Laura Segal Stegman is a Los Angeles-based publicity consultant and author whose middle grade debut novel, Summer of L.U.C.K., its sequel, Ready or Not (both Five-Star Readers’ Favorite Award winners), and The Chambered Nautilus, third in Young Dragons Press’ L.U.C.K. trilogy, are available wherever books are sold. L.A. Parent Magazine lauded Summer of L.U.C.K. as a “good read,” and Readers’ Favorite praised it as “a tale that not only incorporates magic, carnivals, friendship, and fun but also manages to thread the plotline with pearls of wisdom about life, bullying, self-worth, and self-esteem.”
Ready or Not, according to middle grade/young adult author Frank Morelli, “is filled with twists, turns, magic, time travel, and a healthy dose of courage from its deeply authentic cast of characters.”
Rob Kent, Middle Grade Ninja podcast host, called The Chambered Nautilus, “a fun, fast-paced read with a whole lot of heart and whimsy.”
Laura’s PR Tips for Authors workshop, a step-by-step guide to building a digital author media kit, has been presented by Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), The Writing Barn, and elsewhere. Her firm, Laura Segal Stegman Public Relations, LLC, has represented a wide-ranging client list of businesses and arts organizations.
Non-fiction writing credits include collaboration on the travel book Only in New York. Feature stories and guest posts have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine, Christian Science Monitor, Westways, and School Library Journal’s Teen Librarian Toolbox, among others. She serves as a judge for Society of Young Inklings, SCBWI, and other writer competitions, and she shares her author journey in engaging virtual and in-person visits to schools and libraries.
A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of UC Irvine with a B.A. in Drama, Laura loves reading, L.A. Dodgers baseball, New York City, classical music, and theater.
THE CHAMBERED NAUTILUS – Young Dragons Press, April 30, 2024
Best friends Darby, 13, Justin, 14, and Naz, 12, are drifting apart. Busy at summer camp with kids their own ages, they have little in common now that the ghostly Leroy Usher is back at rest.
With the camp overseeing his extraordinary carnival, everyone’s captivated by the new Chambered Nautilus ride, inspired by the spiral-shaped sea creature whose name it bears. But when pieces from the Ferris wheel inexplicably vanish, the three friends reunite to answer a mysterious plea for help — from Mr. Usher.
As they strive to locate him, they discover a connection between the Ferris wheel incident and the Chambered Nautilus’ secrets. In a race against time, they encounter one crisis after another, attracting increased scrutiny from camp officials.
Ultimately, they must rely on their wits – and each other – to figure out how to get Mr. Usher back to rest before he’s trapped forever. If they can’t, they risk expulsion from camp and threaten the beloved carnival’s very existence. The Chambered Nautilus, third in Laura Segal Stegman’s Summer of L.U.C.K. middle grade trilogy, is a magical tale of the power of friendship and the rewards of perseverance.
Why do you write in the genre(s) that you do?
I’ve loved middle grade fiction ever since I was a kid, so I decided to write in that genre. Middle grade books are set at a time of life when kids are developing a sense of who they are, which gives writers like me the opportunity to tell extraordinary stories. I love the idea that middle grade readers can see themselves in the books they read that perhaps might help them come up with solutions to their problems.
Do you keep a notebook of ideas?
Yes! I also keep paper handy at my desk, my kitchen table, in my purse, and on my night table for those frequent moments where I come up with an idea I’m sure to forget unless I write it down. After I finished writing The Chambered Nautilus, the third book in the Summer of L.U.C.K. fantasy trilogy, I knew I wanted to write a middle grade contemporary.
The challenge I faced was having no idea how to combine the themes of a kid struggling with disordered eating, a middle school drama class, and the exploration of spirituality/Jewish identity. So, I started keeping a notebook of things I noticed related to those things when I was reading, or watching a movie, or listening to song lyrics, that kind of thing.
Fill in the blank: People will like your books if they like stories about…”
…kids experiencing magical adventures while learning self-acceptance, perseverance, ways to deal with life’s unfairness, and the power of friendship.
