What is the title of your latest release?
THE ALCHEMY OF FLOWERS
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
When Eloise Bourne finds a mysterious job as a gardener at a chateau in Provence, she hopes to escape reminders of children, but soon discovers an enigmatic little girl who needs her help. This debut adult novel is an enchanting, modern-day take on The Secret Garden, sprinkled with magic.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I had the joy of living in Provence for a year in college. I’ve stayed close with my wonderful French host family—I go back for visits every chance I get. I find this region to be a magical, sensual delight in all ways, and I wanted to transport readers there. Within Provence, I imagined a mysterious refuge of healing gardens within locked castle walls… paradise with a deliciously eerie edge.
Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Yes—Eloise and I would make flower potions together! We have lots in common since her journey was inspired by my own. I understand her fears and insecurities inside and out—and I’d love to give her a big hug! In creating her character, I imagined how my life might have spiraled if I hadn’t had such supportive family and friends in my infertility journey… and if my son’s adoption had fallen through. In my own life, I never hit rock bottom, but Eloise did, which I hope makes her healing journey that much more uplifting for readers.
What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Curious, healing, transforming
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
As far as research, I took a deep dive into goddess mythology across cultures, which was fascinating. From a writing craft perspective, I learned strategies to bring more tension into the narrative. In earlier versions, the middle of the book sagged and slowed. My agent and editor suggested brilliant ways to keep readers turning the pages, and I’m so grateful for it!
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I draft a few very messy chapters, then go back and do some rough revising, then keep going… and then after a few more chapters, I circle back and revise some more. I want to make sure the story is coming together as I’m chugging along! I also like to give the first chapters to my writing group for feedback, which means I need to get them into decent shape early on. And of course, once I finish, I do several full revisions with input from writer friends, beta readers, my agent, and my editor.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Bean-to-bar chocolate truffles from my local chocolate factory/shop, Nuance.
Describe your writing space/office!
Most mornings, I write in my studio on the second floor of my century-old house, nestled among spruces—it opens onto a little balcony with a treehouse feel. When the weather’s warm, I sometimes write in the 1950s vintage trailer named Peachy in my garden—I wrote several books in that makeshift studio before we expanded our house. I also love solo getaways to our off-grid tiny cabin in the Rocky Mountains—we have a solar-powered battery I use with my laptop. There are no distractions apart from the occasional hummingbird or chipmunk venturing inside, and the mama and baby moose strolling by outside.
Who is an author you admire?
I love Liane Moriarty’s genre-bending novels! With insight and humor, they bring readers on deep, meaningful character and relationship journeys, while weaving in aspects of thriller, suspense, mystery, and romance.
Is there a book that changed your life?
For decades, I’ve treasured my volume of Selected Poems of Pablo Neruda, a collection in the original Spanish with English translations. I remember falling in love with the English versions before I moved to Oaxaca in my twenties, and then, referring to the book over the years I lived there, slowly understanding more of the Spanish. Neruda’s language and themes influenced my children’s books, especially my most recent one, a lyrical picture book collaboration with Indigenous Ecuadorian leader Patricia Gualinga—Stand as Tall as the Trees (Con la cabeza en alto)—which we wrote in Spanish, and I translated to English. I feel echoes of Neruda’s precious poetry collection in it.
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published).
Alas, there wasn’t a single, dramatic call… more a series of small, hopeful moments that brought me closer and closer to the book offer! My agent, Kim Lionetti, let me know that an editor at Harper Muse, Lizzie Poteet, liked my manuscript but felt it needed some pacing work (which was something we were hearing from other editors too.) Lizzie offered me feedback in the form of R&R (Revise and Resubmit), but without any promise of a book deal. I really connected with her and her suggestions and did my best implementing her ideas. Thankfully, she and the Harper Muse team loved the revision, and offered me a contract. During the process, there were many celebratory toasts—I’ve learned over my twenty years of authorhood to embrace every tiny victory along the way!
What’s your favorite genre to read?
I love genre blends that have bits of magic, thriller, mystery, romance, horror, and/or sci-fi.
What’s your favorite movie?
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
What is your favorite season?
Summer.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
My birthday is in July, peak wildflower season in the mountains. My family and I drive from our home in Colorado up to the Medicine Bow National Forest in Wyoming to wander in the Snowy Range peaks and frolic in the blooms. At over ten thousand feet altitude, the snow melts just enough in July to let the alpine flowers bloom for a few precious weeks. The landscape always takes my breath away.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
The White Lotus.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
A tie between Provencal and Oaxacan. I was lucky enough to live in both places and experience many delicious homemade meals there!
What do you do when you have free time?
I head to our little off-grid mountain refuge that we named Beagle Holler. I wander around with the wildlife and let my soul fill to the brim.
What can readers expect from you next?
My second novel for adults is coming with Harper Muse with a tentative release date of Spring 2026. It’s set in a magic-laced world in the South of France, similar to the setting of THE ALCHEMY OF FLOWERS, but the characters are all new… I can’t wait for you to meet them!
A Novel
A broken woman. A mysterious job ad. A chance to heal in French castle gardens—but strange things are growing behind the ancient stone walls. This debut adult novel is an enchanting, modern-day take on The Secret Garden, sprinkled with magic. Perfect for fans of Sarah Addison Allen.
Help Wanted: In search of a gardener for the ancient walled Jardins du Paradis in the South of France. Unique and rustic lodging provided. Off the grid in all ways. One must grow flowers from one's merde . . .
Exhausted and broken by loss, Eloise takes the chance of a lifetime to answer an ad in a French gardening magazine. To fly away from her life in the States and tend to both her shattered heart and the flowers of Paradise. And best of all for her . . .
Absolutely no children allowed on the premises.
Within the high garden walls, Eloise starts to learn the strange rules of the elusive estate owner. Living and working in isolation with her three companions, she finds her heart opening again to friendship—and realizes she's drawn to the handyman, Raphael. The flowers whisper to her, enchanting, delighting, healing. But why are the workers forbidden from going out during dusk? Who is the "Goddess of the Garden"? Is her mind playing tricks on her, or does she see a woodsprite flitting through the trees? The giggles and glimpses of a little girl haunt her and make her question: What is real in Paradise and what is illusion?
Eloise tries to rationalize her uneasy feelings and the darkness she uncovers beneath the garden's lush beauty, but as she digs deeper into the mysteries of her sanctuary, she begins to suspect there's a child on the grounds—who may be in danger. When Paradise becomes a deadly prison, she must risk everything to protect her newfound family and claim her second chance at happiness.
Women's Fiction Family Life | Fiction Adventure [Harper Muse, On Sale: July 29, 2025, Paperback / e-Book , ISBN: 9781400349098 / eISBN: 9781400349104]
Laura Resau is the author of The Alchemy of Flowers, her debut novel for adults, and eleven acclaimed books for young people. Her novels won five Colorado Book Awards and appear on best-of booklists from Oprah, the American Library Association, and more. Trilingual and with a cultural anthropology background, she’s lived in Provence and Oaxaca, and now teaches creative writing at Western Colorado University. You might find her writing in her cozy vintage trailer in Fort Collins, Colorado, where she lives with her rock-hound husband, musician son, wild husky, a garden of healing flowers, and a hundred house plants.
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