A Slice of Cake With... Laura Mae

This week I am delighted to be having a slice of cake with Laura Mae. 

What kind of stories do you write?

Ooh, a toughy! I write stories that are set in your everyday places but have magical elements to them. From a distance it seems like everything going on is pretty normal, but once you peel back the pages, you’ll see some peculiar things. I also like to include a lot of action and witty dialogue. Every good book or story needs to have an equal balance of mystery, humor and intrigue. Romance, too, I guess, but that’s not usually my focus.

Can you describe your writing why?

I tend to have a lot of dreams, many that are lucid and vivid. If I didn’t have an outlet to get such things out of my head, I’d probably be in Arkham asylum right now. Writing out ideas and characters give me a huge sense of happiness. To be able to flesh them out on paper and laugh at my own jokes (don’t judge) but then hearing others laugh at the same thing, is a feeling like no other. Most writers are creative beans and we get most of our joy from others enjoying our work. So, I guess in that sense, people motivate me to write.  

Share with us your favourite passage from the book you enjoyed writing the most

This is a scene from my first book Fliers, when Sydona gets to fly again after several decades.

“She began by sprinting for several feet and, once she picked up a good speed, kicked her left foot off the ground. Soon, she was two, ten, fifteen feet ascended into the sky above the wheat fields. Angling her body slightly forward, she was able to fly faster, and when she leaned back, she went higher into the air. The Jeep no longer looked like a car but a red blur as she soared high above the treetops. Raoul joined her as he trailed red-orange dust behind him. As the wind blew her hair, she closed her eyes, and she thought of the first time that she learned how to fly….” 

“...Opening her eyes to the vast scene in front of her, her face wrinkled from a smile she couldn’t subdue. She let her hair down from the ponytail and let it play in the wind. The sun did not seem

so cruel now but rather warmed the goosebumps that appeared on her arms and legs. She glanced at Raoul who did rolls and used his hands to do a ‘wave’ motion. She laughed and felt like an innocent kid again, flying for the first time.”

This was my most anticipated scene when I had a dream about flying about 7 years prior. Even a woman in her 60’s (yes, she really is that old) felt like a child again.

Tell us about your latest project

I am currently writing the third and final book of the Fliers series called Vultures. It’s set immediately after the events of book 2 (Sparrows) and is chock full of drama and bad people. In short, because I don’t want to spoil anything, Sydona gets taken away from her group and shoved into a trunk. She ends up in a white jail cell by herself. She is completely alone with no help from anyone. It’s truly a test for her. This book is also much different than the first two as it has a few different perspectives other than the MC herself. Since Sydona is alone, the reader is kept in the dark to what else is happening around her. To avoid this, I integrated POV’s of Knox (the leaders of the Sparrows rebellion group), Jet (a Sparrow who has a bit of a drinking and attitude problem who is now responsible for a 10-year-old boy) and Raoul (Sydona right-hand fairy and uncle to Jubilee who was captured in the last book). I’m hoping the conclusion of the book will be satisfying to anyone who’s been following the series. I have a good feeling it will be, though.

What is your favourite cake?

My dad just asked me this for my recent birthday and I couldn’t answer him honestly because I love all kinds of cake! I mean, who wouldn’t! But if I HAVE to choose, it would probably be carrot cake because of the bomb cream cheese icing they put in it. Plus, I feel much less guilty eating it because it has vegetables. lol

Keep in touch with Laura on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Join me next week when BK Bass returns! If you would like to take part in A Slice of Cake With... please fill in the form found here. I'd be delighted to have you. You can also support my writing endeavours and buy me tea & cake - it's what makes the world go round!

Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find all her books on Amazon. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop.