Interview with Lauren Magaziner

As the woman who does our new kids’ books post, this interview was particularly interesting to me. I always love discovering a new-to-me author. Ready to learn about Lauren Magaziner’s life in Philly and her journey to become an author? Read on!

Lauren Magaziner on Philadelphia

What is your connection to the Philly area, and if you went to school here, where?

I grew up in Bucks County (Yardley first, then New Hope). Now, I live in the city of Philadelphia and love it!

What is your favorite restaurant in the Philly area?

I was raised on 45-minute drives into the city just for Penang, so it’s a perpetual favorite for me. It checks both my boxes of 1) delicious food and 2) the nostalgia factor. Recent favorites that I’ve been frequenting are Joe’s Steaks, Dim Sum Garden, Parc, and Suraya. Happy that Jim’s South Street is back because it holds strong lore for my family; my parents ate there the night they got engaged. It’s our family’s special spot.

What is your favorite hidden gem in the area?

Magic Gardens. It’s not very hidden to Philly folks, but none of my friends who visit seem to have heard of it, and it’s my favorite place to introduce them to. Every time I go, I get inspired!

What is your favorite memory of this area?

A childhood memory that sticks out to me is going inside the heart at the Franklin Institute—that whole museum is mind-blowing for kids. As an adult, maybe a tie between winter ice skating at Penn’s Landing and summer silent discos on The Oval.

What do you love most about the Philly area?

I love the spirit. I think Philadelphians are fun and cool and interesting. People here are really passionate, and I think that gets a bad reputation with anyone who isn’t from here and doesn’t understand—but in my opinion, verve is a good thing! We have that inner fire. That gritty energy. Go birds!

Lauren Magaziner on Reading

What sparked your love of reading?

I’ve always loved reading, for as long as I can remember. My parents read with me before bedtime, and those are some of my favorite memories. Even when I was old enough to read books on my own, we still read together!

But what sparked my love of middle grade books specifically was my third-grade teacher, Mrs. Afferton. She noticed I was reading a lot of chapter books that were a bit below my reading level, and so she used to bring me middle grade books from her home library to challenge me and expand my horizons. And wow did that spark a lifelong love!

What are some of your favorite reads?

In kidlit— the Lockwood & Co series, Meet Me on Mercer Street, Jennifer Chan is Not Alone, Sideways Stories from Wayside School, The Hunger Games series, the Wilderlore series (written by another Philly author!)
In adult— The Song of Achilles, Dark Matter, Gone Girl

What is the last book you read and love?

In kidlit— The Underwild: River of Spirits, an absolutely gorgeous exploration of grief, memory, and love.
In adult— Project Hail Mary. Action-packed, full of science, and funny to boot. I can’t stop talking about this genius book.

Where is your favorite place to read?

Usually tucked in bed or curled on a couch. But if we’re not talking about my daily life, then the objective best place to read is sprawled on an outdoor chaise, beneath an umbrella, on a beach, with no unread emails in my inbox nor looming deadlines (dare to dream?).

What’s on your nightstand?

So many books that my stack is in danger of toppling over! On deck for me: Piranesi, Babel, Circe, Nevermoor, The Many Hauntings of the Manning Family, and a manga volume of My Hero Academia. Not sure which order I’ll be tackling them yet, though.

Lauren Magaziner on Her Job

What inspired you to become an author?

Wonderful teachers put me on this path!

My 4th-grade teacher, Mr. Bloom, had writing workshops as part of his class. We were supposed to turn in a 3-5 page story each month, but I got super immersed in a (depressing Holocaust) story I was writing and wasn’t ready to hand it in when it was due. Instead of demanding the assignment, my teacher said, “You’re clearly inspired. Keep going. See where it takes you.” In hindsight, I am so grateful for a response like that because it nurtured my passion. When I finally turned in the story, it was 30 computer pages… A lot for a 4th grader! That was my first indication that I was going to love writing longer fiction.

But I didn’t really consider this as a career until 8th grade due to another encouraging teacher, Mrs. Augenblick. One day, when I was browsing her classroom library and being picky about which book to read next, she said, “If you can’t find the book you’re looking for, why don’t you write it?” And so I did! Or… I tried! Honestly, that first attempt wasn’t a very good book, but I loved writing so much, that I kept writing novels all throughout middle school, high school, and college—until I eventually wrote The Only Thing Worse Than Witches, my debut published book.

What is your favorite part of your job?

What a joy, what a marvel, what a thrill it is to get to tell stories for a living. I love the writing… Every frustrating, messy, glorious part of it. But I especially adore revisions, where the book really starts to click.

My other favorite part is meeting the kids. Books are so formative to elementary and middle school aged kids, and they get so enthusiastic about stories, characters, and worlds in a way that just can’t be beat. I love being reminded of who I write for and why I do this—to help them foster a lifelong love of literacy.

Can you tell me about your new book?

In The Incorruptibles, anyone can become a sorcerer, but only the truly power-hungry do it. Because magic is used as a tool for oppression, and sorcerers think themselves superior to people without magic. Humanity’s only hope is a resistance group (Incorruptibles) made of regular humans who fight these tyrannical sorcerers with nothing more than tech and grit.

We follow thirteen-year-old Fiora Barrowling, who hates sorcerers, after they killed her parents. Early on, she accidentally defies two of the most powerful ones, gets a target put on her back, and—for her own safety—is whisked away to Inc Academy, a school where kids train to become Incorruptibles. But when strange accidents start happening on training missions, all eyes are on Fiora, as the new kid. She must uncover who’s selling the Incs out before she gets booted!

What is the biggest challenge you face as an author?

Getting the word out. I hustle a lot to do school visits, events, festivals, interviews (hi!), but my own personal reach only extends so far. The hardest challenge to overcome is: someone might really love your book, but people can’t read a book they’ve never heard of! (Authors rely heavily on word of mouth, so if you love a book, be sure to shout about it.)

What is the most surprising thing about being a writer?

Just how many people work on a book!!! Whole teams: editorial, design, marketing, education and library, publicity, production, sales, managing ed, sales reps, and more. There are people that I (the author) have no interaction with who pour so much time and hard work into their piece of the puzzle, and I’m so grateful to them, even though I have no idea who they are. I’m never going to get over this aspect; I’ll forever be shocked and awed by how much teamwork it takes to breathe a book to life and help it find its legs. And for The Incorruptibles, the Simon & Schuster team did a terrific job!

Lauren Magaziner on the Great Coffee/Tea Debate

And most importantly, coffee or tea? Tell me your go-to order!

Tea forever!!! Preferably Earl Gray, English Breakfast, or Jasmine… No sugar, no honey, no milk. But it MUST be paired with a cookie (or similarly delicious sweet treat)!

Epilogue

While Lauren Magaziner has written lots of children’s books, The Incorruptibles was my first exposure to her. While I wait for the rest of the series, which backlist books should I read? Have you read any of Lauren’s books?