Lena♫ asked Laura Nowlin:

What inspired you to write "If He Had Been with Me"? Are the characters from that book based off of people you know of? Do you have any advice for other writers who run out of creativity ideas when writing a story? Are you currently working on any novels at this moment?

Laura Nowlin First Question: The book was inspired by a dream I had. I did have someone close to me who died young when I was in high school, so the issue of being true to your heart/emotions before it's too late has always been important to me.
Second: If you took my life, and all the people in it, and put it in a blender, the mixed up result would be this book. The same for the next book coming out in the spring. There isn't a one to one correlation to any person in my life, but much of the feelings and events have bits and pieces from reality.
Third: Writer's block sucks. Nothing else can make me feel as worthless than staring at my computer and thinking, "I got nothin'" When that happens I immerse myself in art. I watch respected art films, read strange books by author's I haven't tried before, reread some poetry, etc. Talk to your friends about the art they love. If you lived in St. Louis, I would tell you to go to the free Art Museum and visit sections you hadn't been to before. If you do these things, and you're determined, something will come to you as long as your don't give up.
Fourth and Final Question: I just finished a novel! It's called "This Song is (Not) for You" and it's coming out this Spring!

Thanks for all your Questions! I love hearing from readers!

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