Laura Hulthen Thomas
Author Interview - Laura Hulthen Thomas
Author of THE MEANING OF FEAR
Set during the 2008 recession that threatens to close her lab, Lea Johnson, a behavioral researcher working to cure post-traumatic stress disorder, is also fighting to save her marriage. After her husband suffers a severe beating during an attempted robbery, Lea is shocked to learn that being an expert in fear doesn’t mean she knows how to help Jay recover. When Jay chases off a teenaged trespasser outside their home and the boy is then reported missing, Lea fears Jay may have something to hide. Lea’s growing attraction to the sympathetic cop investigating her family, and an unexpected opportunity to confront her own childhood assailant, cause Lea to face the state of her marriage, her own traumatic past, and the price of forgiveness.
Author Interview - Laura Hulthen Thomas
Author I draw inspiration from:
I have so many inspirations I'll name a few books I've read recently that I admired. Bryan Furuness's novel DO NOT GO ON is a terrific and suspenseful twist on a coming of age novel involving the witness protection program. I love the short story form, so my favorite recent reads are Dorene O'Brien's collection WHAT IT MIGHT FEEL LIKE TO HOPE and Kelly Fordon's I HAVE THE ANSWER. I also tore through DEMON COPPERHEAD by Barbara Kingsolver. And Jhumpa Lahiri's THE LOWLAND is a powerful read that combines the history of resistance movements in Calcutta with a deeply emotional study of loss.
Author Interview - Laura Hulthen Thomas | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
Any place I'm reading is my favorite place at that moment! I usually read in my living room, with a stack of books to read next on a table beside me. But now that it's possible to read anywhere easily thanks to my phone, I love to read in line at the grocery store or in other places where I wouldn't ordinarily have a book on hand. Feels like stealing a few minutes of joy and fun during an otherwise boring time.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
I'd love to be stuck on an elevator with Nilda Ricci, the main character in Beth Castodale's novel THE INHABITANTS. I'd imagine we'd first speculate wildly about what sinister or spooky forces could be behind the elevator's malfunction! I'm scared to death of being stuck in an elevator, if you can't tell. And, in Castrodale's novel, Nilda, a portrait artist, had to mine the secrets behind the history and architecture of her spooky new Victorian home, so she'd be my best bet to figure out how to deal with this elevator scenario. Would we blame otherwordly forces, ghosts from the pasts, or more nefarious real world causes for our misfortune? Nilda would be the perfect companion to imagine what the heck is going on, and also then turn practical attention to getting out of there!
Author Interview - Laura Hulthen Thomas | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
I started writing stories from a very young age, so there wasn't a specific moment I can remember when I said to myself, "aha!--that's what I want to do!" I didn't become an author until later in life. I worked for many years to publish my first book, and the path to publication was not straight at all. So there wasn't a moment where the desire and drive to write struck me, but there were many moments before the bridge between writing and becoming an author happened for me.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
When ebooks first came out, I refused to give up my print! But then I realized how much more time I could spend reading if I embraced the format. I still prefer print, and paperbacks are my typical go-to, but at this point I'm reading digital versions more often, especially during travel, or stealing time to read on routine errands. I listen to audiobooks, too - love having books along on my morning walks and runs, and in the car. I love how nowadays there's always a way to immerse in a novel, almost no matter where I am or what I'm doing.
The last book I read:
FAGIN THE THIEF by Allison Epstein. I loved how the novel reclaimed Jacob Fagin from his notoriously antisemitic depiction in Charles Dickens' OLIVER TWIST. Epstein's novel imagines Jacob's impoverished childhood and his close relationship with his loving, morally centered mother, who dies and leaves Jacob to fend for himself. We see him becoming an expert thief to keep from going hungry, and we also see the deeply complicated bond he shares with his troubled protege Bill Sykes. The descriptions of Victorian London are super. A must read for fans of historical fiction and Dickens novels.
