Meet Leslie Lutz | Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Leslie Lutz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Leslie, what role has risk played in your life or career?
The biggest risk you take as a writer is rejection. It wears at you over time and makes you question yourself as an artist and as a person. Before HarperCollins published FRACTURED TIDE, I’d received over a hundred rejections from agents on three other manuscripts. Ouch. My favorite email rejection was a single word: “pass.” Some rejections hurt more than others, but each time I got up, dusted myself off, and tried again. As the “thank you but no thank yous” piled up, I started to see the work itself as the most important goal, rather than seeing my name on the spine of a book. Ultimately, that helped me focus on taking bigger risks in my writing, which resulted in capturing a really great literary agent. Risk is uncomfortable, but risk makes you grow.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve always loved telling stories, but my career as an author didn’t take off right away. I spent a lot of time trying to piecemeal a novel together, ping ponging from one advice book to the next, looking for the secret formula for a great final draft. After a few missteps (or a thousand, but who’s counting?), I finally figured out the secret. That image of the lone writer crafting her masterpiece in solitary? That’s a romantic myth. Most writers need a community, because community helps you see yourself more clearly. Community helps you grow.

As a young adult author, I write stories that are somewhere between thriller and horror. Setting plays a huge role in my novels, and in particular, I love to throw my characters into beautiful but dangerous natural settings. I think there’s something both terrifying and seductive about places like the Pacific Ocean or the Chihuahuan desert, where the vastness of the place reminds you how small humans really are. I hope readers can vicariously experience these places and imagine what they would do if they had to survive without a map or a phone. Writing can be a great refuge for those who are, at heart, adventurers.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, so I would absolutely force my friend to visit Fort Worth in January. Day One: We’d spent the day checking out some of the livestock exhibits in the barns. Usually, I head right to the chickens, all of which make a fabulous racket and are all gussied up for the judges. Of course, I would drag said friend onto the Ferris Wheel at least twice.
Day Two: The Kimball Museum has one of the best permanent collections in the United States. In particular, we’d hang out way too long in front of Caravaggio’s “The Card Sharps,” my favorite painting in the collection.
Day Three: After two exhausting days playing tourist, it’s time to slow down. I always take out of towners to the Bearded Lady, my favorite pub in Fort Worth.
Day Four: If we’re lucky, DFW local Vanessa Peters might be playing at the Post at River East. Listening to my favorite singer-songwriter in the coolest outdoor venue in DFW is a great way to end the day.
Day Five: Lunch at Blue Sushi on West Seventh is an absolute must. No visit to the Blue is complete without ordering a plate of Shishito Peppers.
Day Six: If it’s a warm day, I’ll be taking my friend for an hour trip out to Mineral Wells for a little rock climbing. On the way home, we’d drop by the infamous Baker Hotel (due to reopen in 2023) to see if there are any ghosts hanging out in the windows of this fabulous haunted hotel.
Day Seven: On our last day, I’ll be heading out to the Fort Worth Nature Center for a little canoeing on the Trinity. If we’re lucky, we might even see the Lake Worth Monster, sighted in this area back in 1969. At the very least, we’ll enjoy a quiet day floating in the sunshine.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to dedicate my Shoutout to the DFW Writers’ Workshop. They have mentored me over the years, and I wouldn’t be a published author without that organization.

Website: lesliekarenlutz.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/leslie_writes/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lesliekarenlutz

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leslielutzwrites