Author Laura Stegman Talks New Release and MG Magic
Los Angeles-based author Laura Stegman shares insights into her middle grade fantasy trilogy. Her latest book, The Chambered Nautilus, released on April 30, 2024, continues the adventures of Darby, Naz, and Justin as they unravel mysteries in a magical carnival. This concluding novel in the series not only captivates with fantasy but also weaves in intriguing STEAM elements about chambered nautiluses. Learn more about Laura’s inspirations, writing process, and what she hopes young readers will take away from her books.
Could you share a little about yourself and your current middle grade novel?
Of course! I’m a Los Angeles-based publicity consultant and middle grade author. The Chambered Nautilus (Young Dragons Press), released on April 30, 2024, is the third in my middle grade fantasy trilogy.
Summer of L.U.C.K. (2022), the first, also my debut, introduces Darby, Naz, and Justin, three struggling kids finding their way to self-acceptance with the help of a ghost who haunts a magical carnival. The sequel, Ready or Not (2023), which takes place a year later, features more magical adventures with the three friends, but it spotlights thirteen-year-old Justin, who faces a tricky choice: stand up to bigotry or let fear hold him back. In The Chambered Nautilus (2024), the kids are focused on exploring the new carnival ride, modeled after the spiral-shaped sea creature whose name it bears. But when pieces from the Ferris wheel begin vanishing, and they discover a connection between that and the Chambered Nautilus' secrets, the three friends must rely on their wits – and each other – to locate the ghost who's responsible and get him back to rest before the carnival is destroyed.
Although The Chambered Nautilus is a fantasy novel, there’s a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) element woven through the narrative, which delves into chambered nautiluses’ intriguing biology and their precarious status as a threatened species. These fascinating soft-bodied cephalopod class creatures, which live inside an intricately chambered shell, have cruised in deep ocean coral reefs for more than 480 million years.
Summer of L.U.C.K. and Ready or Not are both Five-Star Readers' Favorite Award winners. I'm hoping The Chambered Nautilus will be too!
What inspired you to start writing middle grade fiction?
As a kid, I read all the time. In adulthood, my decision to write middle grade fiction came because it's set at a time of life when kids are developing a sense of who they are, and there are so many opportunities to tell extraordinary stories. I love the idea that no matter what their problems, middle grade readers can see themselves in the books they read and perhaps even come up with solutions.
Do you have a favorite middle grade book?
I have SO MANY favorites that it's hard to narrow them down, but Wonder by R.J. Palacios and Are You There God, It's Me Margaret? by Judy Blume, which I read as an adult, really resonated with me. Additionally, here are three recent middle grade books that I recommend highly:
1. What Happened To Rachel Riley? by Claire Swinarski
2. Control Freaks by Jan Thomas
3. Monolith by Jess Rinker
Can you describe your typical writing day?
I spend my daytime hours working on marketing and promotional things for my books and generally write in the evenings. While I usually have classical music going in the background, I can write -- not edit, though -- during baseball season with a game going in the background.
What do you hope young readers will take away from your books?
I hope they'll enjoy meeting my characters and sharing their adventures over the course of three books. I'd like readers to finish the trilogy knowing that whatever they're struggling with, others kids struggle too, they are not alone, and help is possible (even if you don’t have a friendly ghost to guide you).
Can you share any tips or advice for aspiring middle grade authors?
Read widely in that genre, and others too. Write for the joy of it. Use good grammar. Learn all you can about showing, not telling. Take advantage of all the writer's resources you can find, including web sites like https://janefriedman.com. Make contact with as many other middle grade writers as you can, not only to share work as critique partners but also to commiserate with.
What upcoming project can readers look forward to from you?
Watch for all three books in the Summer of L.U.C.K. trilogy released as audiobooks by Tantor Media sometime in the next year or so.
Is there anything else you’d like to share that I haven’t covered in the interview?
In my work as a novelist, I've had to learn so much patience. To be willing to endure rejection and keep going. To accept successes and failures without identifying myself as either. It's never easy, and I'm not always good at these things. But I've learned to believe in my work, to keep going, and to never stop writing.
