Interview with Lauren Baratz-Logsted!

 Lauren Baratz-Logsted is the rather prolific author of tons of books for kids, teens, and adults! Lately, she's been writing YA historical fiction, which I just LOVE! Out earlier this year was The Education of Bet (my review here), and her latest is The Twin's Daughter, about a girl in Victorian England whose mother's long-lost twin sister shows up her doorstep...read my review here!

I had a few questions for Lauren, and here are her responses:

What sparked the idea for The Twin's Daughter?

LBL: I was curious about what it would be like to be the offspring of an identical twin. Can you imagine what it would be like to have the face you love best as a child stamped on someone else's face? The only thing I think that might be odder - and I'm only just thinking this as I'm writing to you now - would be to be married to an identical twin.

The Twin's Daughter is a bit darker than your other historical fiction, The Education of Bet. As a result, was it harder to write?

LBL: Not at all. I'd gone dark in historical fiction once before, with the adult novel Vertigo. I know most writers mine the same field, even when writing for different age groups, but I'm a seriously odd duck: I get all sorts of ideas and those ideas drive tone, theme, genre, age group of audience. Unless something's part of a series, I never perform the same Stupid Pet Trick twice.

What sort of research did you have to do for The Twin's Daughter?

LBL: Not a lot. I've always loved Victorian fiction and Masterpiece Theatre. Add a few specific details to my memory, and I'm all set.

Can you tell us anything about your next book?

LBL: You probably don't mean The Sisters 8 Book 6: Petal's Problems, which comes out on October 4 - the series is for young readers age 6-10 - so I'll say The Middle March, my next YA, which comes out next year and is about a contemporary teen with a bizarre connection to the classic novel Little Women.


What's one historical fiction novel you've enjoyed that you'd like to recommend to your readers?

LBL: It's not a YA novel but The Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George, published in 1998, remains the best historical novel I've ever read. Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund runs a close second.

Thanks, Lauren!


If you are interested in The Twin's Daughter, but aren't ready to buy it yet, read this excerpt below!