Author Interview - Laura Hulthen Thomas | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
I write and revise on a laptop, but I take notes on characters, story, and structure by hand. My writing process has become more scattered over the years as I raised a family and nurtured a career, so now I have many scraps of handwritten notes scribbled during down times to work from when I do sit down at the laptop. I can no longer maintain set writing times either, but when I can I prefer to write in the morning before the day's duties come calling.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
When I read Melanie Finn's novel THE UNDERNEATH, I was drawn to the main character, Kay Ward. Kay is a middle-aged professional woman, a journalist, struggling with parenting her two young children while coping with her unraveling marriage. She's left her high powered career reporting from war zones to focus on her family when she stumbles into the secrets their rented Vermont farmhouse holds. I'd love to befriend Kay and chat with her about her career reporting on dangerous authoritarians, her drive to discover the truth at all costs, and the unique exhaustions of motherhood.
Author Interview - Laura Hulthen Thomas | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
Writing is still my dream career, frankly. However, my answer has zero basis in reality, but I'd love to have been either a pit musician for Broadway shows or a studio musician in the entertainment industry. I love music and I love plays and movies. When I played clarinet as a kid and a young adult, sitting in the pit, contributing to the pageant onstage while remaining anonymous, was an amazing experience for this introvert.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
The 1960s, without a doubt. From pillbox hats and pedal pushers to tie dye, leather fringe, and groovy striped pants, it's the decade that saw it all. I love how fashion reflected the political and social struggles of those times, from the status quo fashions of the early years to dressing for resistance and freedom in the hippie and student protest communities late in the decade.
Place I’d most like to travel:
I haven't been able to travel much, so I have a long list. But if I could jump on a plane to anywhere today, I'd choose a place I've already visited: Rome. Walking around Rome is a true pleasure. I'd love to make the nasoni, Rome's drinking fountains, my walking tour guides. I'd try to see as many as possible while exploring some of the out of the way places the fountains might lead me to. Also, since my last visit, I've been diagnosed with celiac disease. I'd love to explore Rome's restaurants and markets through the lens of an entirely different relationship to food.
My signature drink:
Back in the day an Illy cappucino in the morning and a Malbec in the evening made me very, very happy. Nowadays I am far less tolerant to alcohol and caffeine, so the lattes are decaf with just a micro-dose of the caffeinated stuff. On the rare occasion I have wine, I choose the most robust Cabernet on the menu to really live it up!
Favorite artist:
I have an endless list of favorites so I'll choose the latest artist I'm crushing on. This past summer I saw the Gustave Caillebotte: Painting Men exhibit at the Getty in LA. Unlike his fellow Impressionists, Caillebotte's main subjects were almost exclusively men--his brother, his intimate circle of unmarried male friends, working class men laying floors for the wealthy. He often set his paintings of men in the domestic places his contemporaries would have associated with women, and brought a sensual sensibility to these portraits. The work was so lovely to view, but I was also inspired by what Caillebotte could teach the fiction writer about how to explore the authentic selves of characters who need to stay hidden in the story's greater world. What spaces can these characters safely and comfortably inhabit? Who can be their friends, their companions, their lovers, in these private spaces? What does masking look like when they leave these spaces and companions? Caillebotte depicts these conundrums and realities in deeply nuanced and emotional ways.
Number one on my bucket list:
I have a boring but sincere answer to this question. My bucket list is to keep writing fiction; keep having characters in my mind and heart; keep having something to say.
Anything else you'd like to add:
Thank you for hosting me and asking such terrific questions! I love your site.
Find more from the author:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/laura.thomas.1426
Website: laurahulthenthomas.com
Instagram and Threads: @laurahulthenthomas
Bluesky @laurahulthenthomas.bsky.social
About Laura Hulthen Thomas:
Laura Hulthen Thomas
Laura Hulthen Thomas’s deeply human, emotional storytelling explores blue and white collars, lovers and spouses, mothers and children, and the unique Michigan places that shape these relationships. Her novels, stories, and essays reveal the complexities of home, work, and the Midwestern landscape. Laura heads the undergraduate creative writing program at the University of Michigan’s Residential College. Her first book, STATES OF MOTION, was a finalist for a Foreword Reviews Indie Award. Her debut novel, THE MEANING OF FEAR, is forthcoming in March 2026.
