Chatting about GLBT and Zombies with April Lurie [Texas Book Festival Interview]

You were born and raised in New York and went to Hunter College, but now live in the Austin area. What brought you to Texas?

Before I answer this question, I’ll preface it with: I LOVE Austin! But New Yorkers can have strange ideas about the state of Texas (rednecks, calf ropers, gaudy belt buckles). So I wasn’t exactly thrilled when my husband came home from work one day and told me that 3M was relocating us to Austin. But it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Austin is one fantastic city. Also, because the cost of living is so much cheaper, I was able to quit my job as a nurse and begin writing. Now I have a wonderful support group of children’s and young adult writers in Austin. I couldn’t be happier.

Your subject matter is quite varied - from growing up Norwegian in the Brooklyn of the forties, to encounters with the mob, to gay youth in Austin. Is it easy for you to slip into these very different worlds?

Yes, the subject matter for my novels seems to be a bit schizophrenic. I like to try new things, and with each book I push myself to do something different. But each book I do is related to my personal life. My first novel, Dancing in the Streets of Brooklyn, was a gift for my parents who grew up in the 40s in the Norwegian community of Brooklyn. My second novel, Brothers, Boyfriends & Other Criminal Minds, was an autobiographical piece based on my own teen years growing up in a neighborhood populated by the Mafia. My next two novels are a bit darker. The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine was inspired by my son who got into drugs, ran away from home, and was arrested, all at the tender age of fifteen! (No worries, he’s twenty-three now, a college grad, doing fine, and living the good life on an organic farm in Hawaii.) And my latest release, The Less-Dead, was my attempt to write a more plot driven story (I’ve always been a little bit weak on plot) and to explore my experience of growing up in a strict evangelical home.

The stereotypical portrait of a writer is of someone who is very solitary, probably more than a little eccentric. But it seems to me that the Young Adult writing community in particular is quite close. Have you been able to form a community of writers in Austin? Is that something that you need in order to write well?

There’s a saying: Writers spend most of their time alone in order to connect with other people. I tend to be a bit of a loner, but I also love and crave getting together with my friends. There’s a great organization called SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) and we have monthly meetings at Book People. I also belong to a critique group of close friends, and we get together once a month to drink wine, laugh, cry, and critique each other’s pages. I’m also a member of The Delacorte Dames and Dude, a group of six young adult writers who publish with the same imprint of Random House. We get together once a month or so to drink wine, eat pizza, and whine about our deadlines (or any other thing that needs whining about). Mostly the Dames drive the Dude (Varian Johnson) crazy by talking about things like shopping online for cute shoes.

The narrators of your four books are evenly split - two girls, two boys. What are some of the challenges, or perhaps pleasures, of writing across gender?

According to my husband and two sons, my male main characters can act too “girly.” Here’s an excerpt of a conversation I once had with my son Daniel after he critiqued my first draft of Dylan Fontaine.

“Mom, Dylan is too obsessed with Angie’s lips. Guys don’t constantly think about kissing girls. It’s stupid.”

“Really? But I like those parts.”

“Of course you do. You’re a girl.”

“So girls fantasize about kissing boys, and boys fantasize about …. Oh, okay, I get it.”

And once I got that point it kind of freed me to see things from a teenage boy’s perspective. So when one of my female characters, the sexy and alluring Chloe, begins to play with the pants zipper on Dylan’s vintage Rolling Stone’s album, he doesn’t think about kissing her. He’s got other ideas.

All of your narrators come across as having clear, strong voices. How do you achieve that? How do you stay in touch with your inner teenager?

Thank you! Finding your character’s voice can be tricky. It takes time and it can’t be rushed. Mostly, I experiment. I have an idea about my character, and I may have a scene in mind, so I just play with it for a while and see what happens. I wish there was a formula - it would make things a lot easier! - but for me it’s trial and error. Oh, and I read my dialog aloud to get it right. That helps. As for staying in touch with my inner teenager, that seems to come naturally. Maybe that means I haven’t grown up. When I was a teen I was painfully shy and I observed a lot. When I write I tap into those feelings of being an outsider, of not really fitting in. Also, I think you need to love teenagers to write for them, and I do. I find them fascinating - smart and honest and real. If you want to know the truth about something, just ask a teen.

Your most recent book, The Less-Dead, is a murder mystery set in Austin. Your previous three took place in New York. What made you decide it was time to move the action to Austin?

Two reasons. I wanted to try a new setting, and Austin was accessible. No traveling or research involved! Also, it was the perfect city for this particular story. Austin is unique in that it’s a very liberal city with a thriving GLBT community, but it’s also smack in the middle of the Bible Belt. It seemed like a place where a religious, homophobic serial killer might target gay teens.

