Beguiling ’Beauty’

“Ordinary Beauty” book signing, Sat., June 25, 2-4 p.m., Barnes & Noble (421 Arena Hub Plaza, Wilkes-Barre Twp.). Info: laurawiess.com

There are so many stories hanging in the balance between reality and fiction, just begging to be told, if only we would listen.

Thankfully, author Laura Wiess tends to live life with open ears and an open heart and has managed to capture some of the most hauntingly ephemeral of those stories in the 19 novels she’s had published.

In her new book “Ordinary Beauty,” main character Sayre is a survivor, and her strength and genuineness cause her to linger with you long after the last page has turned. That says something about the person who discovered her, and Wiess is no stranger to writing fiction with a decidedly realistic edge. She is also a local of sorts, residing in the Endless Mountains Region, and will be having a book signing to commemorate Sayre’s foray into the world of print Saturday, June 25 at the Arena Hub Plaza Barnes & Noble in Wilkes-Barre Twp.

“Ordinary Beauty” delves into the subjects of addiction, identity, love and loss. The main character is the daughter of an addict with an icy demeanor, and Wiess explained that the idea came from a series of philosophical ponderings triggered by a passing news story about children liberated from a busted crystal meth lab.

“I started to wonder, what would it be like to be the daughter of a dedicated addict?” she explained during a phone interview from her studio. “The more I learned, the more I wanted to be able to understand it. That’s always how stories start.”

Wiess interviewed recovering addicts and police officers and did a heavy load of online research, exploring the nuances of drug rehab centers. And slowly, the foundation started to form.

A self-described character-driven author, Wiess doesn’t plan out her novels — she lets her characters show her where to go.

“I never actually know what’s going to happen, and since you’re seeing through their eyes, and you’re feeling everything they feel, it can also be really gruesome,” she said.

She follows her characters wherever they take her, sometimes down into the depths of despair and heartbreak, and whether it’s unpleasant or joyful, she stays with them for the long haul.

“And I want to understand, that’s the thing,” the soulful author explained. “So I can’t protect the characters, I can’t hold back on something. Even if I don’t want to go into it with her, I have to.”

“Ordinary Beauty” was heavily influenced by the expansive region Wiess now calls home. A New Jersey native and nature lover, she moved to the Endless Mountains Region after being utterly enchanted by a home that was for sale. And her love of animals is also displayed in the plot as a recurring theme, as Wiess is a relentless champion of all creatures.

“I don’t think that there is a difference in suffering,” she explained. “I don’t think that we need to draw a line between human and animal. Pain is pain, and starvation is starvation. And I think that there’s a kinship there, for Sayre.”

Though this book and its predecessors are classified as young adult, they read as genre-defying entities unto themselves.

“Someone once said that the books may be about young adults, but they’re not necessarily only for young adults,” Wiess said, mentioning that she’s gotten feedback from people all across the age spectrum.

She also noted that though she is in an admirable position with her career now, it took hard work and patience to get there.

“You rack up a hefty amount of rejections, because you’re learning. And you just have to keep going. If you love it that much, and it’s what you want to do anyway, even if you never, ever, have an acceptance, you just keep doing it and learning along the way.”