Photography: Lola Llatas, Twitter profile.
lola llatas She is Valencian and writes children's, youth and adult literature. She studied Civil Engineering, which allowed her to work and live in countries like India or Australia. That led her to devote herself to literature. She is the author of the series The mysteries of Sara and also The little brothers club. Thank you so much your time and kindness to this interview where he tells us about all of them and several other topics.
Lola Llatas— Interview
- ACTUALIDAD LITERATURA: You are the author of Sarah's Mysteries y The Little Brothers Club. Where did the ideas to create them come from?
lola llatas: I have always been one passionate about children's literature. I have never stopped reading her and, now that I have two young children, I see myself reflected in her discovery of the world. I love reliving the illusion of the first things.
Sara comes from that curious part that does not judge and explores while The Little Brothers Club shows all experiences with our brothers, they do not change despite the generations.
- TO THE: You can go back to that first book you read? And the first story you wrote?
LL: One of the first books I read independently was momo, Michael Ende, and I fell in love with Momo and how she questions the system of buying and selling time that makes older people so miserable. That's when I realized how much the world would improve if we were able to see it through the eyes of childhood.
La first story that I wrote is still in my drawer, and it is also about a niño to whom it's up rescue el world of the elders. I am tremendously proud of her and hope that one day she will see the light of her.
- AL: A head writer? You can choose more than one and from all eras.
LL: I have learned to write by reading, and there are many writers who have marked me over the years. From the prose of Emilia Pardo Bazán and Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer o Poe, even the way of narrating Stephen King.
I love the accessibility of Isabel Allende, Carlos Ruiz Zafón o Elvira Lindo.
I keep learning, evolving and adding authors to this long list of authors.
- AL: What character in a book would you have liked to meet and create?
LL: I like it Manolito Gafotas. He reveals to us the absurdity of our world through his eyes. She makes you laugh and think in equal parts.
- AL: Any special habits or habits when it comes to writing or reading?
LL: I have adapted to the circumstances and read and write When I can. It is difficult to find time, but not impossible. While the children sleep or at random times. Any time is perfect to pose a scene.
Mania? I am not demanding at all. Yes indeed, I never leave a book unfinishedeither when reading or writing.
- AL: And your preferred place and time to do it?
LL: If I could choose, I would prefer to write in the morning and with the house empty of people. I like to type facing the window. On those occasions, hours go by and I don't even stop to eat.
- AL: Are there other genres that you like?
LL: I haven't discovered any genre yet that I'm not passionate about. They all discover the society we live in from different perspectives and help me understand the world.
It captivates me explore the limits, and that's why I also read and write terror. Even in children's books, as in Sarah's Mysteries, set to include supernatural elements that make us question reality.
- What are you reading now? And writing?
LL: I'm reading right now Frances Hardinger. I love his YA novels and how he handles tension and mystery. It manages to keep me expectant all the time. I'm writing a children's novel including aliens, and I'm having a blast.
- AL: How do you think the publishing scene is and what decided you to try to publish?
LL: It seems that we have come out of the pandemic by reading a little more and I hope that it continues. The publishing landscape is waking up again after the multiple confinements and the illusion is breathed in the fairs and the first meetings.
What encouraged me to publish is my passion for writing. I needed to professionalize myself to continue writing, and I must confess that It has gone really well for me.
- AL: Is the moment of crisis that we are experiencing being difficult for you or will you be able to keep something positive for future stories?
LL: Writing is my way of meditating, and it serves as my escape route when things go wrong. It helps me explore the different facets of each experience and find the starting point to continue.
Crises always bring changes, and for us as a society to make the right decisions, we need many readers with critical thinking, so, to continue reading books.