How to Manifest an Author Life with Jennifer Lauer

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Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:00:00

Welcome to Author Express. Thanks for joining us today. I'm Shawna Rodrigues, one of your hosts and the founder of Authentic Connections Podcast Network, which makes this podcast possible. This podcast is where you discover the voice behind the pages of your next favorite book, and I'm excited about the author we have for you today.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:00:21

Jennifer Lauer is a writer, podcaster, and performer. She likes to write stories with strong female main characters in the sci-fi and fantasy space. She is interested in the human condition and how it will be impacted by the morality and ethics of artificial intelligence. You can tell because in her debut novel, The Girl in the Zoo, she explores the complexities of motherhood, humanity, relationships, and ethics, all set in an apocalyptal future run by robots.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:00:51

26-year-old Mirin has been living in a zoo for 6 years. She's forced to perform for treats tossed by robot onlookers and experienced attempted meetings with other captive humans. That's definitely something that I think is a great reflection of the complexities of what actually happens in the zoos and the fears that we have of where life can be headed at times. Right? Spurred by seeing a flash of humanity in her robot caretaker's mechanical eyes, The Girl in the Zoo, is a tale of Mirin's planned escape over the course of several months. That's a description that a Goodreads reviewer, mango_vodka put into good rates to kind of describe this book. The Book Life Prize by Publishers Weekly described Lauer's work as feeling especially original, riveting, and timely. So, I'm excited that we have Jennifer here with us today to talk a little bit more about it. Thank you for being here, Jennifer.

Jennifer Lauer [: 00:01:43

Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here too.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:01:47

I love how original and refreshing your work sounds and then we get to explore a little bit with you.

Jennifer Lauer [: 00:01:53

It's interesting because I wrote this 2 years ago, and AI has just only become more and more in the zeitgeist.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:01:59

Yes. Yes. Definitely a timely thing to be exploring as things become more and more by the minute, it seems, that things are evolving with that and the questions evolving with that and how much it takes from us to learn and become things and yeah. Very timely. So, the first question we always start with is tell us something interesting about where you are from.

Jennifer Lauer [: 00:02:23

So, I'm from a small town in Massachusetts, and my dad was a fisherman, and I kind of had this, did you ever see the movie CODA? Kind of like about a family of, you know, sort of blue-collar family, and then the daughter wants to go be an artist. And so, I relate a lot to that story. So, that's kind of my beginning story.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:02:44

Is it on Netflix? I swear I saw something about it.

Jennifer Lauer [: 00:02:47

It might be. It might be now. It was nominated for Oscars. It's kind of a nice family, funny. It's a dramedy, I'd say.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:02:57

Nice. Now you have to look that up. That's awesome. Well, I am intrigued about that movie, so I might just have to check that out. I'm from a small town also, so I love those stories about those places. Because I grew up in a small town and then went to Boston and went to lots of cities. So, I joke that I'm the city girl next door because I would, yeah. One of those balances.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:03:16

So, do you have any siblings?

Jennifer Lauer [: 00:03:19

I do. I have 3 sisters and a brother, and I'm the oldest.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:03:24

Oh, how would they describe you as a child?

Jennifer Lauer [: 00:03:27

I would say they would describe me as bossy, and even though I was really into theater and drama club, I was also kind of shy and introverted.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:03:39

Oh, that's a fun balance. Yes. I have an older brother, but I also have 2 younger sisters that also have same size family. And I think bossy, they'd definitely say I was bossy even if I wasn't the oldest. Definitely that fits. So, which part of your book was the hardest part for you to write?

Jennifer Lauer [: 00:03:57

I guess I would have to say the beginning. I think that I rewrote the beginning a lot of times, and I knew where the story was going. The ending was the easiest part for me and the most fun. Like, I just love the last third of the book because it just kind of came so easily, but then I rewrote the beginning again after I wrote the end. So, I think I rewrote the beginning probably at least 10 times. Yes. Because you're always trying to get it at that point of letting everyone know who the characters are and who you're rooting for, but then also so you want it to be paced well and fun and an adventure. And I really wanted it to read fast. Like I didn't want it to be a slog. You know? I wanted you to be thrown right into the action, but also get a little bit of what her life was like day to day.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:04:46

And that's a hard balance to strike. Right?

Jennifer Lauer [: 00:04:48

Yes. Yes.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:04:50

That's so exciting. When did you first know that you wanted to be an author?

Jennifer Lauer [: 00:04:55

So, I feel like I've always been writing. I would write plays and I would write journal writing all the time. But I think that I really decided after I had kids because I was doing other art forms and I realized that running around town was a hard thing for me to do once I had little babies. And so, I've always done storytelling. I was an actor and so running around to auditions with babies was difficult, so I still wanted to do storytelling and so I started writing when my first was a little baby and, yeah. Now I really think that I found my place as a storyteller because I've always been a big book nerd and I've been in multiple book clubs, and I just love reading. So, this feels really right to me.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:05:49

That's so exciting, especially when you talk about being a performer, but also an introvert. Like, this is fun balance. Those 2 pieces, right?

Jennifer Lauer [: 00:05:57

Yeah. I think that's why writing books is a lot more my nature, really, because I think acting, I would have to put on this facade, which actually made it easier for me to do. To pretend I was someone else, but then being myself, it's easier for me to put that on the page.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:06:15

Yes. And how did you arrive at this? This book sounds like this great mixture of different genres and focuses in writing and really looking towards the future and the questions that we all have at the same time of examining things. Like, what kind of brought that as what you chose to write your novel about.

