Author Laurie Glenn Norris
The
Atlantic Book Awards Festival kicks off today and culminates next Thursday, May
16 with the Awards Celebration. One author who will be there is Laurie Glenn Norris. Her
book Haunted Girl: Esther Cox and the Great Amherst Mystery that she wrote with
Barbara Thompson (Nimbus Publishing) has been nominated for the Democracy 250 Atlantic Book Award for Historical
Writing! From her Lower Kingsclear, NB home, Norris took some time to
describe her life as an author—the challenges and rewards—and offers some
advice to aspiring writers too!
AE: When did you first realize that
writing was a passion of yours and what were your earliest experiences?
LGN: I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was a little girl. I don’t exactly
remember when or how it started. Before I was ten years old, I would write
mystery stories à la Nancy Drew and as a teenager penned
terrible poetry. In 1973, when I was fifteen, I was published for the first
time and got paid $5 for a short essay on what makes a good or bad
teacher.
“In 1973, when I was fifteen, I was published for the first
time and got paid $5 for a short essay on what makes a good or bad teacher.”
AE: What inspired you to write Haunted Girl? Was
it quite a different project from your previous books (i.e. Cumberland
County Facts and Folklore, your art publications and educational essays)?
LGN: I was inspired to write Haunted Girl by my best friend Barb Thompson. Barb and I both grew
up hearing about Esther Cox and the Great Amherst Mystery and were always
interested in the story. After one of our many, many conversations about
Esther, I said “Why don’t we write a book about her?” So we did. Haunted Girl is similar to Cumberland County Facts and Folklore because
they are both about the place where I grew up. It’s different in that it is a
project that I shared with another person and it’s an in-depth look at a
particular subject, and a biography.
AE: What book are you working on now?
LGN: I’m taking a totally different turn and working
on a novel. Though the genre is a change, the subject matter is similar. It’s a
historical novel about a young girl who lived in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia
in the mid-nineteenth century. I’ve taken the story from true events. What
happened to that girl took place in 1877, one year before Esther Cox started to
have her experiences. Tackling a novel is a big challenge for me.
AE: It sounds like this latest book has been
circulating in your brain for some time...is it something you're quite
passionate about? How so?
LGN: I first came across the incident that I’m now
novelizing back in 1996, and I’ve thought about it ever since. I want to tell
this girl’s story. And, unlike the case of Esther, I feel the best way to tell
it is through a novel.
AE: Is it an effort to sit down and write or does
it come quite naturally?
LGN: It is an effort for me most times. If I spent
the time I think about writing actually writing, I’d have had many more books completed
by now.
AE: Do you have any writing rituals or elements in
your "writing studio" that make the process more fluid?
LGN: I like to start writing in the morning and I
like to listen to classical music. It helps me to think more clearly. My cat
Sassy sits on the love seat across from my desk and watches me. She’s my muse.
And, I’m very lucky: as Virginia Woolf advised, I have a room of my own.
“I’m very lucky: as Virginia Woolf advised, I have a room of
my own.”
AE: What do you do when you're not writing?
LGN: I read a lot. I like to cook. I don’t really
have any hobbies, I wish I did. Writers should do a number of things when
they’re not writing. It makes them better writers.
AE: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
LGN: Read a lot, especially the classics and good
writing in general. Read about the writing life. Read The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron. Write every day and don’t put
it off. Get out into the world and listen to face-to-face conversations. Take
in writing workshops and, if you can, join a writers’ group. I’m a member of an
email writing critique group and it’s very helpful.
