Morris Award Interview Series 2015: Meet Leslye Walton and her strange and beautiful AVA LAVENDER
Yes, I did. In fact, I was a bit obsessed; while many other people in my graduate program were getting published in literary magazines and winning awards, I was just writing this little book of mine. I was determined to have a finished novel by the time I had graduated.
--What can readers expect next from you?
I try to keep pretty quiet about my next projects, but I will say that readers should probably expect more magic, a PNW [Pacific Northwest] setting and a new assortment of bizarre (and yet hopefully charming) characters.
--As a writer of traditional fantasy, I’ll admit to being fascinated by magical realism-the matter-of-fact way that marvels occur in the everyday lives of the characters (such as Emilienne’s mother literally fading away from grief). It’s a decidedly different sort of “fantastical” than, say, 2013 Morris winner SARAPHINA by Rachel Hartman. Would you talk a little about the craft of writing magical realism; what drew you to it; and how you strike that extraordinary balance between the wondrous and the mundane and get them to coexist so effortlessly?
I started writing Ava Lavender not exactly knowing I was writing magical realism. I originally thought it was merely a historical fiction novel about this completely average family. All of that changed when I suddenly realized one of my main characters was a very average girl with an extraordinary abnormality. After that, I didn’t exactly know what I was writing because it wasn’t just historical fiction, but it wasn’t fantasy either. Sometime after that, I was handed Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude. Reading that book was like hearing a language I thought only I understood. From there, I realized these ordinary characters weren’t quite so ordinary at all, and yet, they were very human and their stories were ultimately quite universal.
The secret to magical realism-or so I’ve heard-is to write in a way that your reader will believe the real as much as the magic; you want the two worlds to weave together seamlessly. With this in mind, I tried to place these peculiar creatures in a setting with which I was familiar-to counter the weird, so to speak.
--The novel is named for Ava, but she’s just one of several generations of remarkable women in her family whose intertwining stories make up this extraordinary tale. How did you decide who the title character would be? What would you say makes the story “hers,” more than Viviane (so gorgeously, heartbreakingly named, by the way!) or Emilienne?
I have a deep love for names, so thank you for that! I think the story had to be Ava’s because ultimately, she was the pinnacle point, the physical manifestation of all the challenges and failures and regrets of her ancestors. It all kind of lead up to her.
--Reading this novel made me so hungry! Please tell us about your obsession with French pastry, and whether readers will be craving carbohydrates after all your books?
I’m not sure if food will always play a big part in my novels. Yes. I often frequented the local patisseries and boulangies, learning everything I could about the inner workings of a bakery and eating tons of pastries. I was living in Portland, Oregon and fortunately there were quite a few bakeries-some even French bakeries specifically-within walking distance of my apartment. I ate my way through the city-croissants, pain du chocolat, napoleans, macarons. The funny part is that it turns out I’m gluten intolerant, which explains why I was so sick while I was writing this book. But what’s the saying? Art is pain?
--Can you describe your experience being a first-time novelist? Has it been what you expected? Any wisdom or insights or surprises to share about the joys or challenges of life during and after the first book?
I think a part of me expected my first novel’s launch into the world would go by unnoticed. There are so many incredible novels out there; I know I don’t have enough time to read all the books I want to! I feel honored that anyone has thought to pick up and read this little book of mine. It’s still so exciting to walk by a bookstore and see my book in the window.
--And finally: How much do you love librarians?
I’ve always loved librarians. I remember the first time I ever checked out a book on my own-I think I might have been seven years old, and I still remember the name of the book I checked out (It was No Roses for Harry), as well as the librarian who helped me!
Thanks so much, Leslye!
Stay tuned for our next interview, this Thursday, January 22, when John Corey Whaley interviews Len Vlahos about The Scar Boys.
--What can readers expect next from you?
I try to keep pretty quiet about my next projects, but I will say that readers should probably expect more magic, a PNW [Pacific Northwest] setting and a new assortment of bizarre (and yet hopefully charming) characters.
--As a writer of traditional fantasy, I’ll admit to being fascinated by magical realism-the matter-of-fact way that marvels occur in the everyday lives of the characters (such as Emilienne’s mother literally fading away from grief). It’s a decidedly different sort of “fantastical” than, say, 2013 Morris winner SARAPHINA by Rachel Hartman. Would you talk a little about the craft of writing magical realism; what drew you to it; and how you strike that extraordinary balance between the wondrous and the mundane and get them to coexist so effortlessly?
I started writing Ava Lavender not exactly knowing I was writing magical realism. I originally thought it was merely a historical fiction novel about this completely average family. All of that changed when I suddenly realized one of my main characters was a very average girl with an extraordinary abnormality. After that, I didn’t exactly know what I was writing because it wasn’t just historical fiction, but it wasn’t fantasy either. Sometime after that, I was handed Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude. Reading that book was like hearing a language I thought only I understood. From there, I realized these ordinary characters weren’t quite so ordinary at all, and yet, they were very human and their stories were ultimately quite universal.
The secret to magical realism-or so I’ve heard-is to write in a way that your reader will believe the real as much as the magic; you want the two worlds to weave together seamlessly. With this in mind, I tried to place these peculiar creatures in a setting with which I was familiar-to counter the weird, so to speak.
--The novel is named for Ava, but she’s just one of several generations of remarkable women in her family whose intertwining stories make up this extraordinary tale. How did you decide who the title character would be? What would you say makes the story “hers,” more than Viviane (so gorgeously, heartbreakingly named, by the way!) or Emilienne?
I have a deep love for names, so thank you for that! I think the story had to be Ava’s because ultimately, she was the pinnacle point, the physical manifestation of all the challenges and failures and regrets of her ancestors. It all kind of lead up to her.
--Reading this novel made me so hungry! Please tell us about your obsession with French pastry, and whether readers will be craving carbohydrates after all your books?
I’m not sure if food will always play a big part in my novels. Yes. I often frequented the local patisseries and boulangies, learning everything I could about the inner workings of a bakery and eating tons of pastries. I was living in Portland, Oregon and fortunately there were quite a few bakeries-some even French bakeries specifically-within walking distance of my apartment. I ate my way through the city-croissants, pain du chocolat, napoleans, macarons. The funny part is that it turns out I’m gluten intolerant, which explains why I was so sick while I was writing this book. But what’s the saying? Art is pain?
--Can you describe your experience being a first-time novelist? Has it been what you expected? Any wisdom or insights or surprises to share about the joys or challenges of life during and after the first book?
I think a part of me expected my first novel’s launch into the world would go by unnoticed. There are so many incredible novels out there; I know I don’t have enough time to read all the books I want to! I feel honored that anyone has thought to pick up and read this little book of mine. It’s still so exciting to walk by a bookstore and see my book in the window.
--And finally: How much do you love librarians?
I’ve always loved librarians. I remember the first time I ever checked out a book on my own-I think I might have been seven years old, and I still remember the name of the book I checked out (It was No Roses for Harry), as well as the librarian who helped me!
Thanks so much, Leslye!
Stay tuned for our next interview, this Thursday, January 22, when John Corey Whaley interviews Len Vlahos about The Scar Boys.