Vanessa Lanang, author of The Paranormal Playbook and Whiteout (Darby Creek, a Lerner Books Imprint), makes her home in Los Angeles, CA with her family including two cats, Brownie and Buttercup. When she isn’t writing, baking, or drinking copious amounts of coffee, she can be found playing tennis or watching her daughters swim.
Do you keep a notebook of ideas?
I love writing in notebooks or journals; I usually keep one lying around or in my car just in case I get some inspiration to do some writing. But I keep my book ideas in a file folder on my laptop. In addition to ideas, it also has a bunch of files of unfinished stories, some of them only a page long.
What are your thoughts on typewriters?
I would absolutely love to own an old-fashioned typewriter. When I was a child, maybe seven or eight, my mother found this old typewriter at a yard sale and brought it home. I used to type little stories on it all the time, and of course, we didn’t have a replacement ribbon, and some of the letters stuck to the page. But it had a corrective tape; if you made a mistake, you could backspace and re-type the letter, and the white tape would cover it. I kind of wish I still had it.
Would you rather own a bookstore or run a library?
Definitely a bookstore. To be able to choose the books and put together the displays sounds like fun. I’m also really hoping this bookstore of mine includes a rolling ladder and a little coffee shop inside.
What is your favorite social media platform?
I’ve tried quite a few platforms, and I’m visible on several of them. But my favorite has been Instagram. I like using primarily photos to create content with the occasional use of video to add to it. I feel like there’s less pressure when creating posts that I find daunting on TikTok when I have to film and edit videos daily.
What do you like to read? How often do you read?
My reading habits have really changed in the last couple of years. I think part of that has to do with me working as an editor and wanting to read more widely.
I usually only edit in romance and young adult, but I’ve expanded my reading tastes to include thrillers and horror. Because I’m usually editing or writing, sometimes it doesn’t leave much time for reading, so occasionally, I’ll listen to audiobooks, and I often read several books at once, something I never used to do. I think I have a romance, two horror books of short stories, a fantasy, and a few of these cross over into young adult sitting on my nightstand right now.
Have you made any public appearances to promote your book?
I’ve been fortunate that in the second half of the year, I’ve gone to several festivals and conferences to promote my book. In June, I was at StokerCon in Pittsburgh. I participated in a summer book festival with several YA and romance authors in July.
In September, I was on a panel at Pasadena Loves YA, and I just came back from the Brooklyn Book Festival promoting my book alongside several other authors from my publisher. Later in October, I’ll be at Liwanag Lit Fest, a Filipino book festival in honor of Filipino American Heritage Month in Long Beach, CA.
Is there a book that somebody gave to you that helped you pave the way to becoming a writer, or is there a book on writing that you recommend all writers read?
One of my most recommended books for both new and working writers is Save the Cat! Writes a Novel. I recommend it to all clients I work with when editing their book. I think story structure is very important and that having plot points in your book happen at certain beats makes a huge difference in pacing and creating a satisfying story arc for the reader. I use it to map out all my stories.
Is there a piece of writing advice that you learned in school or in a class that stuck?
This may be advice that is said often, but it rings true. Just write. Put words down on the page or on a blank document on your computer. No one will see those first drafts, and every word you get down is one step more to improve your craft.
Just like an athlete puts thousands of hours into becoming a professional in that sport, as writers, we have to write to grow. Even if it won’t be a story that you can publish, that act of writing is practice.
Do you like to physically write on paper?
As I mentioned before, I love writing in notebooks and journals. I feel like there’s something creative about the process of putting a pen to paper and writing out the words.
When I’m transferring it to my laptop, it also gives me an opportunity to do a little editing. One of my first books that I never published, I used to sit on the train and write on my commute to work.
What is your ideal writing space?
Quiet is number one. Occasionally, I can block out outside sounds and work in a coffee shop if I’m zoned into what I’m writing. But often at home, when the kids are milling around, I find it hard to concentrate; except for the cats, I don’t mind if they keep me company. I can write at a desk or table, and a comfy chair is great.
Most of my personal writing is done in the evening, so ideally, working in the day with a fresh mind and some sunlight would be nice. And some type of beverage at my side; coffee in the morning or sparkling water during the day.
Have you ever gone away to work on a piece of writing? If not, where would you go if you could?
I’ve never taken a writer’s retreat, but I think if I had the opportunity that worked with my schedule, I’d go. If it was a pressing deadline, I would probably have to settle for locking myself in a hotel room in a boring location with no distractions so I could write.
Lovely scenery and the idea of being somewhere I’d like to vacation would be distracting for me. I don’t know if I’d have the willpower to work if I knew the Italian countryside was outside my hotel room.
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