Welcome to Best Dog Books, Laura! Be sure to check out Laura Resau’s website. She offers more detail about the story behind the story. You’ll find a link to her site at the end of this interview.
What is the title of your book?
Star in the Forest
Who is your key dog character? Tell us about him/her.
Star is an abandoned dog who the main character, Zitlally, finds in a junkyard behind her house. She comes to believe that Star is her dad’s spirit animal—that if she can keep Star safe, that her missing father will also come home safely.
Could you tell us about the plot of your story?
When eleven-year-old Zitlally’s father is deported to Mexico, she takes emotional refuge in her trailer park’s “forest” of rusted car parts. With the help of spunky neighbor Crystal, she tries to save her father by aiding a stray dog who she believes is her father’s spirit animal. (Ages 7 & up)
What inspired you to write this story?
It was inspired by a young reader who connected with the main character in my first book, WHAT THE MOON SAW. This reader’s dad had recently been deported to Mexico, and she was trying to deal with how his absence had affected her family life.
What was the biggest challenge you had writing your story? How did you overcome it?
As always, the biggest challenge for me is finding time to write. There are so many distractions and demands that compete with writing time. I was supposed to be writing another book that was under contract and deadline at the time I wrote STAR IN THE FOREST. I had a very strong urge to write STAR, however, so I gave myself a few weeks to “play hooky” from working on the under-contract book. I didn’t let myself make excuses or procrastinate or goof around. I just wrote, and it flowed out!
What other YA/MG books have you written? Do any of them feature a key dog character? If so, which ones? What are these stories about?
WHAT THE MOON SAW, RED GLASS, THE INDIGO NOTEBOOK, THE RUBY NOTEBOOK, THE JADE NOTEBOOK, THE QUEEN OF WATER. Several of my books feature animals, including a talking parrot, an enormous leatherback sea turtle, a French pigeon, a heroic jaguar… to name a few! Most of the animals in my stories have some mystical or mythical qualities. My books are mainly set in different cultures (in Mexico, Ecuador, Guatemala, and France), and involve travel, adventure, mystery, and romance.
What kind of story can we expect next from you? Is it about a dog? If so, what is it about?
The book I’m writing now is a young adult book with some fantastical elements. It’s partly set in the Mayan jungle in southern Mexico. There’s no dog in it yet, but there’s a lot of of chocolate!
What else would you like us to know about you or your story?
Don’t worry—the dog doesn’t die!
Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? And why?
I loved A WRINKLE IN TIME. It made me think about the possibilities of the universe and existence and space and time in a whole new way.
Thank you for joining us again at Best Dog Books. I’m a huge fan of your writing.
To learn more about Laura Resau and her books, click here.
For other great books about dogs, check out 101 Best Dog Books for Kids.
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