Debut Author Interviews

Melissa Marr is the author of Wicked Lovely (HarperCollins, Summer 2007)

• Melissa Marr on...Dream Editors
• Melissa Marr on...Writing Process
• Melissa Marr on...First Novels
• Melissa Marr on...Family Appreciation
• Melissa Marr on...Completion
• Melissa Marr on...Critique Groups
• Melissa Marr on...The Call
• Melissa Marr on...Audience
• Melissa Marr on...Surprises
• Melissa Marr on...Writing Schedule
• Melissa Marr on...Other Careers
• Melissa Marr on...After-Sale Revisions
• Melissa Marr on...Agents
• Melissa Marr on...Prior Research
• Melissa Marr on...Promotion
• Melissa Marr on...Ideas
• Melissa Marr on...Training
• Melissa Marr on...Why Kids?
• Melissa Marr on...Setting
• Melissa Marr on...Celebrations
• Melissa Marr on...Query Letters
• Melissa Marr on...Influential Books
• Melissa Marr on...Character and Self
• Melissa Marr on...What's Next?
• Melissa Marr on...Impact on Readers
• Melissa Marr on...Why Write?
• Melissa Marr on...Favorite Teacher
• Melissa Marr on...Self-Help Books
• Melissa Marr on...Favorite Library
• Melissa Marr on...Favorite Book
• Melissa Marr on...Cover Art
• Melissa Marr on...Character's Conflict

How did you choose your editor and was he or she the “dream editor” you wanted?

My editor, Anne Hoppe, was one of 10 who looked at the text. She received it Friday, skipped breakfast Saturday to read it, and called my agent that weekend to say she wanted in on the bidding. (My agent was setting up an auction.) On Monday, when I heard that she was that enthusiastic, I wanted her and none other. But later that day the first offer came in. I was traumatized. I wanted Anne. We turned down that offer (not because of Anne), but then several others started calling. By Thursday, we knew we had other four more editors interested, a verbal that a pre-empt offer was en route … I was a wreck. It was so exciting, but I wanted Anne. Fortunately, Anne wanted the book enough that she contacted Michael Stearns in London. By Friday we had the official offer for three books. It was so much more incredible than I could’ve dreamed.

Several of the other editors wowed me, but Anne skipped her caffeine for my characters. She moved all sorts of things to make this happen, dealing with an emergency meeting, cross-continental discussions, et al. It really was the perfect fit for both of us. She’s come to DC to see me, made me feel so incredibly comfortable with everything, and offered so many insightful ideas of the books as a whole.

As icing, afterwards, I learned that I had a second editor—Nick Lake—since the book is being co-released with Harper UK. Dual editors seemed pretty daunting, but fortunately, Nick is almost as enthusiastic as Anne and offers a very different perspective on the text. I am so very awed by my editors.

What is your writing process?

Like Paula, I’m a muse writer. I do a lot of walking with my camera, meditating, and anything else I can to feed Ms. Muse. Until I find my characters, it’s all about just finding things that spark. Once I have my POV characters in line, it’s a mad rush. Since I write third person with multiple POV, my plot is a result of putting the characters in a box and shaking them up.

For me, BIC (butt-in-chair) doesn’t work. If Ms. Muse isn’t willing to dance, I either revise what I have, go play, or try to find ways to entice her closer. When she dances, I don’t leave the chair for 14 hour time blocks. When she doesn’t … *shrug* … some people can’t be forced to function on any schedule but their own. My muse is one of them, so I roll with it. It works.

Once I get to the final third to fourth of the text, I start examining my narrative structure by organizing events with colour-coded post-its on my grey-board. This helps me assure that each narrative flow is represented efficiently.

Was this the first full-length novel you wrote, or rather the first that you sold?

WICKED LOVELY is the second novel I’ve written.

In Jan 2005, I started a MG novel. I finished it 4th of July.

While I waited for replies to my agent queries, I started thinking about a YA. I walked & took photos & jotted phrases to distract myself.

In September, I started writing.
In December, I finished.

In January 2006, I sent queries to agents and started a third novel (INK EXCHANGE).
In February I had offers of representation.
In March I sold SQ, INK (still in progress), & an unwritten sequel to HarperCollins.

