Events

Visit to Cardinal Spellman

Recent events:

Recently, I spent the day speaking to students at Cardinal Spellman High School in Brockton MA. The Media specialist at Spellman, Linda St. Laurent was a former student at the same college that I went to for my masters program. Although Linda and I were not at the school at the same time, both of us were on their Facebook Alumni page. Linda saw my post on that page about becoming a published author and Linda knew that she wanted to bring an author in to speak to her students. However, she also knew that she wanted someone professional who would be a good fit for their school. She did her research, read about me and read my blog, then she bought and read my book, as did several other teachers at the school. I was so flattered when I found out that all of them loved the book and were all in agreement that they wanted me to visit. We told the students about how she found me because we felt it was important to show them a positive that can come from utilizing social media in the right way. We also felt it was a lesson that showed that you never know where you will make connections or with whom.

I spent the entire day at Spellman and my time was very well spent. The welcome that I received from everyone, students and staff was lovely. They treated me like an honored guest and I was very excited to be there. I spoke to four classes as well as an afterschool book club that day and the students were wonderful, very engaging and kind and they asked insightful questions. I wish I knew his name but there was one young man that, had I been giving out an award for the most creative question, he would have won. I told the students that I did not go to college for writing. I majored in Sociology and received a masters in Counseling Education. My novel was written simply because I have always enjoyed writing and thought up an idea that I thought would be a good novel. I spent the time after work and on the weekends writing my novel and before I decided to publish I spent a lot of time researching to understand the different styles of publishing so that I would know when I was presented with a contract if it was legitimate and if it was the right fit for me. This young man then raised his hand and asked, “So, do you think if you had gone to school for writing and been a trained writer that the publishing would have happened quicker? Or do you think it would have changed your writing style at all?” Wow……those two questions were so well thought out, they really made me think. Even after I answered him, I thought about those questions for the rest of the day. My answer to him was that, in my case, I learned a lot of life lessons going through my life as I did and I think those lessons are now reflected in my writing. I am therefore unsure if I would have learned them had I been solely focused on writing from the beginning.

The after
school book club was fun to be a part of too, especially because one of the students in the group had already read my book. I didn’t want to say too much in-front of the others and give anything away, however, I had to ask this student what was her favorite part and who were her favorite characters and why? It was fun for me to hear what she thought about each character. To be able to discuss them like they are live people with someone else is such fun. They’ve been my friends and involved in my life for years, so to share them with other people and have them tell me how much they too enjoyed getting to know my friends is a thrill.

After school, I was interviewed by a young lady who told me she is a senior. She has worked on her school paper for years and she is going to be going to college for writing. We sat and she asked me some questions, below is a transcript of that interview. I hope you enjoy dear readers and if you ever get a chance to speak at a school to students, I hope you’ll take it. It’s so fulfilling and fun to do. Thank you Cardinal Spellman for hosting me, as always, remember, writing=happiness ;).

An Interview with Laura E. Thompson: Author of The Burden of Destiny: The Elven Quest Book One by Mary Geoghegan

Question: Where did you get the idea for your book first?

Thompson: My book was inspired partly by J.K. Rowling and Tolkien and other fantasy style writers, but partly just my own imagination. I thought about growing up in a small town. The

main character grows up in a small town where everybody knows everybody. She feels like she’s a little different than other people, like she’s destined for something a lot bigger. She comes to find out that her mother, who has passed, is tied to an elven race and she has the ability to perform magic and can manipulate water if she studies and practices. Then there’s a whole storyline wrapped about that, which has to do with her bringing people together to fight an evil that’s coming their way.

Question: What themes do you try to convey in your writing?

Thompson: I try to talk a lot about communicating with other people, even if you are different than

them. Just because you have some differences, that doesn’t mean you can’t work together to accomplish something. I also try to talk about the damage that our natural world has taken and how we need to work together to protect Mother Nature. On top of that, there’s some romantic stories rolled into it, there’s good and evil. There’s choices and things like that all have to do with believing in yourself. I think it’s a story that has many layers. It’s something you could get something different out of it every time you read it, depending on age.

