Lamar Giles likes to keep you on your toes. The Edgar Award-nominated author and founder of We Need Diverse Books writes novels about teens in trouble, thrillers involving blackmail, conspiracy and murder. But what keeps him on his toes? We wanted to know…
Booking Biz: What does your average day look like?
Lamar: Caffeine before ANYTHING! I’m an early riser, up around 5:30AM on most days, and though the waking up part is automatic, I really don’t get going until I’ve got a cup of coffee. Usually, I’ll cook a quick breakfast for my wife, and see her off to work, and then I spend most of my morning either working on a new novel, or revising a project that’s going through the various editorial phases. Afternoons are spent more on administrative stuff (my email is always in need of attention) or smaller projects, like the short stories I’m often asked to write. By 5PM I’m pretty much done working unless there’s a pressing deadline. Then it’s wash, rinse, repeat.
Booking Biz: When you’re not writing, what do you like to do best?
Lamar: Reading and video games. Usually, if there’s a game I’m really into (such as the new God of War on PS4), that will be the first thing I do to relax in the evening. Then the time just before bed will be reserved for a book. If there’s no game I’m into–which is mostly the case these days–it’s more reading. I’m trying to learn to like going to the gym, but I’m not quite there yet.
Booking Biz: Where do you get the inspiration for your books?
Lamar: Usually, a book idea will be the result of two to three disparate elements mashing up in my head, almost like a challenge. Lamar, what can you do with these seemingly unrelated things? In my novel OVERTURNED, which is about a teen poker player trying to discover who framed her father for murder in Las Vegas, the elements were poker, Greek mythology, and the city of Las Vegas itself. In my new thriller, SPIN, which is coming out next year and is about two enemies who are tasked with solving the tragic murder of their mutual friend, rising superstar Paris Secord aka DJ ParSec, by an unstable faction of the musician’s fanbase, the elements were online fandoms, media coverage (or lack thereof) for certain crime victims, and, of course, music.
Booking Biz: Did you always want to write books for children, or was there another career you wished for as a child?
Lamar: I always wanted to write books, but was unaware that it could be a career until I was in my early 20s. So, when I thought about careers, it was always in terms of what could I tolerate that would allow me to support myself, because I grew up in a blue collar factory town and that’s the only vibe I knew. So there were always vague thoughts about COMPUTERS and BUSINESS. The whole time I was preparing for those fields, I was writing. Then I read Stephen King’s ON WRITING in college, his stories of trying to sell fiction when he was a teenager resonated with me, and I decided I’d figure out how to do that. Seems to be working out.
Booking Biz: If you ruled the world, what would it look like?
Lamar: If I ruled the world, I’d find a way to shorten everyone’s work week so they’d have more time to spend with loved ones, or simply reading a good book if they so choose. You know, make room for the important stuff.
Booking Biz: Love this world!