A Q&A With Lola Mae, Young Writer & Winner of the Letters Contest

Hello, hello, all! ^^ Goodness, I can’t believe it’s the end of November already! I shall miss autumn dearly, but I am indeed looking forward for the holiday season. This past week has been rather quiet, since I’ve mainly been at home tapping away at my keyboard (and yet again drinking gallons of jasmine tea!). Well, either that, or watching Lord of the Rings and silently thinking that there is no way I’d survive as a fantasy heroine.

A little earlier this month, I announced the winner of the Letters contest on my blog: Lola Mae with her beautiful short story, Dear World!! I was ever so glad to be able to announce Lola as the winner, and today, I am super excited to have Lola here with us for a Q&A!! Her short story moved me to tears, and you can check it out here!

Now take it away, Lola! 🙂

Hello, Lola! 🙂 It’s wonderful to have you here for this Q&A! To start us off, could you tell us about yourself, how you got started as a writer, and what inspired your short story, Dear World?

Hi! Thank you so much for having me! (I’m seriously so excited!!!) 

Okay, about me? First—and most importantly!—I’m a child of God. I strive to write stories that glorify Him, and He is the one I want to live my life for!

I’ve been homeschooled my whole life, until now. My memories are full of barefoot hours spent playing make-believe in the backyard, chasing stories and dreams—and my siblings, as well; read alouds while doodling in a notebook; and family games, laughing at something my sister, brother, or parents said. Now, as a highschooler, I’m forging on into the unknown (to me) world of public schooling, and it’s been an adventure! 

I’m also a military kid and a wolf-lover. (I want to be a wolf conservationist when I “grow up”…or at least, become an adult. We’re not sure if I’ll ever actually grow up.) Wolves are these beautiful animals that God created, and I believe that he has sparked a fire in my heart for them!

As well as that, I LOVE LOVE LOVE writing! And I’m a cross country runner—it’s so much fun! Erm, other than that: I love the outdoors, I have a rescue dog named Pippin, and I have a weird obsession with prime numbers.

And, as for what got me into writing…well, I’ve just always had a passion for stories! I’d play imagine games with my siblings, scribble stories in notebooks, (then promptly lose said notebooks) and just dream!

I wanted to share my stories, but I think the thing that planted the seed of “hey, I could be an author!” was reading the novel, Honey Butter, by Millie Florence—who published that book when she was thirteen! Knowing that girl like me had done that…that was really encouraging! 

And what inspired Dear World? Uh…I think…just daydreaming? The prompt was letters, so I started imagining characters…and then this girl with a lil’ bit of snark and a lot of heart lifted her voice up and roped me into being her personal scribe!

That’s amazing!! And I love how Anaya’s character just roped you into being her personal scribe! (And also that your dog is named Pippin!) What was your writing process like for this short story? Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Ooh! Good question! 🙂 

Usually I’m a loose plotter. I dream up the story, write a basic outline, and—depending on the novel—either do a chapter outline or just plunge straight in! (But, for one of my WIPs, I didn’t have a plan at all—just a character and my notebook!)

The writing process for Dear World was very much pantsered, though! Anaya’s character just sort of popped into my head and I started typing…and the story poured out. I didn’t have a clue what would happen…just that something had to!

Could you tell us a bit about your WIP and what inspired it? Do you have any favorite characters of yours you’ve written?

Of course!

I have two major WIPs, the first being a trilogy! It’s a middle grade fantasy trilogy about two young wolves and a raven who set out to reunite the shattered realms. It’s full of adventure, friendship, whimsy, and a dash of danger! I love this story, for many reasons—but especially because wolves bring me so much joy, and the whimsical fantasy of the story is beautiful to me! I’m currently getting feedback on book one from a friend!

The second is the journal of eleven-year-old Natalie Crowe, a homeschooled military kid with a big family and an even bigger heart! The novel is very character-driven and slice-of-life. Through the pages you get to know Natalie and her family, and the story tells about her growing in her faith, making new friends, getting into ridiculous situations, and finding herself all over again! This story holds a special place in my heart, and these characters are so real to me.

