7 Questions For: Author Ingrid Law

Ingrid Law is the New York Times best-selling author of Savvy and Scumble. 

Click here to read my review of Savy.

Here is Ingrid Law in her own words:

Perhaps it was the Lake Champlain monster that started it all. Born in northern New York in May, 1970, my first home was a stone's throw from the waters of Lake Champlain and its legendary prehistoric sea monster. From the very start, life was steeped in the lure of the fantastic, of tall tales and big ideas.

When I turned six, my family moved to Boulder, Colorado.

My father drove up into the mountains every day to teach in a one-room school house in the tiny mountain town of Gold Hill. While visiting Gold Hill and places like it, I discovered that small things and small places can be just as interesting and extraordinary as big noisy ones, and even now, I'm drawn to tiny towns and quiet places possessing their own charm and quirky character.

Today, I still live in Colorado with my daughter, close to family, friends, and the mountains, all of which help keep me from getting lost. We only have one pet at the moment, but it is imaginary. And I am managing, at last, to keep a plant alive. (That reminds me, I should probably water it.)

If you want to know my favorite color, I can’t tell you because I don’t actually have one. I like them all.

When I’m not writing or imagining new stories (which is seldom) you can probably find me in a movie theater. I see practically everything that comes to the theater closest to my home--and that theater has 24 screens. So I see a LOT of movies. I also enjoy listening to music and audio books, and sitting and walking next to and around my favorite ponds.

And now Ingrid Law faces the 7 Questions:


Question Seven: What are your top three favorite books?

I hate picking favorites, and my favorites often change, but since the question's being asked, I'll say:

Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card

Red Glass, by Laura Resau

The Short and Incredibly Happy Life of Riley, written by Colin Thompson, illustrated by Amy Lissiat


Question Six: How much time do you spend each week writing? Reading?

Since it's my job now, I try to write for about 6-7 hours a day. But if I'm working on a deadline, I've been known to put in much longer hours... sometimes up to 16-17 hours in one day (though, after that, I'm usually a little crazy). Reading all depends on my writing schedule (and what I'm reading), but I try to read for at least 30 minutes a day with my daughter, and another 30 before I go to bed. I also love listening to audio books in the car.


Question Five: What was the path that led you to publication?

I've been writing for fun off and on since college, but I did not try seriously to get published until a few years ago. Before 2007, I had my share of rejections on a previous manuscript or two, but I was much more fortunate when I wrote Savvy and found an agent and a publisher right away.


Question Four: Do you believe writers are born, taught or both? Which was true for you?

Perhaps a little bit of both. I've always had a vivid imagination and have loved making up stories ever since I was a child. However, I did not actually start writing my stories down until my late teens, after I learned to type and I no longer had to be frustrated by the fact that my handwriting could not keep up with my imagination. I only took one creative writing class, but there are many ways to learn to write. Reading a lot is one of the best ways, I think!


Question Three: What is your favorite thing about writing? What is your least favorite thing?

My favorite part of writing is when time seems to stop and the story becomes the 'real' world for a while. My least favorite part is when I have to 'wake up' and come out of the world I'm building before I feel ready.


Question Two: What one bit of wisdom would you impart to an aspiring writer? (feel free to include as many other bits of wisdom as you like)

BE BRAVE. Trust your voice. Dig deep. Go places that feel uncertain. After all, your characters should have to do these things too and it's not fair if you ask them to do them all alone.


Question One: If you could have lunch with any writer, living or dead, who would it be? Why?

William Shakespeare... for the alliteration. And for the words. And the wit. And don't you think he'd be very funny and entertaining?

www.ingridlaw.com