Hello everyone and welcome to our stop on the blog tour for Mayhem by Estella Laure hosted by Wednesday Books.
Our stop includes an exclusive Q&A with the author and we are so excited to share it with you.
About the Books
Mayhem by Estelle Laureon July 14, 2020
Goodreads
Mayhem Brayburn and her mother are on the run, not away from home, but back to it: Santa Maria, California, a beach town that looks like paradise, like carnival rides and street food and bikinis under the hot sun.
It’s where Mayhem has always wanted to be. It’s where generations of Brayburns have lived and thrived, and she has never understood what made her mother leave Santa Maria in favor of the arms of her abusive stepfather.
But when she befriends her aunt’s foster kids and they take her to their hideout, decades of secrets unravel, and Mayhem is thrust into a world of chaotic magic, a serial killer’s mind, and finally, even the answers to her own past.
Set in 1987, MAYHEM is a mashup of The Lost Boys and The Craft with a bit of the Manson family thrown in for good measure. It’s original, compelling, and a little bit rock-’n’-roll, and reading it will leave you feeling deliciously wicked.
About the Author
ESTELLE LAURE, the author of This Raging Light and But Then I Came Back believes in love, magic, and the power of facing hard truths. She has a BA in Theatre Arts and an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults, and she lives in Taos, New Mexico, with her family. Her work is translated widely around the world.
Author Q&A
What was the inspiration behind the story of Mayhem?
Estelle: I knew I wanted to write something about magic and the persecution of women perceived to be magical, but I also really wanted a renegade teen vibe. I wanted a character who was struggling with power and I wanted the power to sit at the intersection between right and wrong. Once I started discussing with my editor and we brought up our mutual love of The Lost Boys, the rest of it came together.
What does your writing process look like? Did you go into Mayhem knowing how you wanted it to end?
Estelle: I usually start with character and some thematic elements and then the rest comes. I once read that John Irving always writes the last scene first and I like that, but books are unwieldy for me and I never know where they’re going to end up. In this case, I was a lot more murderous when I started than by the last draft, so let’s just say more characters were left standing than I originally intended.
Which authors inspire your writing? Who would you love to co-author a book with?
Estelle: Right now some of my favorite YA/MG authors are Elana K. Arnold, Jasmine Warga, Kimberly Jones, Jason Reynolds, David Arnold, Jeff Zentner, Deb Caletti, Julie Buxbaum, Dhonielle Clayton, Elizabeth Acevedo, Rory Powers, Mindy McGinnis and Julie Murphy, and they all make me want to do better in every way. Maybe my favorite adult writer at the moment is Sally Rooney who wrote Normal People. She just gets me in the gut and captures something so visceral and personal about the way people relate to each other.
Do you have any reading or writing quirks?
Estelle: Many, probably! I have to write prone because of my chronic pain so I have lounging spots all over my house. I also need total silence so I have noise cancelling headphones because I have two kids, four cats, and a dog and my house is never silent. My biggest reading quirk is probably that I experience actual depression if I don’t read every single day. I don’t have to read a lot, but I think it’s how I escape or process or something, so its absence causes panic. I once went on vacation and thought I forgot my Kindle and about had a total meltdown. So yeah. I like to read.
When you’re not writing or reading what do you enjoy doing?
Estelle: I love to cook for my family; I teach high school and enjoy it (most of the time); I walk around my field with my animals because my cats meow to go on walks and it always makes me laugh walking in this swarm of animals; and I really like spending any time I can with my children and husband. My family is made up of my favorite people and I know how fleeting childhood is, so I want to be present for every moment I can. Oh, and I love to travel. We’ll see when that’s available again!
Great interview! I’m so glad Mayhem was featured because this is one I definitely want to read. I love the synopsis and the title/cover, and love that it’s set in the 80s and takes place in Santa Maria, CA., an area I’m familiar with. I can’t wait to find out what takes place in that hideout! Really excited for this one!