Summer of L.U.C.K. (2022) introduces Darby, Naz, and Justin, three struggling kids finding their way to self-acceptance with the help of a ghost who haunts a magical carnival.
Ready or Not (2023), which takes place a year later, features more magical adventures with the three friends, but it spotlights thirteen-year-old Justin, who faces a tricky choice: stand up to bigotry or let fear hold him back.
In The Chambered Nautilus (2024), kids are focused on exploring the new carnival ride, modeled after the spiral-shaped sea creature whose name it bears. But when pieces from the Ferris wheel begin vanishing, and they discover a connection between that and the Chambered Nautilus’ secrets, the three friends must rely on their wits – and each other – to locate the ghost who’s responsible and get him back to rest before the carnival is destroyed.
What are your thoughts on typewriters?
What a great — and unexpected question! I love typewriters! In fact, typewriters play a key role in Summer of L.U.C.K. and Ready or Not, the first two books in my L.U.C.K. trilogy. The three main characters are helped in both stories by a ghost who haunts a magical carnival, and this ghost often uses an old Smith Corona manual typewriter to communicate with them.
When I was a kid, my parents had a manual typewriter that I used to create a neighborhood newspaper, my very first writing venture. As a young adult, I loved using Selectric typewriters, especially being able to change the fonts by switching out the element balls.
If you’ve never heard of Selectrics and have no idea what I mean by “element balls,” check eBay or elsewhere online. Vintage Selectrics are still around!
Ever since “word processors” and PCs have become commonly used, I’ve gratefully used their life-changing (seriously!) ability to edit documents. My last thought on typewriters is that if you’ve never heard its clacking (or if you just miss it), there are apps and ringtones, so check them out!
Who is on your Mt. Rushmore of greatest/inspirational authors (choose four authors)?
Great question! At first, I considered the contemporary authors that I’ve been reading over the past few years, like Elizabeth George, Liane Moriarty, Elly Griffiths, and Tana French.
But we’re talking Mt. Rushmore, so I’m going to go with Charles Dickens, Victor Hugo, Edith Wharton, and Charlotte Brontë. David Copperfield, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Ethan Frome, and Jane Eyre are among my favorite books.
Is there a book that somebody gave to you that helped you pave the way to becoming a writer?
What inspired me to write Summer of L.U.C.K. was The Diamond in the Window by Jane Langton, one of my all-time favorite middle grade books, although I don’t remember who gave it to me! Like L.U.C.K., it’s sprinkled with magical elements, and one of its main characters is an 11-year-old girl searching for self-acceptance.
I was that same age when I read it the first time. She had freckles, like me, and she hated her freckles. So did I. But this character learned to accept her freckles – and herself. It was one of the first times I recognized myself in a book. Jane Langton wrote a bunch of other books for middle graders, and she also wrote a wonderful series of adult mysteries.
Have you ever mentored another writer with their writing?
Not directly, but I’ve provided feedback to young writers in an annual book contest run by the Society of Young Inklings, a wonderful organization that helps young writers cultivate their voices. I’ve also evaluated manuscripts as a judge in SCBWI Los Angeles’ Writer’s Day contest. Both opportunities are anonymous, but each provides rewarding experiences not only in giving encouraging feedback but also in reminding me what makes for a compelling story opening.
Are you a big reader? Do you own a large collection of books, or are you more of a borrower?
I do own a lot of books, including many of my childhood favorites, but over the last few years I’ve generally supported the public library system (and authors) by borrowing everything there. I’m trying to keep my bookshelves as de-cluttered as possible!
How do you measure the success of your writing career?
By the joy I feel holding my published books in my hands. By the satisfaction of solving a problem in a work in progress in a completely unexpected way. By the kind words of reviewers who really get what I’m trying to say in my books. By the excitement on the faces of kids when they hear what my books are about. By not giving up, even in the face of rejection.
Also check out my previous interview with Stegman here!
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