Laura Evans
Serna grew up in Albuquerque wandering the Sandia mountains
and enjoying magnificent sunsets each night. She was spoiled by the mountain
and desert wilderness and the freedom it offered. Now that she’s lived in Oxford, Washington, DC, and Tokyo, she knows how rare and precious
that kind of experience is.
As a
teenager Laura would lie on her concrete driveway with her siblings and
friends, watching Hale Bopp slowly cross the sky. She discussed science and
theology with no reservation. What are the laws of physics, and where did they
come from? What do they mean? Where do humans fit into all of this? What binds
society together? Laura believes that these are the questions that make us
human. They don’t belong to the scientists, philosophers, or theologians.
Everyone has a right to make them their own.
Laura
started her undergraduate degree in Chemistry at the University of New Mexico. At the time, she was tired of Albuquerque. Until she left she didn’t
appreciate the unique mix of cultures or the abundance of intellectual activity
of her home town. She married a man in the Air Force and followed him to Colorado, where she spent her time
teaching English with Catholic Charities and finishing up a degree in math at
the University of Colorado at Boulder. Next Laura moved to the UK where she had the opportunity to
study at the University of Oxford. She earned an MSc in
Mathematical Modelling while pregnant and experiencing motherhood for the first
time. (It was a struggle, to be sure!) Laura found Oxford to be a fantastic, walkable city
perfect for pushing a newborn around in a pram. Although they only spent three
years in Oxford, she will always feel as if it is a home of sorts
for them.
Laura
spent periods of time teaching math and doing technical editing, but motherhood
suits her more than any other hat she’s worn. Her three daughters are a
constant joy. She has come to the conclusion that the world over needs more,
not less, of the maternal touch, and she wants to write stories featuring
strong, intelligent mothers.
You can visit her website at www.lauraevansserna.com or connect
with her on Facebook.
For generations the Ahn, Voyan, and Humans have
thrived living side by side. The ambitious Ahn need solitude. The communal Voyan thought share and hear the
voices of the sacred dead around them.
Now Humans are becoming more like the Ahn, and the Voyan are
struggling.
Teagan is a
single Voyan mother and wet nurse. She lost the ability to thought share. Though she
spends hours walking in the desert
searching for the voices she once heard, she embraces her new found
intellectual focus and is drawn into the Human world of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Teagan plans to go into hiding to avoid being forced
back to a Voyan community where her daughter would be an outcast. However she
meets Josh, a generous and handsome man who understands her better than anyone. She loves him, and Josh takes an active role
in parenting Teagan’s daughter.
Teagan discovers that her behavior is more Human
than Voyan because she has been unknowingly medicated. She is part of a secret and manipulative
eugenics program designed by Josh’s best friend. Teagan questions her faith in
Josh while needing him in her life more than ever. Once off the medication,
Teagan loses her focus, and her dream of helping her people through research
slips away.
Teagan is kidnapped by the Voyan and put into a
lucid trance for months. During this
time she feels the desperation of her people.
But Teagan hears the call of the Kokopelli’s flute. She knows she is
called for a purpose, and she escapes back to Human society. At this point, though, Teagan can no longer
speak verbally. She asks the Ahn to
continue providing her the medication so she can live as a Human and stay with
her daughter and Josh. She knows she is
called to help her people.
When did you begin writing?
For much of my life, I believed
fiction was pointless. I’ve always been in the science and math fields. Spare time,
I thought, should be spent on useful, productive things. Unfortunately, I
didn’t believe writing, or any kind of art, for that matter, fit the bill. Only
now in my mid-thirties am I trying to live a more contemplative, slower life.
“Wasting time” is good. Getting outside and socializing just for the fun of it
is good. And art? Art is something we need to hold on to as many in society
idolize technology as our salvation.
I started writing fiction when
I was homebound during my third pregnancy. It is important to find balance. I
try to be disciplined. I don’t spend too much or too little time writing. I aim
to spend some time in unfettered creativity and some time editing with a
critical eye. I always consider what message is coming across to the reader and
if that message is something I believe in.
Describe
your writing process. Do you plot or write by the seat of your pants? When and
where do you write?
I tend to have writer’s block
most of the day. It isn’t until about 9 pm at
night (bedtime for my kids) that my creative brain turns on. My books almost
always start with two characters with an interesting dynamic I want to explore.
However I do try to be disciplined about developing the plot early on in the
process.
Can
you tell us about your most recent release?
Desert
Melody is about a strong young mother who is Voyan. The Voyan are
a sister species to humans, and they are fighting for their survival. Teagan
struggles to balance her duty to her people and her desire to live with her
daughter in human society. She wants to study biology and marry her human
boyfriend. Her choices, however, aren’t completely her own.
How
did you get the idea for the book?
I’ve long been intrigued by how
populations of people deal with change as well as how they maintain cultural
continuity. I created a world where there are two subspecies of people other
than humans. The Ahn and the Voyan have lifestyles that represent two extremes
of human behavior. The book explores the benefits and hardships that might be
experienced by populations who embrace these extreme lifestyles.
Another significant aspect of
the book is the focus on breastfeeding. I started writing Desert Melody when I was pregnant with my third daughter. Much of
my life was consumed with aspects of motherhood which were rarely described in
fiction.
Of
all your characters, which one is your favorite? Why?
I identify most strongly with
Teagan from Desert Melody. She’s a
breastfeeding mom with a strong interest in science. However my favorite
character is Teagan’s love interest, Josh. He is willing to sacrifice things he
has worked for as well as many aspects of his comfortable life to make a leap
of love and faith into the unknown. Comfort is a poor measure of a life well
lived. It is terrifying, but sometimes we have to take the leap, hoping to
achieve something higher and more satisfying.
What
was the most challenging aspect of writing your book?
The length of the book. I’m an
amateur novelist, and each step of the process is new. Each edit of the novel took
several days from beginning to the end. Looking back, I should have broken into
writing with a few novellas first.
Which
authors have inspired your writing?
I look up to Deborah Geary,
author of A Modern Witch and the Witch Central series. Her stories are
relaxing but inspiring. I think about them often. Her vision of family life and
community has affected my own hopes and goals. I hope I can do something like
that with my readers.
When I’m working on dialogue, I
almost always pull out one of Maggie Stiefvater’s The Wolves of Mercy Falls books. Her characters aren’t terribly
likable, but what they say is poetic. Her style is consistent, and that is
something I strive for.
I look to the writing of
Deborah Harkness as an example of how to integrate the character and feel of a
special place into a story. In The All
Souls Trilogy, Harkness captures the feel of Oxford, England. In Desert Melody, I wanted to do the same
with New Mexico.
I have to mention Evelyn
Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited. One of
the things I like about this book is that it isn’t formulaic. The ending isn’t
happy in the traditional sense, but it is happy.
Emily Bronte is a cautionary
tale for me. Her writing is depressing. What I love, though, is how even the
most despicable characters have something compelling about them. When I want to
be a little more courageous with my characters, I think of the depths to which
she plunged Heathcliff and Catherine.
What
projects are you currently working on?
Right now I’m working on two
stories. Both are set in modern times and have elements of mysticism. The
characters are immersed in the business of life with all of its stressors, yet
they have these profound experiences most often associated with bygone times. I
want to consider how people embrace and explore the mysterious, the unknown, and
the spiritual, in an increasingly materialistic world. In addition, I can’t
imagine writing any story without at least a touch of romance, so there’s that,
too!
What
advice would you offer to new or aspiring authors?
Your writing is something unique
to you. It is a job that can never be outsourced. It is a way to communicate
with not only those around you but future generations as well. Write with
honesty and integrity. Take risks.
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