Author Snapshot: Laura Spence-Ash
Book jacket biographies don’t tell us nearly enough about the authors we love. That’s why Zibby Mag launched the Author Snapshot, giving readers an inside look at the lives and work of our favorite writers.
This week we are featuring Laura Spence-Ash, whose debut novel Beyond That, the Sea releases on Tuesday!
What has your journey to becoming an author looked like?
I wrote in college, many years ago, but my professional life took a different turn. After both my parents died, though, I returned to writing, attending writers conferences and workshops. My first story was published in 2014 and that gave me the courage to apply to MFA programs. I was lucky to attend the full-time MFA program at Rutgers-Newark, and since then I’ve been able to focus on writing, editing, and teaching. It is such a joy to be part of the writing community.
Beyond That, the Sea is your debut – how does it feel to have it coming out into the world?
It’s extremely exciting! I’m so lucky to have my wonderful agent, Gail Hochman, and the entire team at Celadon Books to help guide me through this process. I came to writing later in life—I’m 63—and there are still days when I can’t quite believe this is actually happening. For so many years, these characters lived in my head—it’s quite something to now have them in the world and to share them with readers!
What inspired you to write Beyond That, the Sea?
25 years ago, I read an article in the New York Times about a group of older British adults who returned to the States to see where they had lived during the war. While I had known that children were sent to the country, I had no idea that children were sent so far away and often alone. My children were young then, and it was impossible for me to imagine sending them away. For years, I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and as I researched and read, a story began to form in my mind.
What are some of the themes you hoped to tackle in your novel?
I set out to write about identity, displacement, and grief. Initially, I was thinking about these themes from the point of view of Beatrix, the girl who is sent to live in the States. But I found that I was equally fascinated by everyone in both families, the British family who made the impossible choice to send her away, and the American family who welcomed her into their home. This is a book about family, and it is also a book about love.
What are you working on right now?
I’m working on a novel which intertwines the stories of three women who lived at different times in the 20th century. As with Beyond That, the Sea, the novel is character-driven, but I love having the historical backdrop, and, in this case, thinking about three distinct time periods. I’m very interested in exploring how the lives of women changed over the course of the 20th century, but I’m also fascinated by the similarities between these women as they move through their lives as daughters, sisters, wives, and mothers.