Laura Murray: Write What Your Heart Wants to Write
KidLit Craft is back with another Snack-Sized Author Interview. In this series, we ask authors five quick questions that give us insight into their craft and process. Today we’re talking with author Laura Murray.
Laura Murray balances her creative, inspired side with her analytic, organizational side with aplomb. She’ll organize the entire plot of a novel on post-it notes, and what’s written on them will be magical, whimsical, and a whole lot of fun. I’ve enjoyed getting to know Laura and her writing in KidLit Craft classes, and I’m so pleased to have her join us today. —Anne-Marie
Welcome, Laura!
Question 1: What's your writing superpower?
I think my writing superpower might be word play. Rhyme is a big part of word play for me, but I also love to play with alliteration, internal rhyme, consonance, and assonance.
I have a picture book series and emergent reader graphic novel series about a Gingerbread Man who’s loose in the school. Here’s the first stanza from the first book below. It’s a fun example of what “word play” means to me -
“I began in a bowl. I was not yet myself.
Just a list of ingredients pulled from a shelf.
Chosen by children, who measured and mixed,
my smooth spicy batter, while sneaking quick licks.”
This text was changed and reworded so many times I’ve lost count, but I believe that it’s a good sample of how much fun it can be to write and read a story that incorporates all those writing elements I mentioned above. Also, as a former Kindergarten teacher, I know that rhyme and word play also help young readers with word prediction and literacy.
Question 2: What’s an element of craft you explored in your latest project and what tips can you share with other authors for growing in their use of that particular element?
While working on a new story, I was introduced to short writing meditations and prompt visualizations.
At first, I was unsure if this was worth my time, as it was different from anything I’d ever done before while writing.
But, to my surprise, it helped me enter the headspace I needed to focus on and create characters, and quiet all the other to-dos that were competing with writing every day. I tried it every morning, first thing if possible. First, I set a timer for a 10 min quiet meditation with a focus on breath and then visualization of a setting or character. Then I wrote on a writing prompt without stopping my pen for 10-15 mins. I was amazed at the ideas, dialogue, and characters that came from consistently giving myself time to do this each morning. I typically use writing or character prompts collected from Anne-Marie’s online novel classes, and also a webinar I took on writing meditations from the Highlights Foundation.
Question 3: If you could travel back in time, what advice would you give yourself as a new author?
When I first dipped my toe into children’s writing, I heard again and again at conferences that “editors didn’t want rhyme,” and whisperings that the picture book was “dead.” The first time I heard this, I nearly keeled over thinking I had “wasted” so much time working on a rhyming picture book that no one was going to want.
But I received helpful feedback from my SCBWI critique groups and stuck with it. Ultimately, I learned that editors didn’t want “bad” rhyme – or rhyme that was off-meter, didn’t have true rhymes, or was forced into a story that didn’t benefit from it.
And along the way, I also learned that it’s pretty normal for genres to surge or dip in popularity, just as trends come and go.
So I’d say, write what your heart wants to write, and pursue ideas that make you excited. Don’t worry about trends or predictions because by the time you finish, the trends and predictions will have changed.
Question 4: What inspires you as a writer?
Being around children! Hearing their ideas, creativity, awe, wonder, and enthusiasm inspires me. This is what I loved about teaching, and what I love now about writing — connecting with kids.
Question 5: What’s one book you think every kidlit author should read?
Craft book: Story Genius by Lisa Cron - A few years ago, I decided to try my hand at jumping genres – from picture books to a middle grade novel. Since I like to plot stories first, this one was super helpful!
But as I started to write, I discovered I lacked experience in deep character development and backstory, creating authentic dialogue, and the use of metaphor, just to name a few things. Then luckily, I discovered Anne-Marie’s online novel writing courses — Writing Middle Grade for Picture Book Authors, and Write a Novel with Me — both of which have helped me in so many ways as well! Now I have the plot structure for the novel, well-developed characters, ideas for how to practice and create metaphors, and am ready to move forward.
MG Book: Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow - one of the best middle grade novels I’ve read recently as a mentor text for voice, pacing, humor, and heart.
Bonus Question: What can fans look forward to next?
I’ve got 3 more books coming out in The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School emergent reader graphic novel series. Yay!! The Gingerbread Man: New Friend on the Loose will hit bookstores on June 24, 2025. (Very excited about this one because it stars a rambunctious puppy, and we will be introducing a new puppy to our family this fall!)
The Gingerbread Man: Trick-or-Treaters on the Loose will be out in 2026 – I’ve just seen the art for this one – and just love Mike Lowery’s illustrations, as always!
And I am currently writing the next GBM book in the series for release in 2027, along with the MG novel that a writing colleague and I continue to co-author.
Laura Murray was a teacher before becoming an author, and her humor-filled, rhyming picture book, The Gingerbread Man: Loose in the School is the first of a five-book, award-winning series, including JLG, the Virginia and Illinois Reader’s Choice Award, and are PW, B&N, Scholastic bestsellers. She’s also excited to share four new GBMan Early Reader Graphic Novels, with 2 more coming in 2026! Laura is an enthusiastic presenter with over twelve years of experience presenting at schools, libraries, & conferences, as well as the Library of Congress with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. She lives with her family in Northern Virginia and loves reading, exploring, puppies, scuba diving, and hiking.
You can find her online on her website and on Instagram @lauramurraybooks
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