Laura Wiess MILLTOWN — Growing up in Milltown, Laura Wiess loved books. But she never dreamed of actually writing one.
“An author seemed like something in nirvana, high up in the mountains,” Wiess said .
But soon, with 19 novels and over two decades of writing experience under her belt, Wiess will return home to Central Jersey as an established author.
Wiess, 51, will be at Barnes & Noble in East Brunswick at 7 p.m. July 1 to sign copies of her latest book, “Ordinary Beauty,” which critics are calling a powerful story about a young woman’s struggle to escape the shadow of her mother’s addiction and neglect.
The idea for “Ordinary Beauty,” which was released June 14, stemmed from the rash of news stories and television shows dealing with drugs and addiction, Wiess said. News video of children being pulled out of houses with methamphetamine labs spurred a question that has guided Wiess throughout her career: What would it be like to be one of those children?
More questions followed, and Wiess began to conduct research, sifting through articles and first-person accounts online, trying to absorb anything and everything she read.
“In the beginning I never know exactly what I am going to be writing,” she said. “I follow my urge to research everything and never question myself … It all goes into a mental pot and simmers for a while.”
From the pot emerged her character for “Ordinary Beauty,” the 17-year-old Sayre Bellavia, whose life has been destroyed by her mother’s drug addiction yet still journeys to her dying mother’s hospital bed to get the answer to one vital question: Did her mother ever really love her?
“Ordinary Beauty” is an emotionally powerful novel and it is already receiving equally powerful reviews, Wiess said.
“Everyone [who has reviewed the book] has wept, which is good because I cried writing it,” she said. “So it is nice to know that that translated.”
Complex characters and heavy themes have marked Wiess’ recent works. Her critically acclaimed novel “Such a Pretty Girl,” released in 2007, tells the story of a young girl who was sexually abused by her father and must now cope with his early release from prison. And her 2008 work “Leftovers” reveals the story of two friends who commit an unspeakable act in the name of love and justice.
Yet even in her stories of heartbreak and despair, Wiess said her characters are not without hope.
“Despite what seems like dark, gritty circumstances, they always have hope,” she said.
And while her books might involve young adults, Wiess said her books are crossovers, attracting younger readers and adults alike.
“While these characters are young adults, the books and the emotions are universal,” she said .
Growing up in Milltown and residing in East Brunswick and North Brunswick before moving to the Endless Mountains region of Pennsylvania, Wiess became an author when she was 27 years old.
She had always been a writer, writing for fun and for her supporting relatives to read.
“Creative writing was my one easy ‘A,’ ” Wiess joked.
But at age 27, Wiess decided to try to take her writing to the next level and see if she could learn the craft well enough to get something published.
“That was scary,” she said of the decision.
Wiess said she read endlessly about writing, taking out books at the East Brunswick, Milltown and other local libraries on everything from point of view to character development.
At first, the hard work didn’t exactly pay off.
“You get used to rejections,” she said, as hundreds of denial letters flowed in as she submitted her work.
But finally one of her short stories, a 2,000-word romantic comedy piece called “Only Friends … Right?,” was published in a small press collection of fiction.
“It wasn’t all that much money but talk about validation,” Wiess said. “It was the one little bump in confidence I needed to keep going.”
From there, the rise was meteoric. She signed book deals with Harper Collins before entering into her current contract with MTV Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.
Yet despite moving from Central Jersey, Wiess said her experience living in the area continues to influence her work. As an author who writes from a base of emotions, Wiess said her own fond memories of growing up in Milltown can often help her get into the right mindset for a part of a story.
“That’s where I can pull a lot of stability and happiness from,” she said.
For aspiring writers, Wiess has one piece of advice:
“Write with passion,” she said. “It will show in your language. Even if that passion is something you loathe, it comes through in the language.” Contact Chris Zawistowski at [email protected].