Jennifer Lauer [: 00:06:35

I was thinking a lot about motherhood. I know this sounds funny that it's a book about robots. But I was thinking a lot about humanity and what makes us human and motherhood, and so, it's kind of got a women's fiction bend. But I also am really intrigued about AI and how it's going to impact our society and how, I saw the movie Ex Machina. And it's basically about an AI being sort of held prisoner by a human and what that's like in the simplest of terms. And so, after I saw that movie, I was like, what would it be like if the human were the one being held captive by the AI? And so, that really spurred, I kind of all of my ideas came together in one, and The Girl in the Zoo was born, and so I kind of tied all of those threads together in the book.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:07:31

That's very exciting. And for you, your journey of working on the book and writing the book, what was the most exciting part of the journey of giving birth to this book and getting out into the world?

Jennifer Lauer [: 00:07:42

One of the things I struggled with a lot is the blank page, which I think a lot of writers could relate to. And I, just staring at the blank page and, like, filling it with something worth reading was the hardest part for me. And what I really learned through writing this book is you just have to get it out. You have to get it done, get it on the page, and then go back and you can make it good. That's really hard for a perfectionist to write bad words, and I was trying to do a lot, I have to say. I was trying to, like, really make an arc and tap into what the trauma would be of being held in a zoo. And, like, at the beginning of the book, she doesn't really know how to communicate well. Even her thoughts are really, like, simplified because she hasn't had any communication with other people. So, she has kind of shrunk a little. She's kind of aged backwards a little bit, and I really wanted to show that progression of her maturing throughout the book as well.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:08:39

Oh, that's really deep. And you almost have to just start getting it done to get to the further points to know how to backfill and to how to get all the things in there, and that was layers in there to get it to where you wanted it to end really. So, it makes sense that you went and wrote the beginning again once you had the full picture in place.

Jennifer Lauer [: 00:08:58

Yes. Yeah.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:08:59

I feel like we don't learn enough of that in our schooling and learning. I guess if you go to schooling just for writing, perhaps. But I feel like in our lives, in the way we learn and teach things, we're like, this is the end product. Everything has to be end product instead of understanding the end products are all about process and how we spend so much time like, you study for a test instead of, like, no. We're supposed to be learning to learn and learning to do all these pieces to refine and refine and go back and do things over and over again. And I feel like that's the piece of learning that we don't get enough of in our learning systems here in the US, at least.

Jennifer Lauer [: 00:09:34

I agree. Yeah. I think that we should be given way more chances to make mistakes and to do it badly first and then go back. Even I see when the kids have to write a paper or write anything that it's like it has to be finished product first, and that's an intimidating thing to get to. And when you read, like, these beautiful books, it’s like you can see how much time and effort and care is put into it and also when you first start writing, I think you’re expected to have some beautiful prose happen and it just doesn't at least for me, it doesn't work out that way that I have to write it really, really kind of the base level version and then go back and in revision, that's where kind of the magic can happen and learning all the tricks. Like, there's so many tricks that I didn't know existed when I first started, you know, like, about backfilling and putting things in and putting in your threads after you've finished the first draft.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:10:36

Yes. And being able to get to know it on that level, and I think that's where the beauty comes in. So, it’s nice that we can learn these things as we go along in our process if nothing else. Right?

Jennifer Lauer [: 00:10:49

For sure.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:10:50

Yes. We'll take that. We'll work with that. So, who really encouraged you writing the most when you were younger?

Jennifer Lauer [: 00:10:56

Oh, gosh. I think I had some really good teachers. I had a great English teacher in high school and also, I was a volunteer at the library. And there was this amazing librarian that was a mentor to me and she just really, you know, she was someone I could talk to about books and I could talk to about life. And I definitely think that. I'm really grateful that I had those people in my life.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:11:22

Yes. That's wonderful. That makes such a big difference. I love that. Where is the best place for people to be able to find you and connect with you?

Jennifer Lauer [: 00:11:29

I would say my website. As easy as jenniferleelauer.com. And I have a button on that website that connects to my newsletter, The Delicate Papers, and so that's kind of what I update the most aside from my Instagram.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:11:44

I love that. The delicate papers. That's beautiful.

Jennifer Lauer [: 00:11:47

Oh, thanks. Hopefully, I will live up to that name at some point. Right now, it's just been basically, book promotion. And I've tried, you know, have a few things that help other authors with their writing is kind of what my goal is.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:12:02

Oh, that's exciting. I'm sure authors appreciate that. We all need a little support and a little bit of those pieces.

Jennifer Lauer [: 00:12:08

Right.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:12:08

So, in closing, what book or story inspires you the most?

Jennifer Lauer [: 00:12:12

I think right now, one that I'm really excited about is Martha Wells', Murderbot Diaries, and the 7th book in the series just came out called Systems Collapse. And I just got it, and I'm very excited to read it, but I've read all 6. And these short novellas about this murder bot who is very charming and snarky, and it's kind of an unexpected little sci-fi story. So,

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:12:40

very fun. I like sci-fi stories. A little bit of surprise. That's very fun. Thank you so much. It's been delightful to get to know you and learn more about The Girl in the Zoo.

Jennifer Lauer [: 00:12:50

Thank you so much for having me.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:12:52

Thanks for joining us. I hope you take a second to give us a review or a couple of stars on your favorite podcasting platform, and we'll be here again next Wednesday. Follow us on Instagram at Author Express podcast to see who's coming up next. Don't forget. Keep it express, but keep it interesting.