Oooh, that’s like asking me to pick a favorite child! But…(don’t tell my characters I said this, or they might revolt and refuse to be written) I think:

Tsunami, the coastal wolf from my fantasy trilogy (she’s so sweet and perky!)

Natalie, the MC of the journal book (I love her humor, sarcasm, and hope)

her sister Mercy (I love her tender heart, her shy kindness, and her witty side)

Petra, the younger sister in said journal book (she’s quirky and sweet and ugggh I just love her)

Rune, one of the villains in my trilogy (I can’t help it. She just needs a hug). 

Those are such cool character names! Do you have a secret pen name that no one knows about?

I was about to say “no”…but actually—kind of? Lola is my real first name, but Mae is my middle name! I wanted a bit of privacy in the sense that creepy stalkers couldn’t somehow look up my name and figure out where I live…not that that’ll ever happen, but we writers have an overactive imagination, right?

We do indeed. And I agree with you — it’s definitely one of the perks of having a pen name! And last but not least, what’s your advice for young writers who really want to get started with writing and get their books out there?

Ooh. What a wonderful question!

I’d say: keep dreaming. 

Daydream, imagine, let your stories roam. Write—not for others, but for yourself. Discover who you are as a writer, and let your imagination carry you on wings of creativity.

Explore characters and stories and different ways of weaving a tale. Write, write, write—and enjoy it! Have fun! Goof off with your stories, enjoy them, laugh with them!

And don’t think less of your writing just because you are young. Don’t force yourself into thinking that sharing your stories with the world will happen “someday” if you want to do it now. You can write. You can publish. You can give your book to the world and say, “Here I am. Here is my story.” Don’t be afraid to dream big, and don’t let anyone tell you your writing isn’t good enough or you aren’t worth it. 

But also? Don’t let your hopes for the future muddy the waters of right here, right now. Enjoy this time of wild imagination and writing just because you love it. Don’t get so caught up in later that you forget to slow down, live and laugh, and revel in the moments of now. Write for yourself. Write for that little child inside you who loves storytelling purely for the joy of it.  

It’s a balance, I think. Dreaming big, having huge wonderful hopes for the future, but also letting yourself slow down and write. 

So…that’s my advice. Write, dream, and know that you are worthy of it.

I love that!!! So inspirational and very true! If you could meet any character from any book you’ve read, who would you pick and why?

Ohhh I love this question! 

Can I cheat and answer with two? 

First: Emma M. Lion, from the Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower. She’s so delightful! Her wit and kindness, humor and hope, wild imagination and heart of gold…I can just imagine how much fun we’d have together! Talking and laughing and running through the woods, stopping to marvel at a beautiful wildflower or a creeping vine. Can you imagine the conversations we’d have? The ways we’d get into innocent mischief? The laughter that would echo through the halls of Lapis Lazuli? We’d be good friends, I think.  

And second: Quiver, the wolf pup, from A Wolf Called Fire by Rosanne Parry. Quiver’s so sweet and charming, with her big heart and joyful attitude. The way she notices her world, seeing the earth through her nose and quietly speaking up when she sniffs something amiss. Plus she’s a wolf, and I love wolves with every fibre of my being, so…

*sighs dreamily* Thank you so much for having me here! It was a blessing, and I had a delightful time.

~ ~ ~

A huge thank you to Lola Mae for joining us here today!! ^^ I loved all your answers (and Emma M. Lion is simply the best!!!), and your advice for young writers is fantastic! And I loved hearing about all your WIPs! (Rune is such a cool villain name!) I actually do have a copy of Honey Butter somewhere, I believe… I’ve yet to start reading it. You have also now reminded me that I need to actually read it!

And thank you, dear reader, for joining us for this interview! I hope you enjoyed hearing from Lola Mae and that you shall check out her short story, Dear World! You can find out more about Lola at her wonderful blog, lolamaewrites.wordpress.com!

Do let me know down in the comments what you thought of this interview (and Lola’s short story!) or feel free to just share how writing has been going for you! I love hearing from y’all!

Till next time!

-Isabelle