Please welcome former columnist turned author Darrell Laurant to the spotlight!
I first “met” Darrell when I ran across his blog, “Snowflakes in a Blizzard.” Darrell, tell us what you mean by that title.
It has to do with the fact that there are currently more than 15 million books listed on Amazon. I was standing at my living room window in Lake George, NY one day, watching it snow (it snows a lot up here), when the thought occurred to me that getting noticed as a new writer these days is like a snowflake trying to stand out in a blizzard. Hence the name for a free book marketing service that I started to help other authors who are struggling to have their work recognized and appreciated.
That analogy is so apt! When did your love for writing start?
In the womb, probably -- my mother is an excellent writer. When I was about 8, I mimeographed a little newspaper and sold it around my neighborhood for a nickel. I suspect people bought it because they thought it was cute. I'm no longer cute, but still writing.
That sounds just like the way Stephen King got his start! What is something you struggle with when you write?
How much is too much and how little is too little. As a longtime journalist, I'm very conscious of the need to engage readers without boring or tiring them, and that's a fine line to walk.
Indeed! Give us a brief glimpse at your road to publication.
It was a bit unorthodox. With my first book, "Even Here," I went to an acquaintance who ran a printing company and asked if he would print my book with nothing upfront and let me pay him back out of the money it brought in. To my amazement, he agreed, and the book sold over 3,000 copies in just a local area. (He got repaid).
That's the first time I received that answer! I know you are retired now, but could you tell us a bit about what it was like being a columnist?
I had a wonderful job with a small daily in Lynchburg, VA -- so wonderful that I passed on a couple of offers from larger papers and stayed there more than 30 years. As a columnist, I generally produced stories that fell somewhere in between editorials and news. I could write about people just because they were interesting, and not because they'd done anything newsworthy in the previous five minutes. And because I was the only writer on staff with a photo next to my column, I wound up as a sort of mini-celebrity in the community (mixed blessing). My editors gave me a lot of leeway, and at four times a week, I came up with over 5,000 columns during my career, trying never to repeat any of them.
Wow! I'm sure that was a challenge! Do you have a job/hobby outside of writing? What is it and how does it mesh with your writing?
I also run the aforementioned Snowflakes in a Blizzard (snowflakesarise.wordpress.com), which meshes quite well.
Do you have any other hobbies that you’d like to share?
Reading, traveling, playing pool, finding new music to listen to and participating in a couple of fantasy sports leagues.
Ugh! My husband does fantasy sports, too. He really enjoys them! Where do you live?
In Lake George, NY, which is beautiful but a bit cold -- winter comes early and spring comes late. Maybe someday we can afford to flee to a warmer refuge from December through March. I make a better snowbird than penguin.
Ha! Love that! I'd rather be a snowbird, too! Share with us a little about your family. Married? Kids? Pets?
My wife Gail and I are both Upstate New York natives and have been married for more than 40 years. We have a daughter in Lynchburg, a son in Colorado and four grandchildren. We also love dogs and have three, a German shepherd and two malte-poo "ankle biters." They're more fun to watch than TV.
Which leads right into my next question. If you could be any animal, what animal would you choose, and why?
A tiger, because I'm not as assertive as I should be. Tigers are very assertive.
What was one of the best Christmas presents you ever received?
My Kindle, on which I am currently juggling about 12 books.
Me, too. I didn't think I would like it, because I was more old school and into paper books, but when you can hold dozen of books in one hand, what's not to like? What CD is in your CD player right now?
"Bittertown," by Lori McKenna, whom I just recently discovered. Like Neil Young, Steve Earle, Springsteen and others, she has kind of a quirky voice, but it works.
Name your favorite children's story.
The Secret Garden.
Interesting... What was your nickname growing up or now?
In Lynchburg, it was "Durl," because that's what "Darrell" sounds like with a southern accent.
Reminds me of the Bob Newhart Show when there was Larry, his brother Darrell, and his other brother Darrell.
What is your biggest pet peeve?
1. Failure to communicate. It irks me, for instance, when I send out an article query and never get a response. No matter how busy an editor claims to be, how much time does it take to hit "reply" and say either "Would like to hear more" or "Thanks, but not for us"? If it's the latter, you can then move on to someone else, instead of being on permanent hold.
2. (A tie). The fact that it's become incredibly difficult to contact with a real human being on the phone. The automated systems that confront me rarely address whatever problem or issue I may have, and so often there is no alternative. I guess that also goes back to communication.
Yes. Communication is key. Thanks for joining us today! Now let's hear a little bit more about INSPIRATION STREET...
1. Failure to communicate. It irks me, for instance, when I send out an article query and never get a response. No matter how busy an editor claims to be, how much time does it take to hit "reply" and say either "Would like to hear more" or "Thanks, but not for us"? If it's the latter, you can then move on to someone else, instead of being on permanent hold.
2. (A tie). The fact that it's become incredibly difficult to contact with a real human being on the phone. The automated systems that confront me rarely address whatever problem or issue I may have, and so often there is no alternative. I guess that also goes back to communication.
Yes. Communication is key. Thanks for joining us today! Now let's hear a little bit more about INSPIRATION STREET...
Blurb ~
This book describes some of the intriguing people who have lived in the 1300 and 1400 blocks of Pierce Street in Lynchburg, Virginia, but it is also more than that. Through what they accomplished during the days of segregation and beyond, these individuals represent 100 years of African-American history in microcosm.
Author
Bio ~
Darrell Laurant is a veteran of more than 40 years in journalism, serving as a sportswriter, reporter and columnist for newspapers in South Carolina and Virginia. Inspiration Street is his fourth book, following Even Here: A Small Virginia Community, a Violent Decade (1992); A City Unto Itself: Lynchburg VA in the 20th Century (1997), and The Kudzu Kid, his first novel, published in 2014. A history major at Belmont Abbey College near Charlotte, North Carolina, he has long been intrigued by the effects of the past on the present and future. The issue of race, especially in the South, has been of particular interest. Laurant retired from the newspaper business in 2013 in order to devote more time to his other writing. He now lives and writes in Lake George, New York. He and his wife Gail have two children—Jeremy Laurant, of Fort Collins, Colorado, and Cindee Layne, of Lynchburg Virginia—and four grandchildren.
You can purchase INSPIRATION STREET here:
http://amzn.com/193820526X
