VAMPIRE VACATION written by Laura Lavoie
Even though spring is finally here and many people are finished with spring break, about to go on spring break, or dreaming of a spring break…it’s also a great time to pick up a delightful picture book VAMPIRE VACATION written by Laura Lavoie with illustrations by Micah Player.
Laura writes humorous, pun-filled picture books. She can also tap dance, tell terribly cheesy jokes, and bake a mean chocolate chip cookie–though not all at the same time.
(Though I would love to see her try and I’m pretty confident she could do it).
She currently lives in upstate New York with her husband, daughters, and two irritable cats. When she isn’t writing you can find her hiking, kayaking, and hanging out in trees.
And now, onto the interview…
Laura, thank you so much for taking the time to share your revision journey! What is the story behind your story? What sparked your story concept?
I got the idea for my story from a 2019 Storystorm post by Jen Betton. Jen wrote about creating characters with inherent conflict, so I started thinking about characters who would be in some sort of peril if placed in a particular situation.
One idea that came to mind was a cell phone who wants to swim, but I didn’t think a phone would make a particularly good picture book character. A vampire who desperately wants to visit a sunshine-y beach, though? That felt like something worth exploring.
I grew up in upstate New York, just a few hours from where I live now. The winters here are so long and I’ve never been a fan of snow. As a kid, I desperately wanted to move to southern California for the year-round sunshine. Once I dove into Fang’s story, part of my inspiration was this mutual longing for surfing, sand, and saltwater sunsets.
How long did it take from idea to book?
Three years and roughly four months! This story was unique in that I wrote and revised it pretty quickly, but then there was a long timeline between acquisition and publication. For other manuscripts I’ve sold, the revision process–both with critique partners and with my editor–was much longer, but the timeline from acquisition to publication will be much shorter.
That’s fascinating! What was your revision timeline for this book?
January 2019: Wrote the first draft
February 2019: Revised a few times and sent the story to critique partners
March 2019: Révisions, more critiques, and more revisions
April 2019: I was fortunate to have been selected by author Jason June as a mentee through the Writing with the Stars program (created by Tara Luebbe), and in April I finally got the guts to share this manuscript with JJ
Later in April 2019: Did a final round of revisions with Jason June, who encouraged me to include this story in samples when querying
May 2019: Queried and signed with my agent, James McGowan
June 2019: Vampire Vacation went out on sub
July 2019: Tamar Brazis at Viking Books for Young Readers acquired Vampire Vacation
October 2019: Final copy signed off to send to Micah Player for illustrations
June 2021: Made a few minor tweaks to text post-illustrations
May 2022: Vampire Vacation will be out in the world!
What was the hardest part of revising this story?
Definitely falling in love with a particular scene and having multiple critique partners tell me it wasn’t working. I eventually decided to cut it, even though it was tough to do. Ultimately, the story is better for it. Kill your darlings!
I also have this bad habit of repeating similar jokes. My editors have pushed me to vary things a bit more, which really stretches my mental muscles. At times, I felt like I was breaking my brain trying to think of as many different vampire tropes as possible. We’ve squeezed quite a few into this story, which makes it a lot of fun.
Ahh, kill your darlings. A brutal but very necessary phrase. Did you have an ‘ah-ha!’ moment with your manuscript during the revision process? If so, what triggered it?
At first, I was really focused on the logistics of how a vampire family could go to the beach. As in, how would this physically be possible?
In an early draft, I had Fang running science experiments, trying to create a strong enough sunscreen to protect his family. My critique partners encouraged me to focus more on Fang’s desire for this beach vacation, rather than the technicalities. That’s when the magic started to happen.
That’s great advice. Speaking of advice, what advice do you have for other writers? Are there any resources you would recommend to help with the revision process?
Read as many recently-published picture books written in your style (e.g. humor, nonfiction biography, lyrical, etc.) as you can. Study how they work. Pay close attention to things like word count, pacing, page turns, and the interplay of text and illustrations.
Also, if you’re serious about traditional publication, sit back and get comfy. Patience is absolutely key. It might sound like the timeline from first draft to agent to acquisitions went quickly for me, but I started writing picture books in 2015 and James is actually my second agent. Take the time to hone your craft and really develop who you are as a writer.
And now, a snippet from an early draft…
And the final words and spread…
Read more about Laura and her books on her website and be sure to follow her on Twitter (@LLavoieauthor) and Instagram (@LLavoieauthor) news on her website.
Don’t forget to purchase your copy today! Right now! Right here.