Interview with Liz Lawson

This week, we're so excited to bring you an interview with debut author Liz Lawson, where we talked about her brand new young adult title, The Lucky Ones, the books that shaped her, the best writing advice she's ever gotten, and more! Liz's debut novel is a hard-hitting contemporary story that follows May and Zach, two teenagers whose lives have both been changed forever in the aftermath of a school shooting. Tackling grief, survivor's guilt, and the terrifying reality that many teenagers face in America, The Lucky Ones is a must read.

If you want to keep up with Liz and her incredible support of Indie Bookstores all over the country, be sure to follow her over on Twitter and Instagram!

 

What was the inspiration for your debut novel, The Lucky Ones?

I grew up and graduated from high school right when Columbine happened, and that changed the entire landscape of our country, forever. I started writing this book for all the kids who are faced with this reality, day in and out. I wrote it for the kids who have lived through the shootings that are mentioned [later in this interview] and the many other shootings that aren’t, and for those who fear that they might endure a similar fate someday. For those who have made their way through painful, heartbreaking times and managed to find their way through to the other side. I wanted to show them that there is hope.

 

What was the most surprising part in the process of taking your debut from an idea to a final book?

How many stages of revision there are! I knew, vaguely, that after you sell a book you revise again with your editor, but I didn’t realize the extent of those revisions or take into consideration copy editing (which is also revising) and line edits (ditto) and pass pages (ditto again!). You revise over and over and over, so you’d better really like your book and characters!

 

The story in The Lucky Ones covers big, intense, scary topics.  How did you approach handling something that's potentially hard to read, but still something that's very real to way too many young people today?

I know this is a real thing that teens deal with and fear on a daily basis, so it was incredibly important to me that I handle it as sensitively as possible. I went into the book with the intent of not sensationalizing anything about the shooting itself, the shooter himself, or the aftermath of it. I wanted to make sure it felt like a respectful and nuanced take on the aftermath of an event like this, so readers would get a sense of hope and find the read cathartic, rather than exploitative.

 

What books would you consider essential for their Post-The Lucky Ones reading list? 

If you’re interested in other emotional contemporary novels in the same vein, I’d HIGHLY recommend Kyrie McCauley’s If These Wings Could Fly which came out in March and it is absolutely fantastic. I cannot, CANNOT recommend it more highly. Other emotional contemporaries that might pair well are How To Make Friends With the Dark (2019) by Kathleen Glasgow, who I adore as both an author and a human, and her second book is so, soooo good. And, I’d very much recommend pre-ordering This is My America by Kim Johnson, which is currently slated to come out July 1st, and is extremely excellent.

 

Right now is a really strange time to be releasing new books. What can readers and booksellers do to help authors during this time?

Sigh. Yeah it really is. The biggest things, from my perspective, are helping us boost our books via social media—post about books you love, tell your friends about them, help spread the word organically! Twitter, Instagram, etc. That’s hugely helpful. Also, I think, buying from indies if you’re going to buy, is absolutely VITAL right now, when most things are closed to foot traffic. Support local businesses!

 

What’s something that didn’t make it into your author bio that you want people to know about you?

I think it’s important for people to know that this was actually the third complete book I wrote and the second I queried! I used to think that authors just spilled perfect manuscripts out of their heads, but that is definitely not the case at all 


What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever gotten?

That, sometimes, you just have to start something new. You have to walk away from projects—I had to with the second book I wrote, after querying it over and over and over, and it was painful, but I would never have written The Lucky Ones if I hadn’t. It’s okay to let things go.

 

What books and authors impacted you most from your childhood?

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin was one of my absolute favorites when I was young (and I actually reread it a few years ago and found it equally incredible still). I read it so many times the cover fell off of it! That book had a huge impact on me. Another one is Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which I read in high school. I remember writing short stories that essentially copied Douglas Adams’ voice (although clearly not as good!). 

 

What’s something you wish people asked you about your book more often, and how would you answer it?

Someone recently asked me whether the phrase (“You’re a bitch”) that May spray paints on the Teller’s garage in the first chapter was always the same, which I thought was a great question! It actually wasn’t—it was originally “You’re a fraud,” which was a prompt from a short story class I took a few years ago where I started writing The Lucky Ones. It’s fun to talk about what’s changed in the book, particularly minute stuff like that!

 

What are you currently reading/just finished reading that you’ve really loved?

I recently got an ARC of Karen McManus’s fourth book The Cousins, which is currently slated to come out in December, and just finished it a few days ago. It’s fantastic, as you’d expect. I also read an ARC of Julie Buxbaum’s next one Admission which is a fictional take on the college scandal that happened last year, and it was so good and fun. I love all of Julie’s books and this one did not disappoint!

The Lucky Ones By Liz Lawson Cover Image
$18.99
Email or call for price.
ISBN: 9780593118498
Published: Delacorte Press - April 7th, 2020