Author Chat: Summer reading & writing with Laura Irvine

One of the things I love about summer is the way that the longer days and lightened load of school and extra-curricular responsibilities lends itself to a slower pace and more time to sink into some of the books I’ve been hoarding during the year. I know I’m not alone in loving a good summer reading session, so I thought it might be fun to chat with some authors about their summer reading and writing plans.

I reached out to a few writers and was delighted that they were keen to be included in a little summer series. Keep your eyes out for a new chatty author post every few days for the next little while – they’re all packed with great book recommendations and a peek behind the scenes with some local authors whose work I’m really excited about.

Today to kick things off I’ve been chatting with emerging author Laura Irvine. I had the pleasure of meeting Laura IRL at the Northern Beaches Readers Festival in September and have enjoyed keeping in touch and growing our friendship online since. I love seeing the content she shares about her writing life on Instagram. Check out our chat below…

Hey Laura, thanks so much for joining me on BookishBron.com today!
First of all, I’d love to know what your favourite thing about summer is.

As well as being an Emerging novelist and mum to two rascally boys, I am a Primary School Teacher, so it should come as no surprise that the Summer school holidays are a definite highlight! I am extremely outdoorsy. I love going trail walking and getting to the beach.  My parents live on the Sunshine Coast, and visiting there during the holidays with my two boys feels like a home away from home. I spend most of the summer reading, writing, and playing with my kids – just fully recharging with life’s simple joys, ready for the year ahead!

Do you like to plan a summer reading list? Do you have a particular genre of book you especially like to pick up over the summer?

I guess we could say I’m a mood reader. I have an extensive TBR list that I’ll browse for my next read, but if something catches my attention, I definitely throw caution to the wind and read it then and there. I don’t believe reading should feel like a chore on a To-do list. I’m fairly eclectic in literary tastes – I tend to reach for dark cross-genre literary fiction and psychological thrillers, but I also dabble in crime, memoirs and the occasional romance.

What’s on your TBR for this summer?

Oddly, I’m currently loving a much older book. Slyvia Plath’s The Bell Jar.  It was first published in 1963! This is a perfect example of throwing caution to the wind when something draws me in. As most writers and humans do, I was having a bit of an identity crisis not too long ago. I became drawn into Slyvia Plath’s letters within her support network of publishing folk through an Instagram page, ‘letters of note,’ and down the rabbit hole I went until I found myself reading the sample to The Bell Jar. 

On a more practical note, I already have Vanessa McCausland’s The Last Illusion of Paige White ready to read next. The Close Up, by Pip Drysdale, is on my agenda for when I’m up on the Sunshine Coast next. I’ve also had my eye on Pheasants Nest by Louise Milligan. As for audiobooks, I’ve been starting my days completing mundane tasks while listening to Women Rising by Megan Dalla-Camina. It’s the perfect New Year’s listen/read. It’s making me want to empower my female friends, assemble my male allies and kick down a door! 

In 2024, my top two reads were Melissa Goode’s Ordinary Human Love and Maxine Fawcett’s Everything is Perfect. They’re both Australia debuts, and I can’t wait to see what they do next! 

My most anticipated reads for 2025 are Megan Rogers’ The Anatomy of Tears and Mandy Beaumont’s The Thrill of It.  – Gimme Gimme! 

What’s your perfect summer reading situation? 

If a book has me hooked, it has me anywhere, anytime. A cyclone could be tearing through, but if a book is good enough, I’ll find a way to read it. Realistically, I do need shade. Ha! I burn by moonlight. Sit me down in a shady spot, my veins full of caffeine and someone else looking after my kids and I’ll read, and read, and read. 

What is your summer writing plan?

Big, big writing plans! I plan to get a rough skeletal draft of my next novel, Everyone’s Embarrassed, to my agent after the school holidays. The skeletal draft means exactly that – just the skeleton—no succulent immersive detail. We’ll ensure the novel’s structure sits nicely before I flesh it out. Then, that manuscript is shelved as I work on any final edits for You Could Have Been Perfect and embark on the massive task of choofing it out into the world. Then I’ll return to Everyone’s Embarrassed.

Where should we keep an eye out for you and your writing in 2025? 

I’m not at liberty to say much about my novels at this stage, so let’s just say exciting times ahead, and stay tuned! 

But! I am doing my first speaking event and would love to rally up a bit of a support party. In May, I’ll represent Team 30s at Generation Women in Sydney, sharing stories of New Beginnings and Reinvention for ‘Women Rising.’ 

I am always happy to chat about reading and writing on my Instagram page, @laura.r.irvine, which is also the best place to stay in the loop about where You Could You Have Been Perfect is up to. 

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Hugest thanks to Laura for taking the time to answer these summer writing and reading questions for me! You can also keep an eye out for Laura on her new Substack/newsletter.

If you enjoyed this bookish chat make sure you pop back to see who I’m talking to next! For more author Q&As now you can head over here.

xo Bron

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Author Bio : Laura Irvine

Laura Irvine is an emerging writer of cross-genre novels hitting the sweet spot between commercial and literary fiction. Laura’s writing explores the human experience where nothing is off-limits. Common themes in Laura’s writing are sex, trauma, love and friendship – because these are experiences that make us who we are. You can keep updated with Laura’s writing and reading journey on her Instagram page, as well as details of when her first novel, You Could Have Been Perfect, will be available.