Q&A with Laurice E. Molinari: Ether Series

   Interview by Brock Eastman

   Featuring the Ether Series

Brock: What was your inspiration for writing this series?

Laurice: My inspiration to write the Ether series came from my own fascination with angels and their mission to protect and guide us.  Angels are God’s fiercest warriors who wage battles on our behalf.
 
Brock: Tell us about the main characters? Who are they, what makes them unique. 

Laurice: Vero Leland, 12, thinks he’s a typical suburban kid until one day he discovers he’s actually a guardian angel, which would explain why ever since he was a toddler, all he has ever wanted to do was fly.  It would also explain the many strange creatures he sees.

Laurice: His older sister Clover, 13, was always tight with Vero, but lately as Vero begins to act strangely, she distances herself from her brother. Yet, Clover has her own secret abilities.  She has visions that others cannot see.
 
Brock: Give us one fact about each main character that no one else knows.

Laurice: Vero knows exactly how many licks it takes to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop.

Clover has no idea how many licks it takes to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop. She’s too impatient.
 
Brock: In three three words what is this book about?

Laurice: 3 words:  Good versus Evil

Brock: Do you outline the entire book before starting, or do you write as you go and let the characters take control of the story?

Laurice: I usually know the beginning of the story and the ending, but not too much in between.  So I just start writing and see what happens. I’m a big proponent of “plot is character in motion.”
 
Brock: How do you believe this story relates to the lives of readers?
 
Laurice: I believe that every single person has a guardian angel watching over him or her, and should listen to them and call upon their angels for help.
 
Brock: What is your favorite genre to write for?

Laurice: My favorite genre is dramedy.  I love to make people laugh, then cry – sort of like real life.
 
Brock: What is the biblical background or basis for the series?

Laurice: A great deal of biblical background from the series came from both the old and new testament. So much of what we know about angels comes from there.

Brock: How many books are planned for this series?

Laurice: It’s a three book series – Vero Rising, Pillars of Fire and The Dragon’s Descent.
 
Brock: Any certain research required for the book, or is it all from your imagination?
 
Laurice: A great deal of Biblical research was involved in writing the Ether along with some Judeo-Christian folklore.

Brock: How do you strike the right balance in your book?
 
Laurice: I’m always juggling between action and character.  If I think I’m too action heavy, it’s time for some character moments.

Brock: What do your readers think about your latest series?

Laurice: The response has been great.  My favorite website is DOGO Books (all kid reviews.)  I love reading what the kids have to say about the book.

Brock: How does it feel to have your work published?
 
Laurice: I’ve written screenplays most of my career, and the Ether is my first book.  I’m often asked which I prefer.  And I’d have to say that I actually don’t have a preference. It was just as exciting to sit in the theater and see my movie for the first time as it was to hold the book in my hand for the first time.
 
Brock: Are you working on the next book in the series?

Laurice: The first book came out last year. The second, Pillars of Fire, comes out January 2015, and I’m hard at work on The Dragon’s Descent, the final book in the series.
 
Brock: Can you give us a hint at the next book in the series?

Laurice: In book 2, Pillars of Fire, Vero and his fellow angels compete in the Angel Trials, an Olympic style competition that will test everything they’ve learned and pit them against advanced angels from other realms. But when a new evil threatens his sister at home, Vero has to choose which battle he can’t afford to lose.

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Brock: Do you plot or outline the entire series before you begin writing, or do your books take on lives of their own? Or is there a combination?

Laurice: I usually know the beginning of the story and the ending, but not too much in between.  So I just start writing and see what happens. I’m a big proponent of “plot is character in motion.”

Brock: Were any scenes or characters cut from the book? Can you give an example?

Laurice: No characters were cut, but definitely a few scenes were cut mainly for the flow of the book.  And even then, most of the cut scenes showed up in some form in the later books.

Brock: Is it difficult to be accurate to a Biblical perspective or Biblical facts when writing fantasy fiction?

Laurice: Yes, I try to stay as accurate as possible, but my series is a work of fiction so I definitely need to use my imagination quite a lot.

Brock: How do you hope parents will use this book with their kids?

Laurice: My hope is that parents will read the book along with their children.  It’s a great way to get a dialogue about spirituality going.

Brock: What do you hope kids take away from this book or series?

Laurice: I want kids to know they are never alone in this world.  Their angel is always with them, and hope they will listen to their angel.

Brock: Where do you like to write?

Laurice: I have an office in my house.  Once my children go off to school each morning, I write until it’s time to pick them up because once they’re home, it’s chaos.
 
Brock: Are you a full-time or part-time author/writer?

Laurice: I’ve been lucky enough to be able to be a full-time writer for all my adult life.  
 
Brock: How long does it usually take you to write a single book?

Laurice: I wrote the first book in four months, but with the following books, I’ve needed more time.  Each book gets progressively harder to write as the story builds.

Brock: What do you hope readers take away from the series?

Laurice: I hope that readers will see the world in a different light, that angels surround us all.

Brock: Expound on the spiritual themes in the book/series?

Laurice: My book is ultimately about faith. The archangel Uriel says it best when he tells Vero, “The opposite of faith is not doubt.  The opposite of faith… is fear.” And my character needs to grow in faith as we all do.

Brock: What is your "how I got published" story?

Laurice: I was a fellow at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, and my very first screenplay was given to an agent while I was still attending AFI.  She sold it within 24 hours to Ron Howard’s company “Imagine,” and the movie was green lit a few weeks later.  It was the movie, “My Girl.” I quickly became a working writer.  After years of writing screenplays, I thought I’d try a book.
 
Brock: When did you realize you wanted to become a writer?

Laurice: Right after college, I was an NBC page at 30 Rock in NY. The first time I walked onto the Letterman set and watched the writers giving Dave lines, I realized I wanted to be a writer.
 
Brock: What was your favorite book as a teen or child?
 
Laurice: As a child, I loved the Judy Blume books and as a teen, it was “To Kill A Mockingbird,” that sparked a love of reading.

Brock: What is the one author, living or dead, who you would co-write a book with and why?

Laurice: The playwright Horton Foote.  He wrote the best characters.
 
Brock: Coke or Pepsi?

Laurice: Diet coke.
 
Brock: Soft shell or Hard Shell tacos?

Laurice: Hard shell.
 
Brock: Favorite place to vacation?

Laurice: My cabin.

Brock: Favorite season?

Laurice: Fall.

Brock: Do you have a particular drink or food you consume when you write? Like coco, raspberry tea, animal crackers?

Laurice: My nails and Diet Snapple Ice Tea.
 
Brock: Favorite color?

Laurice: Yellow.
 
Brock: What’s your favorite holiday memory?

Laurice: Walking to midnight mass on Christmas Eve with my grandfather during a snowstorm.  I didn’t know it at the time but it would be my last Christmas with him.
 
Brock: Do you have a favorite Bible verse?

Laurice: I love the Beatitudes.
 
Brock: Favorite pasta dish?

Laurice: Spaghetti with homemade meat sauce.
 
Brock: Do you listen to music while you write? If so what are some examples?

Laurice: I only listen to music when I’m writing emotional scenes. And they have to be sad, weepy songs.

Brock: Your first movie was My Girl... why do you enjoy writing for kids?

Laurice: I love writing for kids who are about 11 or 12.  It’s around that age that they’re starting to figure out the world, and I love that perspective, seeing the world through their eyes.

Brock: Who are your favorite literary characters?

Laurice: Scout, Owen Meany, and Mrs. Bennet.

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