Laura Lekkos has spent years writing stories that audiences watch. On Friday night, she arrives at Vroman’s Bookstore to talk about one they can read.
Lekkos, a screenwriter whose credits include Amazon MGM’s “Relationship Goals” and Netflix’s adaptation of Maurene Goo’s “Somewhere Only We Know,” published her debut novel, “All the Little Ways,” on June 9 through Gallery Books, a division of Simon & Schuster. She discusses and signs the book at 7:00 p.m. at the Pasadena bookstore in conversation with bestselling Los Angeles author Elissa Sussman.
The novel follows two women — Victoria, a 43-year-old finance executive who never planned on motherhood, and Liz, a 32-year-old navigating an unplanned pregnancy and a job on a reality dating show — who meet in a group for expectant mothers and form an unlikely bond. Their friendship is tested when a revelation upends both their lives, according to the publisher’s description.
Lekkos, a University of Pennsylvania graduate who lives in Los Angeles, has written screenplays for studios including 20th Century, Netflix, Amazon MGM, Sony, Universal, and Lionsgate. She said the novel format, with its room for interiority, let her work differently than screenwriting.
“The biggest difference between writing a movie versus a book was space on the page,” Lekkos said in a recent interview with Bookstr. “I could get much more granular in the pages of a novel, which was fun.”
She said the book, which centers on female friendship and the complications of impending motherhood, forced her to wrestle with particularly challenging emotional territory — especially scenes about forgiveness.
“I don’t think that forgiving is the same as condoning an action,” Lekkos said, “but it’s possible to be furious while also being brave enough to hope that the future can be different — and better.”
Sussman, who joins Lekkos for the discussion, is the bestselling author of “Totally and Completely Fine,” “Once More with Feeling,” and “Funny You Should Ask,” according to her website. Before turning to fiction, Sussman managed animators at studios including Disney, DreamWorks, and Nickelodeon, and her name appears in the credits of films including “Tangled” and “The Princess and the Frog,” according to Simon & Schuster.
Vroman’s, founded in 1894, describes itself as the oldest and largest independent bookstore in Southern California.
“Laura Lekkos, in conversation with Elissa Sussman, discusses and signs All the Little Ways” takes place Friday, June 12 at 7:00 p.m. The event page lists no admission charge; the hardcover edition of the book is available at the store for $29. The event is at Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 East Colorado Boulevard. For more, call (626) 449-5320 or visit vromansbookstore.com.
“If having a village is helpful as a mother,” Lekkos said, “I think it’s also helpful to have one as a writer.”
