Interview with Lauren Kate

This past summer I was given the chance to read in advance the newest release from the International Bestselling author Lauren Kate. You can catch my review, here. Afterwards, I had a million and a half questions when I was through reading Teardrop. So I asked Lauren—a dear friend, a sweetheart, and someone with a huge giving heart—if she didn't mind to do an interview with me just in time for the release of Teardrop, which is TODAY! And she was happy to do one. So without a further delay!

Lauren Kate and I on her Teardrop Southlake stop
@2013 NollieMarie

Nollie: I want to start with seven questions that allow your readers to get to know you better.

Lauren: Let’s do it.

Nollie: Five adjectives you would use to describe your personality.

Lauren: Stubborn, passionate, intense, dreamy, evolving.

Nollie: Last three songs you listened to.

Lauren: Young and Beautiful, Lana Del Ray; The Wire, Haim; Broken, Jake Bugg

Nollie: Truth or Dare?

Lauren: Dare

Nollie: Least favorite house chore?

Lauren: Dishes. I’ll cook until the cows come home, but I don’t want to clean up after them.

Nollie: Favorite Disney princess/movie.

Lauren:  Ariel. I have a thing for mermaids.

Nollie: First book you remember reading.

Lauren: Matilda!

Nollie: I remember how much of a sweet tooth you have and love ice cream, so what’s your favorite flavor?

Lauren: Pistachio

Nollie: Before you start writing, your husband who is a musician makes you a playlist.  Is there ever a time that you can’t find music that fits with your mood and/or with what you were writing about? 

Lauren: Music reaches us keenly when we find a song that syncs up with what we’re going through—a heartbreak song in the midst of a heartbreak guts me in just the right way. But I find also music really helpful for accessing a feeling I’m not currently experiencing but that my character needs to feel to get through a scene. When Luce arrived at Sword and Cross for example, and was in a really tough place, I had just gotten engaged and was sorta floating on a pink romantic cloud. But when I turned to some trusted gorgeous melancholy music, I was able to find her voice.

Nollie: There was this scene, at the end of chapter two, between the heroine and her love interest that was really sweet, romantic, and completely organic.  How did this scene come about and how did it help shape the rest of Teardrop?  And knowing the inspiration, how did it feel to see what happened between you and your husband written down on paper?

Lauren: When my husband caught my tear, I knew the moment could be magical transposed onto a page. But I of course already had an intimate relationship with my husband, so I knew his intentions in that moment were to reach me, to console me, to support me, to know me even better than he did. I wondered what the same scene would mean between two virtual strangers, and that’s what led me to writing it into Eureka’s tale.

Nollie: The mythology for Teardrop is very unique and I can’t think of any other novel that has anything similar to what Teardrop has.  With being this distinctive, what types of freedom did you have when writing Teardrop? Any disadvantages?  Also what type of research did you have to do to help develop the Teardrop legends?

Lauren: I was amazed by the breadth of flood narratives I found to plumb from. Every culture has one, and, while there are a lot distinctions from culture to culture, there are also a lot of similarities. I was thinking for a while about how emotions create real worlds—how a person can live in his or her own pain, sorrow, happiness, or surprise—and so I started thinking about writing a character whose emotions literally created a world. That’s where I found Eureka.

Nollie: For a love story, there are a lot of darker undertones that some might not expect.  How do you stay true to the essence of love, while having to tell a story of devastating heartache?  And how might some connect with the emotions that are depicted in the story you are telling?

Lauren: I can’t really account for my books’ darkness, other than I try not to shy away from my characters’ difficulties. In Teardrop, I have another character note that Eureka feels “more powerfully than anyone in the world” but I think this is the way all of us feel actually, when we’re really feeling something.

Nollie: In Fallen, many of your characters were named or had traits after people you knew or liked. For example, Luce after one of your favorite singer Lucinda Williams and Cam was built off your husband.  So for Teardrop, how did you come about naming the characters and learning their traits?  And knowing that Eureka means “I found it” in Greek, does this have any ties to the possibility of finding a lost continent?

Lauren: You’re right about Eureka—and Atlas, who becomes an important oppositional force to Eureka later in the series means (in Greek) “I endure.” Ander is named for Leander, the love interest in the myth (and poem) Hero and Leander, which I find incredibly romantic. And Cat—she’s inspired by a Cat I know and love.

Nollie: Eureka is incredibly imaginative. In chapter one, you write that “her mind fled to wild destinations she didn’t try to avoid.” By being this imaginative, what layer does it add to Eureka’s character and who she is?  And was there at any point that you could relate to what she was visioning or the need to escape reality?

Lauren: Eureka’s depression makes her inaccessible to many of the other characters in her story, but I never wanted her to feel inaccessible to the reader. Developing her imagination allowed me to fully explore her character—and it was nice to feel like I was giving the reader private access to her that most people don’t get. I strongly relate to the experience of feeling like you’re a different person than the rest of the world perceives you to be.

