Story & Lesson Highlights with Ava Lauren Grayson of Los Angeles

Ava Lauren Grayson shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Hi Ava Lauren, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
Books.

Yes, I bet you were expecting that answer. The moment I pick up a new book, it super glues itself to my fingers and won’t leave my hands until the last page has been read. I lose time in a book yet find myself within those pages. Reading allows me time to reflect, to aspire for my own life, to hope, to dream, to learn about myself. Your favorite book is the best friend you never thought you’d have.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Ava Lauren Grayson, and I am a debut YA author. My Young Adult Fantasy/Space Opera novel THE STARGAZERS is being published September 2026 by Quill and Flame Publishing House. Its sequel is being released in 2027.

With eight short stories published as well as a poetry chapbook, I graduated from ArtCenter College of Design’s Film program with Distinction and have worked on over two hundred films and campaigns. I am passionate about blending fantasy with space opera, writing kick-butt female heroines, and making you enjoy tragic romances.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
When I read my mom’s debut novel JANE IN BLOOM for the first time, I fell in love with the art of storytelling. I’ll be completely honest—I never used to like reading before that. But when I was eleven years old and picked up my mom’s debut Middle Grade novel about a girl who loses her older sister, I was struck with just how powerful a fictional story could be. I cried for characters I didn’t know and that weren’t real. Yet they were real to me. I realized then just how life-changing my writing could be for other people. A story that doesn’t exist in this world yet stays with you like a memory forever is true magic.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
I’ve been writing novels since I was thirteen years old and have been querying agents and publishers since I was sixteen. I have written ten books and have received hundreds of rejections. I thought about quitting once—it’s something every writer goes through. The rejections, the crash outs. But I never let the statistics of how difficult it is to get published discourage me from pursuing my dreams. At twenty-three, I signed a two-book deal and have been published over ten times. I hope that my story encourages other young writers out there to never let the rejection of this world bring them down. Never stop writing.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
Don’t write based on trend because you will always be behind the trend. Write what you want, and though it might take time, your genre and tropes will catch the right publisher at the right time.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What will you regret not doing? 
I would regret not adapting my books into films. I attended film school with the mindset of learning to direct so that way I could adapt my books and the books of other authors into films and tv shows and to share their stories with an even wider audience. As much as I love focusing on drafting and editing prose, I would also regret not pursuing that aspect of my career.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.avalaurengrayson.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avalaurengrayson

Image Credits
Headshots by Jasmine Rutledge