— by Lin McNulty —
Clients and editors describe Ayn and Sam Gailey, curators of Novel Lab, as “Book Whisperers” whenever they coach writers. Their most recent work for HarperCollins and legendary Mets and Phillies all-star, Lenny Dykstra, took his book, “House of Nails: A Memoir of Life on the Edge”, to the 2016 New York Times bestseller list, and was praised by Stephen King as “one of the best sports autobiographies I’ve ever read.”
The Gaileys now bring their experience and skill as published authors, ghost writers, and coaches hired by major publishing houses to aspiring writers on Orcas.
Writing a novel, Ayn points out, is an experiment, thus Novel Lab’s name. “A chemistry develops between the writer, the characters and the story. Writers take something out of thin air and suddenly turn that into something that has the power to make someone they’ve never met feel an emotion miles away. That’s magic.”
Sam’s 2014 book, “Deep Winter,” from Penguin Random House was critically acclaimed by every major book critic in the country. The New York Times Book Review noted it is “beautifully written but deeply disturbing” and beloved Pacific Northwest author, Urban Waite, described it as a “beautiful and brutal debut,” comparing it to Steinbeck. The French translation of “Deep Winter” by Gallmeister Editions is in its fourth printing.
Ayn skillfully blends memoir and investigative journalism in her non-fiction book, “Pornology: A Good Girl’s Guide to Porn”, which has been translated into four languages, and is currently in pre-production as a Hollywood movie, entitled “A Nice Girl Like You.”
On their first visit to Orcas a couple of years ago, it was overwhelmingly apparent to this creative couple that Orcas was where they belonged, the place where they really felt the literary vibe and a sense of community. They sold their Southern California house and have now lived here, along with daughter Gray, for over one year.
Their first two Novel Lab workshops were held in their home, but have now grown and will be moving to a bigger venue. Their passion for coaching and developing writers also extends to a weekly no-fee Novel Lab Kids workshop. Parents “pay” with fresh laid eggs, homemade bread, flowers and more. Orcas Island School District currently provides the space for Novel Lab Kids at no charge.
Their dream is that their coaching of young writers and adult writers on Orcas will change the literary landscape on the island and result in more published authors hailing from here. They are also adding to the literary movement on the island through their work on the founding board for our first annual Orcas Island Literary Festival (www.OILF.org), planned for April 13 thru 15, 2018.
Their upcoming four-week adult Novel Lab workshop begins October 18, and will be held at Main Street Works (formerly 376). Workshop focus will be on character development, and creating original, compelling characters. Limited space, as well as a scholarship position, is still available. For additional information, visit NovelLab.co.