Nollie: In my review for Teardrop, I mentioned that there was something about the South that could be agreed upon that was purely magical.  And I have never know an author to describe a location the way you can.  In Fallen, I felt like I was seeing in a sepia tone filter the world of Sword and Cross.  Whereas in Teardrop, I was seeing Louisiana in Technicolor with dull edges.  In both though, the way you describe the settings, draws in readers into their world, set the mood for the rest of the story and can be perfectly pictured.  What exactly sets Louisiana apart that made it the prime location for what happens in Teardrop?

Lauren: That’s so nice of you to say. Like many authors I admire, I see setting as a character—it needs to have a dynamism in order to earn its place in the book. When I visited Savannah, the place stuck with and to me. I can only say I had a very similar experience when I visited New Iberia, Louisiana. Originally, I thought Eureka was going to be a Southern California girl. I actually wrote a few chapters with her set in LA. She didn’t become herself though until I found her in Louisiana.

Nollie: Unlike Fallen, which some might have suspected would deal with some religious undertones, some might not expect the amount of Catholicism Eureka mentions.  Knowing the region though that Eureka lives in, is this something that she truly believes in, or is it a matter of who, how and/or where she was raised?

Lauren: Faith is an important part of who Eureka is, and her faith is tested in this series, which I relate to and wanted to explore. Yes, part of her faith is decided by who she was born to and where, but the pull to explore that faith is deeply personal for Eureka (and for all of us, I think!)

Nollie: By the time that Teardrop is released, your daughter, little Matilda, for which you dedicate the book too, will be almost nine months old.  Parenthood changes every aspect of how you live, see and feel things.  Exactly how has Matilda changed the way you see, feel and enjoy the world? And how might it spill over into how you write?  And what is the one message or lesson that you hope your daughter will learn from you?

Lauren: Matilda has made me a stronger and a more vulnerable person. Actually, maternal love impacts me in much the same ways that romantic love impacts me. Seeing the world through her eyes is one of the most fascinating experiences of my life—it changes everything and it changes every day. More than anything else, I hope my daughter grows into a passionate (and compassionate) person.

Nollie: For those who might have just picked up Fallen, the book is being made into a movie.  A book and a movie are two different mediums to work with.  Exactly how has the process of turning Fallen into a movie any different, or maybe similar, to when you started working on the book years ago?  Also with all this excitement for the movie from those in the fandom, are there ever any fears that you might disappoint some with what choices have been made?

Lauren: Filming for the movie hasn’t started yet, but so far I can say that the choices made have been really thoughtful and true to the spirit of the books. I’m happy with the script. I adore the director, Scott Hicks, and I’ve loved what I’ve seen so far about the three principal actors. Its impossible to know how the finished product will turn out, but I am optimistic.

Nollie: The amount of support you have received over the years, I’m sure, has been overwhelming.  You have traveled, met and talked to thousands of your fans, and are still making new ones to date.   You have seen hundreds of fan work for Luce and Daniel, heard stories from fans about how they found their own love, and felt the love they have for you.  Is there anything you would like to say to those who have supported you?  And what do you look forward to in the future with fans?

Lauren: I want to say that the way you’ve phrased this question brought tears to my eyes. You described my experience experiencing my readers over the past few years so gorgeously. I feel unendingly grateful for the inspiration I’ve gleaned from my readers. What do I hope for the future? A deepening of my bond with them—and their support in my future writing endeavors.

~*~

Many thanks for Lauren for doing this interview. And for those fans who want to catch Lauren while on her Teardrop tour, should check the stops and dates here.  You will love every moment if you meet her!

Much love,

Nollie ♥

Review: Lauren Kate "Teardrop"

Okay, let me state that I am a loyal die-hard Lauren Kate fan. Am I her #1 fan? No. Why? Well because realistically, I’m sure her husband, her mother, her father, any of her siblings, her dearest friends that close to her, and (in the future I’m sure) her daughter are all slotted for that #1 position.  However, I would like to think that I am a friend of Lauren’s as well as a big contender for the Lauren Kate fan club President, if one should be created.

That being said, I wasn't entirely sure about Teardrop. Not going to lie, I had to end up talking myself into pre-ordering it. But over time though with the release of the cover, blurb and prologue, my opinion changed and I was salivating to get my hands on this book.  I know the chances of getting one’s hands on an Advance Reader’s Copy are pretty slim, and I really didn't want to beg Lauren for one, so I was fully prepared to wait till October 22.  So you could probably imagine my surprise when Lauren Zurchin, the coolest photographer you could ever meet, brought me a gift. And inside, one of the last of Lauren Kate’s personal ARC copies.  I was...speechless, completely so too. And there might have been few tears too.

This is probably by far my favorite of Lauren Kate’s works.  As I was reading it, I was reminded exactly why I feel in love with her in the first place.  In a purely Lauren Kate way, it was like falling in love all over again.  Everything that you enjoy about Lauren and her works—whether it is the emotions invoked, the imagery that is detailed, the mystery that is so captivating or the fantasy that you’d wish you could live in—are all present in this epic novel.  There is sass, irony, betrayal, heartache, tears. There is even some foreshadowing (at least I saw some foreshadowing, but then again that might be me seeing things.)