Question: How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?

Answer: It has made me take it more seriously. I look at it as part of my career, not just something I like to do for fun. But, with that I still try to have fun with it, that’s why I still work a full time job and do this on the side. I feel like doing something full time and having a strict regiment takes the

fun out of it. If I get to a point that I’m blocked or not feeling the story, I will put it aside and work

on another project. Then I go back, and I re-read, and I edit, and I critique myself.

Question: What books inspire you?

Thompson: There are a lot of books that inspire me. I’m a big reader, I have been my whole life.

I love to read. Obviously, Tolkien is the father figure for fantasy. He was a huge inspiration. J.K.

Rowling was an inspiration because of her imagination and the things that she created that were

very different than anything else out there, up to that point. I’m was a huge fan of LM Montgomery

and Laura Ingalls Wilder as a kid. Mainly because those stories revolved around small towns and

small town characters. I like Dan Brown mysteries. I don’t know if I could ever write like him, but I

enjoy his style.

Question: How do you deal with writers’ block?

Thompson: Writers block is tough! For me, when I get blocked and really don’t know where to go

with a story, I do one of two things. I either put that story aside for the time being and I research

and read other things. I will work on other projects and write a blog post. I never give up on it,

sometimes rereading from the beginning helps me remember where I was going and creates new

ideas.

Question: Who has helped you grow the most as a writer and what advice has really pushed you farther?

Thompson: My English teachers were both big influences on me. Then in my college years, a

professor who I talked to about publishing, because up until then I had been too afraid to share my stuff with other people, and I talked to him about that. I asked him how I could gain confidence and asked if he thought I had the potential to be published in the future and what it was like. He gave me great advice on the publish industry and what to look out for. It’s tough because there are scams and fake publishing companies out there. You do need to spend time research and keep track of who you are sending what to and their responses. Before I signed the contract that I currently have, I made sure to research them as a company and the type of contact I was signing to make sure it wasn’t a fake. It’s a little scary but you need to believe in yourself and your writing style. I think you can be a successfully published author in any style, any format, you don’t necessarily need a publisher. I know a few people who have done self-publishing and are very

successful. It’s a different style and there are risks involved with that.

Question: What time of day are you most motivated?

Thompson: My evening time is the best time for me. Sometimes it’s between seven and eight at night is when I feel super creative because it’s after a long day and I’ve thought of things throughout a day. Sometimes it’s weekends and I’ll be bored and not doing anything. I’ll pull out my laptop in the middle of the day and suddenly it’s late. It’s one of those things where once it started flowing you don’t want to stop it. I think it depends on the day and the factors of that day.

Question: Do you have any advice for anyone who wants to become an author?

Thompson: Yeah, I would say always read. Reading helps you stay inspired and keeps your creative juices going. Even if you don’t like a style of writing, that’s actually good too because it can teach you how not to write and what to avoid. I think that practicing your craft, doing something related to writing every day is a good thing. For me, I don’t always have time to sit down and write down an entire chapter. Instead of forcing myself to get through a chapter, I’ll go and reread and change some of sentences or write a blog post. You just need to practice it every day, it’s like a muscle. If you don’t use it for a while you can lose it


3/24/17
Very excited to be speaking to the students at Cardinal Spellman High School, MA on Friday. I will be spending the entire day. Looking forward to inspiring young writers. 

1/18/17 & 1/20/17
On January 18th I'll be visiting middle school students at Alburgh Elementary, VT. On January 20th I'll be visiting middle school students at Grand Isle Elementary, VT. 

11/12/16
On 11/10 I was as a guest on this awesome podcast http://inebriart.libsyn.com, my interview will be published January 16th. Thanks again Andy! 
 
11/10/16
i am very excited to be a guest on the blog for Andy Driscoll from Sweetmonkeystudios
I will post when this is set to air.


Career Talks: How to become a published Author: By Laura E. Thompson
When: October 14th 10:30am-12pm
Where: Essex Junction High School, Library
2 Educational Drive
Essex Junction, VT, 05452