Breaking Out: Lauren J. A. Bear

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We first connected with Lauren J. A. Bear during her debut novel's publication and featured her in our July/August 2023's Breaking In column. Now that her next publication has hit shelves, we're reconnecting with her for a quick Q&A.

Though it felt like ten minutes, it was actually two years. I began work on Mother of Rome in the fall of 2022, before Medusa’s Sisters was published, and finished the last round of edits in the summer of 2024. This was my first time working on an official timeline with official deadlines, and it was a completely different experience. I wasn’t writing on an island anymore! There’s a time crunch, of course, but also a greater fear of disappointment. Not only did I want to please my brilliant editor, but I also had access to reader reviews of Medusa’s Sisters. For better or worse, I read them, and I tried to address their opinions in real time as I composed my next book.

It’s almost a cliché answer at this point, but the social media game is a tricky one. As a fairly private person, the pressure to “go viral” can feel daunting. Posting selfies or making videos isn’t natural for me. I’m trying, because I love connecting with readers and other authors, but I also need to protect my mental health and focus on my work. Phones are dangerous for writers. They are black holes for creativity!

Mother of Rome was the first new book on Tuesday of 2025. It’s a quieter time of year, especially compared to the summer release of Medusa’s Sisters—and I have three young children, so my post-holiday/winter break fatigue was real! One great surprise that rekindled my energy and excitement was being selected for Book in a Box, which creates gorgeous special editions for English readers in Denmark. I still pinch myself that they chose Mother of Rome! Truly a dream.

The relationship between/characterization of Rhea and Antho. It can be tricky to write an ancient character in a way that’s compelling to a modern reader and still feels authentic to the setting, but I think Rhea and Antho transcend. I have very little interest in stories where women are pitted against each other. In Mother of Rome, people try to manipulate Antho and Rhea into competition, but they resist; they continue to show up for each other. The strong, essential bonds of female friendship, of shared sisterhood, is a motif I will continue to happily scream from the mountaintops.

I would have reminded myself earlier that I was writing a novel, not a thesis on ancient Latium! A project like this requires extensive research, and it can be exciting to share all you learn, but that’s not a story. Research is background. Mother of Rome wasn’t supposed to be a tale of Italian tribal politics, but one of a resilient, resourceful woman who loses control of her own body and fights back. I had to edit out a lot of my historical lecture tangents (particularly the ones about the ancient uses for cabbage).

My reading advice is to be a promiscuous reader! Step outside your comfort zone, read it all. Don’t be intimidated by literary fiction or turned off by genre fiction. There’s something valuable in every art form. My writing advice is to study poetry. The way poets use language with such brevity and clarity, with such sensual resonance, is a masterclass in composition.

My third book returns to Greece! Expected publication is summer 2026. And it’s a romance. Prepare to swoon.

Instagram: @laurenjabear

Twitter/X and BlueSky: @laurenjabear

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