Rating: 5 out of 5

The following four things I loved about Teardrop:

1. The Characters

Teardrop mainly is about the tale of a seventeen year old Louisiana native, Eureka Boudreaux.  In the prologue, we know that Eureka survives a rogue wave that was sent to murder her and yet only kills her mother.  Her psyche is delicate after this tragedy and she is majorly depressed that she nearly dies from a suicide attempt.  What she doesn't know, and what readers will find out, is that she has a power that could change the entire world.  I was only five or so chapters into Teardrop and already I felt connected more to Eureka than I could with any other character.  It might be because I have been in her shoes when I was fifteen, feeling the ugly darkness of depression and complete unworthiness and uncertainty it can bring.  I also have a few traits of Eureka that she does or has, which a few times, I wondered if I was Eureka herself.

Eureka’s love interest is Ander.  We meet him up front in person in the prologue and know more about him Eureka does, though not the reasons for or why.  He is a stalker, of sorts, if you want to put it like that.  Where ever Eureka is, he is there too.  He knows traits and habits and memories of Eureka.  And he informs her that she is in danger.  Besides this, he is a complete mystery and leaves Eureka, and readers, wanting more scenes that contain him in them.  He wants Eureka’s trust, a trust that isn't easily earned nor easily kept once it has been broken.  We will learn over the course of time more about his background that is slightly mentioned in the prologue, though maybe not everything. After all Lauren would want to keep a few things hidden for future books and just for herself.

You will also meet two of Eureka’s dearest friends.  Noah Brooks, simply known as Brooks, is sweetheart and someone who is there for Eureka to hold onto during her depression. Yet over the course of the four-hundred plus pages, Brooks becomes something darker.  In the last few pages and, especially, in the Epilogue, we’ll get a unique insight into his character and the troubles that plague him.

The other best friend is Cat Estes. And my God, Cat is HILARIOUS.  Lauren was correct in describing Cat as a “horn-dog.” She is flirtatious, always talking about guys.  She is comfortable in her own skin and doesn't mind flaunting it.  She also loves a good juicy romance too.  But don’t let this all distract you from the fact that Cat is brilliantly smart.

There are a few other characters, like Eureka’s family and a Madame Blavatsky, that play a role in Eureka’s life.  And what story isn't complete without those darn pesky antagonists? Who are they, I can’t say because that would spoil your desire to read this grand story.

Note: If you are a huge Fallen fan (like me) who would love to see one of your favorite character crossover into the world of Teardrop, they sadly aren't seen.  However, there are traits of your belong characters that you can see in the world that is Teardrop. For example, if you love the eccentric Arriane then you’ll love Cat.  If you love the mystery of our beloved Daniel that captivated Luce and us, then you’ll see the similar mystery cloak Ander.

2. Location, Location, Location

There is something about the South that you can agree on is just magical.  And it’s the prime location for Teardrop.  The way that Lauren describes Louisiana is glorious.  Limbs of oak trees that “embrace” Eureka, sugarcane mazes and the sound they make when they are ready for harvesting, and the way the air smelled of salt.  I could almost see myself standing in the bayou that Eureka loves.  The murky swamplands are picturesque and are just ideal for what goes down in this novel.  Needless to say, that doesn't mean that the rest of Eureka’s story will take place in Louisiana. Just like in the Fallen saga, which originally takes place in Georgia before we went to California and then the rest of the world, past and present.

3. The Mystery and The Inheritance

Besides the mystery that is Ander, Eureka has another mystery after she inherits four items from her mother after her death: a book, a locket, an odd stone, and a handwritten letter.  The letter is a typical letter that one might assume one would get after the passing of a love one.  Not to be sad and in pain, to live life full of love and purpose, and that she was always there, just not in the physical form to guide her.  The letter’s tone and message leave Eureka confused, and even more so the other three items.  The stone is very powerful and will come to save a few lives. How? You’ll have to wait and read to find out.  The locket refuses to open without a special touch, which makes Eureka wonder why was it closed shut for? But more importantly the book.  The book is writing in a language so dead that only a small handful of people could read it.  It’s a book worth being killed for and tells the tale of a woman whose broken heart and tears bring an entire kingdom to its death.

The question now is are how are these items tied to Ander?

4. More Adventures to Come!

As I stated before, Teardrop is probably the best I have read from Lauren Kate.  By the time I finished the last word of the last sentence in the book, I was already cursing that book two isn't finished.  And I have a million plus questions that I’m itching to ask Lauren about, already started and deleted a couple dozen emails to her.  (God help me if I do get a chance to as them.  She knows the type of questions I've asked in years past, how I catch details and clues.)  I’ll have to just wait and see if they will be answered in books to come or be left wondering.

If you want more details about Teardrop and be able to read the Prologue, click here.
To order from Barnes & Nobles or Amazon.

Many hugs! And happy reading!

~Nollie ♥