When I interviewed Cecil Castellucci a few months ago, I was impressed at the level of praise she had for her editor, Kara LaReau. So I contacted Cecil to see if LaReau would be open to discussing her new endeavor, Bluebird Works Creative Consulting. Before starting the interview, here’s a brief bio from her blog: “Hatched in a small town in southern Connecticut in the early 1970s, I eventually flew the coop and received my Masters in Fine Arts in Writing, Literature, and Publishing from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, and later worked as an editor at Candlewick Press in Cambridge, Massachusetts and at Scholastic Press in New York. Now, I’m spreading my wings again — managing my own creative consulting firm, developing my writing career, and maintaining a cozy nest in Providence, Rhode Island.” My thanks to LaReau for her time and thoughts.

Tim O’Shea: How long have you been a book editor–how many books have you edited in your career?

Kara LaReau: I’ve been editing for more than ten years — first at Candlewick Press, then at Scholastic Press, and now via my own creative consulting firm, Bluebird Works. Honestly, I have no idea how many books I’ve edited; it must be at least a hundred!

O’Shea: What’s the most challenging manuscript you’ve ever edited?

LaReau: Each book presents its own thrills and challenges, so it’s difficult to single out one in particular. I’d say the most challenging situations, in general, were those where the author was reluctant to consider my suggestions. If the author and editor don’t have a reciprocal sense of trust, the story goes nowhere.

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