Today we are very lucky to be able to bring you an in-depth interview with the stellar writer Laura Eno. Laura is the author of the amazing Realms of the Red Rabbit and several other books for young adults.


The first big questions burning a hole in my mind are:
Where did you get the idea for the Red Rabbit story? Was Dante an influence?


Although there are a few Alice in Wonderland references, Dante was my main influence for the story. Not many people caught that, though. His version of Hell fascinates me. I like the darkening shades of gray—the punishment fitting the crime, so to speak.
As for the idea behind Red Rabbit… I can only say I grew up an avid reader of science fiction/fantasy and it punched holes in my brain. Now stories leak out of it.


Do you have a classical education? What is your background that you use to draw upon in your writing?


In college, I took every English literature and composition course I could find, reading everything from ancient Greek stories to Shakespeare, as well as mythology.
In regards to Dante, I had a stern, librarian-type professor who asked for a synopsis of the book. I presented mine in the form of an epic poem. She was not amused. I still have it, though!


Yes I think that is what impressed me the most, your very powerful and original imagination. Even though the story concept is familiar the elements of the story are so fantastically unique. Which brings me to my next question. Regarding your writing process, are you a meticulous planner? Do you create moral needs and revelations, identifying and separating needs with desires and weaving it all together under a design principle? Or Do you just let the creative juices flow and the story and characters develop themselves as the plot unfolds? I.e. a planner or a seat of pantser?

Other than knowing how I want the story to end, I'm pretty much a pantser. My imagination runs in an unbridled fashion as I write. I will jot down notes of future scenes as they come to me but I don't outline, except for a few bullet points. I've tried planning before but it kills the story. I used to design jewelry the same way—strictly free-flow, without a pattern.


So we know your background in literature, and some of the influence that sprung from that have been examined in two of your great stories we have reviewed previously. But what about modern influences? Who do read and aspire to emulate? Who are your writing role models? Are there any Indie Authors in the list?

Actually, I try very hard not to have role models per se, as I'm afraid of losing my own voice by emulating anyone. Some of my current favorite authors include L. K. Rigel, Lauren Oliver, and Maggie Stiefvater.
I would say that 80% of all books I read these days are Indie Authors, so I'm definitely influenced by the Indie trend. The wide variety of imagination and genre blending by Indies step outside of the rigid protocol of legacy publishing and that's a refreshing thing to me. Indies charge less for their books as well, making it affordable to feed my passion for reading.


In terms of your own writing Laura, do you think it's important that your stories have a message for your readers? In the realm of the red rabbit there is a clear tone about the consequences or amoral behavior, the moral code isn't as clear in tempest child, however. In other words do you like to write fun and exciting stories with a definite message?

I do like messages, but I've changed it some. Whereas in Realms of the Red Rabbit it was about amoral behavior, in Tempest Child the message is about believing in yourself and making the hard choices. YA is a