story?
I went with a shorter version of the book and play that were inspiration for the story.
Can you share with us your current work(s) in progress?
I am currently working on a fantasy novel calledMorrigan. Morrigan is a teenage witch who has been shuffled from one foster home to another all her life. Now she is about to discover she is a princess from the mystical land of Tír Na NÓg. The handsome werewolf Filtiarn guides her through countless perils to find her mother, Ceridwyn, and grandmother, Hecate. Only together can they complete the magical triad and save their world.
I am also considering a sequel to Phantom based on the musical “Sweeney Todd”.
Who is the one author that you would love to meet someday and why?
I would love to meet Christopher Pike. He was my favorite young adult author when I was a teenager, and he remains my idol to this day. His stories were unique and original. He is still writing today, but has moved on to adult novels.
What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone that wants to get into writing?
Learn to take criticism and use it to improve your work. This is a harsh business at times, and I have gotten some rejections that made me want to cry. But when I really listened to what they were saying, I could see where my work needed improvement, and it’s made me a better writer, which has subsequently led to me getting published.
Can you share with us something off your bucket list? I want to see Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids before I die. I think it would be great inspiration for future novels.
What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?
I am dying to read Taking 1960 by Rosa Sophia. She is my editor and her time travelling book sounds amazing. I actually have a copy already, and plan to start it shortly.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Thanks so much for including me on your blog! It’s been an honor to visit with you.
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Thanks for the lovely interview, I enjoyed reading it. And good luck with Phantom, it sounds good.
Thanks for the interview! It was an honor to be a part of your blog (Laura DeLuca)