Lauren Oliver was born in Queens and raised in Westchester, New York. She went to read literature and philosophy at the University of Chicago, and then moved back to New York to attend NYU’s MFA program in creative writing. Since 2009, she has been pursuing writing full-time. Learn more about her here.
NAW- Please give me your bio in brief. You come from a family of writers, right? What did you do before you started writing?
There was a while where I wanted to be a ballarina! Writing has always been an important part of my life though, I’ve been writing every day since I was probably nine!
NAW- Tell us about your book, ‘Panic.’ How did you get the idea for the book?
I was actually inspired by a Grimm’s fairy tale called “The Boy Went Forth to Find the Shivers.” It’s about a boy who is too ‘simple’ to know what fear is. It got me thinking about what we’re afraid of, and why.
NAW- You are chiefly a young adult writer but you wrote a book for adults too, right? Tell us about ROOMS.
I’m really looking forward to ROOMS! It’s about a family that goes back to clean out the home of their patriarch after his death, and the ghosts that are haunting the house watching the process. It’s about family, and the secrets that consume them.
NAW- Tell us about your other works.
I have two books for younger readers, (Liesl & Po and The Spindlers) and five YA books (Before I Fall, The Delirium Trilogy, and Panic)
NAW- What do you do apart from writing?
I love cooking, reading, and playing with my dog!
NAW- Any advice for struggling writers?
The best advice I ever got was to read as much as possible, and write every day.