Meet the Author: Olivia Laughlin

Get to know our newest author, Olivia Laughlin. She wrote The Size of Mars. Hear about her life, writing, and journey to publishing!

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

My name is Olivia, but most people call me Liv. I’m 29 years old and go by she/her pronouns. I live right outside of Boston and work in Lawrence, MA. I work as a school counselor for elementary kids, but in my free time, I love to write and create.

What inspired you to write your book?

I knew I wanted to be an author as young as third grade. Writing helps me zoom out of my brain and diffuse overwhelming feelings. The content of this particular book was inspired by the loss of self and purpose, mainly during my first experiences in pursuing love. I’m an extremely sensitive person and experience life very potently. It is simultaneously my greatest struggle and greatest superpower. It is what makes me an artist.

What is the first book that made you cry?

Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Does writing energize or exhaust you?

Energizes!

Do you think someone could be a writer if they don’t feel emotions strongly?

Anyone can be a writer, there are endless styles, genres, and depths to writing. Although for me, writing is about extracting the deepest, most venomous, and invigorating parts of an experience and putting it into words to take the reader there. For that to happen, I need to feel what breaks me. I must be fearless enough to crack myself open enough to let the light in.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

Write a diss poem about your bully and perform it for the class when the teacher calls on you.

How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?

It opened my eyes to different formatting aesthetics and helped improve my storytelling skills. Writing poems that’ll be received on a page rather than verbally changes the way I write. I write more abstractly and succinctly for poems in a book. When I perform a poem, the lines need to be interpreted in the moment without too much analysis, and I like the pieces to be longer. I am also pushing myself to write about different topics. Once the book was done, it made me want to cover more ground, topic-wise, for the next book.

What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?

Most of my writing comes from a wound. Having that wound be perceived by a larger audience is scary to me.

What was the easiest and most difficult part of publishing?

The easiest part was publishing with Meraki Press! Everyone is so kind and supportive. The process was so smooth, and they heard my voice all throughout. The most difficult part was trying to find a publisher for three years and receiving around 80 rejection letters.

Did you always want to write a book? If not, why now?

Always

Do you think you'd ever write another book?

Absolutely.

Do you have any advice for someone who wants to write a book?

Silence the imposter syndrome. Someone needs your story.

What poets do you read when you need inspiration?

Porsha Olayiwola, Yesika Salgado, Frank Ocean lyrics

Where can people find your book?

The Size of Mars is available online everywhere books are sold: Barnes & Noble, Walmart, Amazon, & Target!

Thank you, Olivia Laughlin, for sharing your time and insights with us!

If you would like to follow along with Olivia's book and further updates, you can find her on social media.

You can order her book here: The Size of Mars

Available everywhere January 23rd, 2026!