Meet Emmy Laybourne!
In preparation for the next workshop in our Working Writers series, we spoke to Emmy Laybourne, who will present The Secret Power of Story Structure on May 8. She might even show us her cape.
Cuppa Pulp Booksellers was a lucky recipient of an advanced review copy of Monument 14:Sky On Fire… and we liked it even better than the first book! The story really kept us on the edge of our seats. What can you tell us about the second M14 installment, without giving too much away?
SKY ON FIRE has two narrators, for one thing. Knowing that puts some of my readers instantly at ease – because if you read the end of MONUMENT 14 carefully, you can guess who they are! One of the things that readers told me they really liked about M14 was the velocity of the plot – things just keep happening! SKY ON FIRE definitely continues the momentum. There are a bunch of surprises packed into that thin volume!
With regard to your upcoming workshop, The Secret Power of Story Structure, is this power something only writers have, when they shed their secret identities and stay away from Kryptonite? What secret powers will we unleash?
These secret powers are gifts of advanced perception. All those who attend the workshop will leave with x-ray vision – perfect for decoding stories that have gone wrong or for admiring the structural bones of a story well told.
How about capes? Do we get to wear capes? Do you wear a cape?
I have a cape tattooed on my back. How did you know?
“Story Structure” sounds so… structured. But I love to be poetic when I write, hang loose, go with the flow. Will the secret power allow me to use the words and styles I like?
Oh, I love this question. I hope you’ll bring it up at the workshop so we can discuss it some more. Learning about story structure will not cramp your style, I promise you. If anything, writing with direction and within a framework, gives you more freedom.Come to the workshop and let’s really get into this question!
What are some of your favorite stories, and what are you writing next?
I am finishing up MONUMENT 14 Book 3: SAVAGE DRIFT. It will be released next Spring! After spending so much time in the dark world that I’ve created with this series, I’m into reading light stuff! I just finished The Education of Calpurnia Tate, which I savored. I’m also really loving the work of Diane Wynne Jones right now (Howl’s Moving Castle). I can’t wait to read her other works.
Thanks for interviewing me here, Cuppa Pulp! I look forward to our workshop!
