by Noel Sales Barcelona
I have known Laura (or Joanna for her friends) for quite a long time since we belong to the same “spiritual circles.” I didn’t think she had a knack for writing, and oh boy! She didn’t write a suite of poetry or short stories. Instead, Laura Friera-Gonzales, the mom of Peanut and the loving wife for JL, has decided to write a fantasy, romantic novel.
Agimat.net was lucky enough to interview her (although through email) to share her story about writing her first novel, “At Last.” And we are forever grateful to PaperKat Books and its publisher, Kath Eustaquio-Derla, for allowing us to give our readers a sneak peek at the behind-the-scenes of this exciting novel.
Hatching an 8-year-old “egg”
Laura revealed that her current novel is an offshoot of a story that has been playing in her head since 2008.
“To be honest, I think I’ve had the idea for this book since around 2015. However, it was the prequel to it. I started toying with the idea of past lives last year, around April or May. I didn’t really do anything to prepare for it, I guess I got the story stuck in my head for a while and words just started to flow,” she told Agimat.net.
However, the registered nurse-turned-novelist admits, as a new writer, creating and polishing the plot and developing the characters for the novel are pretty tasking.
“What was difficult was how to fully describe a scene in my head and how the characters would look. I also did research on how to write descriptions in different ways. I didn’t want it to always be “it was very green” or “it was windy”. I was able to finish the very first draft of At Last (formerly Found You before the first round of editing) around July or August 2022, I think,” she said.
Also, she has no plans of publishing this novel, too, Laura revealed.
“At first, I wasn’t thinking of publishing it, rather, posting it on an online platform. Until my youngest sister and my husband convinced me to go and query for it and ultimately, publish it. It wasn’t until mid-August, I believe, that I came across my publisher’s name on my son’s school online orientation. It took me a good week to muster up the courage to send her a message and ask for her opinion. When I sent Kath (my publisher) the manuscript, and she told me that she’s willing to help me publish it, of course, I told my family and asked for their opinion. I thank God and the universe that my husband and my family’s been very supportive and encouraged me to go for it. And I guess the rest is history,” Laura said.
Not exactly a piece of her life story
This writer asked Laura if she thought that there were hints of her life story within the pages of the novel, but she said not quite.
“I’m not quite sure if I added anything from my own experiences. Although there’s a scene in the first chapter that was inspired by a scribble I did back in college. If anything, I gave Lily (the female lead) my love for coffee and books, I guess. For Alex (male lead), I believe I drew some inspiration from BTS’ leader Kim Namjoon. As for overall inspiration, I draw that from people I love, sometimes, from some random thing I see while I’m writing (like how warm the sun feels, I guess),” she told this writer.
Confronting the Infamous “Writer’s Block”
Like anyone else in the writing industry, our new novelist also struggled with “writer’s block,”—a writer’s worst enemy.
“Writer’s blocks are the worst! Like there’s a specific scene in my head but I just don’t know how to write it out. The thing with me is, when I write, I don’t really outline. So, whenever the right words come to my head, I must write it down, whether on the laptop or on paper, before I lose it completely. It was difficult to find time to write as well. I was lucky that I got to work on At Last while my son was at school for two hours during the day. Then maybe write some more when things quiet down and chores are all dealt with,” she said.
Knowing Laura Friera-Gonzales
But who’s Laura, anyway?
“I am a nurse by profession and a certified EMT by the National Registry in the States. I worked for a few months as an Emergency Room Staff Nurse at a private hospital in Pasig city, until I resigned to be a stay-at-home mom for my kid. I love being in the healthcare field! Sure, it’s tiring and very much a thankless job. However, there are just those key moments in that field where everything just clicks. Aside from that and being an author, I also dabbled a bit in ballet during grade school and theater back in high school. It was very short lived. Back then, I let one little snide comment from a co-cast get into my head and I eventually quit. Now, I get to call myself an author, and it’s just the most amazing feeling,” she shared to Agimat.net.
Message to Agimat readers
We asked Laura to impart some message to our avid readers, and here’s what she had to say:
“Hello to all Agimat readers! Thank you so much for taking the time to read this interview and learn a few things about myself and my debut book, At Last. It’s been a real roller coaster and I am so so excited to share this book with all of you! I hope you support this dream of mine and continue to support your local artists. If you want to join me in this amazing journey, you can find me on Facebook at Laura Friera-Gonzales and on Instagram at @lauratriestowrite. Huge thanks to everyone and much love!”
Meanwhile, you can find her book, At Last, by clicking here or through the PaperKat Books website. It would soon be available through PaperKat Books’ Lazada page as well.
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