In Conversation with: Patrice Lawrence – author of several YA and children's books including award-winning 'Orangeboy', 'Needle' and 'Our Story Starts in Africa'
Be nice. You honestly don’t know who you’ll cross paths with in the future and how people are connected.
Hello and Salam my friends,
This month’s interview features another writer that I absolute love! Patrice has bee a huge part of my writing journey since 2020, and she never fails to cheer me on whenever I share any news on social media. I was blessed with an opportunity to meet her in person, last July, at the Primadonna Festival. She was so cheerful, loving and supportive, cheering me on from the audience as I participated in my first panel event. I hope you find some courage through her journey.
About Patrice:
Patrice Lawrence is an award-winning writer of stories for children and young people. Orangeboy, her debut book for young adults was shortlisted for the Costa Children's Book Award, won the Bookseller YA Prize and Waterstones Prize for Older Children's Fiction and has been shortlisted for many regional awards. Indigo Donut, her second book about young adults, was published in July 2017. It was book of the week in the The Times, Sunday Times and Observer and one of The Times top children's books in 2017. Both books have been nominated for the Carnegie Award. Blog: The Lawrence Line
Name: Patrice Lawrence
Literary agent: Caroline Sheldon
Book title(s): (many!) Including Orangeboy, Indigo Donut, Rose Interrupted, Eight Pieces of Silva, Splinters of Sunshine, Needle, Rat, Diver’s Daughter, the Elemental Detectives series and picture books Granny Came Here on the Empire Windrush (illustrated by Camilla Sucre), Our Story Starts in Africa (ill. Jeanetta Gonzales) and Is That Your Mama? (ill. Diane Ewen)
Genre/category: Children and young people
Where do you get inspiration from?
My infinite curiosity about everyone and everything. A desire to challenge stereotypes and bring marginalised experiences to the foreground. The writers whose shoulders I stand on, such as Malorie Blackman, Tanya Byrne, Alex Wheatle and Catherine Johnson.
Have you always known you were going to be a writer? When did it become a dream for you?
I loved writing but it was never something that I thought working class Black girls did. Every children’s book I read when I was a child was written by someone white and dead. I had no plan to be either! I used to love writing short stories and had a couple published in teen romance magazines when I was in my early 20s. I was also lucky enough to have two English teachers at secondary school who encouraged me. When Orangeboy won prizes, they both found me on social media to congratulate me.
How do get ideas for your books? Do you ever worry that you’ll run out of ideas?
Eavesdropping conversations. Other people’s lives. Random photographs or news items. True crime podcasts (!) Fandoms. Fury. For instance, Indigo Donut, was inspired by the reporting of the death of Peaches Geldof (and the potential impact on her children) and my anger at the law, at that time, that removed young people from their foster families when they reached eighteen. Eight Pieces of Silva is inspired by old-school detective novels, Marvel/K-Pop/Lord of the Rings fandoms and my rage at the immigration laws.
My hyper imagination and our current bin fire of a world will keep me in ideas for a while.
What’s your favourite part about the writing process?
Developing new characters. I love exploring why people do what they do. It’s also quite cathartic as I can get secret revenge on those who’ve wronged me!
What was the most difficult part of the writing process for you?
The many, many edits before a book’s published.
What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received?
None, really. But I do love Stephen King’s book ‘On Writing’.
Can you tell us a bit about your path to publication?
I was lucky enough to find an agent before you had to submit a whole, shiny book! I had a short story in an anthology published by Hamish Hamilton in conjunction with the Arts Council to diversify the arts. Caroline liked my writing style and was interested in an idea I pitched.
Caroline helped me polish my work and I wrote a couple of books for educational publishers and book packagers. Then there was a big gap… I tried a few ideas, but Caroline rejected them as not good enough for publication. Orangeboy was inspired by a prompt at an Arvon crime-writing course. It was rejected by every editor at every children’s publisher – I don’t think they knew how to relate to a story with a young Black man as the main protagonist. However, Emma Roberts, the editor who did champion it, was definitely the right person for it! Orangeboy was shortlisted for the Costa Children’s Award and won the YA Prize and Waterstones Prize for Older Children’s Fiction. It’s been translated into a number of languages including Italian, Polish and Brazilian Portuguese.
As a veteran writer who’s gone through the publishing cycle a few times now, what has been your biggest learning?
The tough stuff – publishing isn’t a meritocracy. Your value is determined by how many books the publisher thinks they can sell, not by the quality of your writing – hence the proliferation of celebrity-fronted books.
The good stuff – I’m passionate about the subjects I write about. I’ve visited hundreds of schools and spoken to thousands of young people over the last six or seven years. I know that my books make a difference to many young people who’ve felt excluded or unheard.
What advice would you give a writer looking to write across genres?
Honestly – just do it. Speak to other writers for advice and tips. Read widely and post about the books you love on social media. Network. Enter competitions for different genres. Sign up to courses that help you continue to learn.
If you could share one piece of advice with an aspiring writer, what would it be?
Be nice. You honestly don’t know who you’ll cross paths with in the future and how people are connected. For instance, my award-winning book, Needle, was inspired by meeting Laura, the friend of a friend at the latter friend’s 40th birthday party. Laura’s a lawyer who specialises in supporting the most vulnerable young people caught in the criminal justice system. During 2020, she invited me to be part of an advisory board supporting the development of an anti-racist guide for lawyers. Everybody else on the group worked within the criminal justice system. However, Laura recognised the power of stories. Garry Green KC, a Black barrister who was frequently excluded from school, described being forced to write a letter apologising to a teacher when he wasn’t sorry… Off went my imagination!
Before I was published, I heard another emerging writer describe a member of staff as ‘just an editorial assistant’. That’s just rude – and that member of staff is now an influential publishing director.
What do you hope readers would get out of your books?
A good read! A will to fight injustice. Recognition of their diversity and my love of popular culture.
If there were no publishing barriers, what would your next book be on?
An 18th century investigative bureau based in the London slums.
Do you have a writing routine? What does your routine look like?
I was working full time when I was first published so I wrote on buses, trains and weekends. I’ve never really had a routine, but I am better writing in the mornings. I’m away from home quite a bit delivering events so that also makes maintaining a routine quite difficult.
Where can readers find your work?
All good book shops! I recommend the ethical online bookshop Letterbox Library for books for younger children. All books are reviewed before being sold to ensure that they don’t perpetuate any stereotypes. You can also buy/order books from indie bookshops and Waterstones and borrow from your local library.
How can readers connect with you?
Instagram, threads and dying days of X @lawrencepatrice
What’s on your bookshelf?
I’ve missed reading adult fiction. I loved Winnie M Li’s Complicit and Saba Sams’ Send Nudes. I’ve recently joined a local online book club so I’m about to start Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano. I was lucky enough to receive a proof of Lisa Ko’s Memory Piece set in past and future New York. I want everyone to hurry up and read it so I can talk to someone about it. I have a Colson Whitehead Crook Manifesto hardback ready to dive into too!
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Till next Friday,
Suad x