In the author's note for The Less-Dead, you mention Alex Sanchez's The God Box, another book which deals with the intersection of homosexuality and religion. Why did you think this was an important topic to tackle?

The topic of homosexuality and religion was something that evolved while I was writing this book. Initially I set out to write a mystery/thriller, mostly because I love to read the genre. Also I wanted to challenge myself with writing a more intricate plot. Because of my background, knowledge of the Bible, and my conflicted feelings about evangelical Christianity, I thought it would be cathartic to have Noah be the son of The Bible Answer Guy and to have the killer be a religious homophobe. I wanted to explore the different groups of evangelicals and their prejudice against gay people -- from the hate mongers to the groups who believe they can change a person’s sexual orientation, to the Christians who embrace the slogan, “Hate the sin, love the sinner.” For me it was all very interesting. I chose to write the author’s note as a resource for kids who are gay and growing up in an evangelical home.

How do you tread the line between broaching these sensitive topics and not coming off as preachy or like you're talking down to your audience?

I believe it has to do with fleshing out all of your characters. Each one needs to be human with good and bad qualities. Even my villain, the serial killer, has a back story - a twisted yet (hopefully) plausible reason as to why he murders. Noah’s father, The Bible Answer Guy, is sincere (but misguided in my opinion). He loves his son and wants the best for him. Thankfully he grows and changes a little bit throughout the story. My goal was to explore the human condition, raise questions, spark discussion, never to preach.

Laurie Halse Anderson recently posted on her blog about a professor/member of an organization called Reclaiming Missouri for Christ who called her YA novel Speak “filthy and immoral.” YA books dealing with controversial or even everyday subjects in a realistic manner have always had to deal with this kind of criticism and hand-wringing. What would you say to those who would have books like Speak or The Less-Dead removed from shelves?

I cringe whenever I hear slogans like “Reclaiming our city for Christ.” I didn’t know God needed so much help! But all kidding aside, it’s so sad when people say awful things about a wonderful book like Speak. And Laurie Halse Anderson is a sweetheart! So, here is what I would say to the censors: 1) You’re perfectly free to monitor what your own child reads, but you’re not free to dictate what other children read. 2) Don’t pluck quotes from novels. Please read the entire book before passing judgment on it. Most teen novels that deal with tough subjects are actually morality tales that ultimately empower the reader and broaden their understanding of the world. 3) Some teens need bibliotherapy. Reading about difficult subjects can make them feel less alone, and can help them empathize with other teens who may be struggling with things such as peer pressure, sexual abuse, and drug addiction.

Along with the calls for censorship or banning, it unfortunately seems that books written for teenagers are often dismissed as not being serious literature. On the other hand, some books that might be considered YA if published today like The Catcher in the Rye, A Separate Peace and maybe To Kill a Mockingbird have become part of the literary canon. What would you say makes a book a YA book?

That a tough question because there are so many exceptions to the rule. Generally, YA books have protagonists who are teenagers. Adult characters aren’t given huge roles in the stories, and the books are usually no longer than 350 pages. But in my opinion, it’s the feel of the novel that makes it a YA - the tone, the pacing, the voice. My advice to writers is to write what you’re passionate about and allow the publishers to market it the way they see fit.

Do you feel like it is difficult to be taken seriously as a YA author, or do you not pay that much mind?

I’m sure there are people who don’t take us seriously, but I don’t care! And I believe things are changing. Many adult writers are writing for teens now, and many college students are browsing in the young adult sections of libraries and bookstores. I love going into my local library and checking out the new books in the “Teen Zone.” It’s great.

I read in another interview that your best advice to aspiring writers was to read. As a former teacher, I've given that advice numerous times myself. But there is still a large percentage of kids who hate to read. What, if anything, do you think can be done to inspire those reluctant readers to pick up a book?

Incarceration? I think the best thing to do is continue offering kids books that speak to them.

Since you live here, you have the inside scoop - what should the authors and other attendees coming down for the Book Festival do while they're in town?

Definitely hear some live music. See a show at The Zachary Scott Theatre. Take a swim in Barton Springs. See the Bats.

Do you have a personal goal for the Festival this year?

To not make a fool of myself at the "Zombies vs Unicorns" event!

Speaking of zombies, unicorns and the like, what is your opinion on the current trend in YA towards writing about vampires and other supernatural beings?

I think it’s great. Talk about getting reluctant readers to read!

And finally, can you tell us anything about what you're working on now?

I’m keeping the title a secret, but my work-in-progress is a psychological thriller involving mushrooms, romance, and a teen psychopath. Keeping it creepy.