The first novel is still sitting on my PC.

Now that you’re under contract, does your family better appreciate your writing?

My spouse, children, & parents have actually been more supportive of my writing inclination than I have. Writing was a dream, not a practical option. If not for their encouraging me, I wouldn’t have stepped out on this branch.

So I set a deadline— 3 years to write. I couldn’t let go totally though: I taught part-time (2 to 4 college courses per term). It’s important to me to pull my weight, and I felt that I wasn’t, so I had just decided to resume FT teaching. My family was very opposed to this plan. So when the contract came—a few months shy of my deadline—it resulted in quite a bit of me saying “I was wrong, & you were all right.”

They had faith all along; I didn’t.

How did you know you were “done” with your book and ready to submit it?

This is such a tough question for everyone, I suspect. (So— What a good question!)

I had a request for the full manuscript from an agent before I was done writing the novel. This caused stress & excitement in equal parts. I had final exams to grade, end of term essays, & was still in revisions. I wanted to be done Right Away, but each day I re-read it I found myself tweaking & changing.

I decided that I needed to be at the point of “less than a scene” and “no major adds.” Once I reached that point, I walked away for 2 weeks to verify that I wasn’t just tired of it. When I went back and made no major changes, I printed it & mailed it. While I waited, I polished my query letter & sent out my first batch of queries to the agents on my list.

There’s no perfect formula for testing done-ness, no toothpick in the cake, but I believe that walking away is a useful strategy. It helps develop fresh eyes.

Do you belong to a writing group?

No. When I started writing short stories (3 years ago), I tried a couple online groups. It wasn’t really a good fit for me. I joined SCBWI & requested info from my local chapter on joining a crit group. Several emails later, I offered to coordinate a new group for others like me who were also waiting. Still, nothing came of it. *shrug* I figured the universe hadn’t willed it to work & my efforts were seeming futile, so I stopped looking for a group.

Ultimately, my novel was read by exactly 2 family members & 2 “objective” readers—a short story writer I met in that first online group and a former roomie—before it sold.

What happened when you received ‘The Call’ that your book would be published?

Friday March 10th. Spouse & kids were playing hooky because we had a guest visiting. We were on the way to Disneyland. The phone rang. Rachel (Vater, my agent) said, “Sit down right now.” I did. Then she told me what the offer was AND that it was a three book deal AND that it was from Anne Hoppe (the editor I was hoping for). I made her repeat it over & over. I made her tell my spouse. I asked her to email it to me so I could read it because I was pretty sure my hearing was off.

Then we went to Disneyland, and I bought a Nightmare Before Christmas shirt to celebrate. :)

Who is the target audience for your book?

My target audience is first and foremost the people who get that wearing black/piercings/ink isn’t a cue that one is “depressed” or trouble. It’s the readers who know that being “alt” often equates to being quite happy—and quite interesting.

As a teen and later as a university teacher, I’ve known so many incredible people who weren’t the least bit interested, impressed, or even aware of the mainstream crowd. I get so furious at the stereotypical portrayals of the alt crowds. I will resist the urge to name names of the offenders, but the bottom line is that the “weird”/creative/alt characters are often seen as targets to be assimilated, freaky wisemen to enlighten the mainstream main character, villains, et al. I wanted to write the people I have known for the readers who get that these others traits ascribed to the alt crowd are assinine, condescending, just wrong.

But that’s just one facet of the readers I want to reach. My text deals with issues of volition, the trouble with living in a world where there are rules to follow that one doesn’t make but cannot escape. That is a reality I expect that many young adults can identity as their own. I want to talk to them. Some of those volition issues are gender issues, sexual assault … I know that topic far too well. I want to speak to the readers who also know that reality. I want to remind them that there are a lot of paths that can follow Bad Things. I want to remind them that Bad Things aren’t always fatal to happy endings—but admit that sometimes we need to redefine what “happy endings” are.

I want to talk to the readers who dig faeries, who believe that the world is more complex than we know, who get that moral relativism is fun to ponder, who like eclectic things, who are jonesing for tattoos, who … I dunno. Mostly, I just want to reach whomever does me the honour of wanting to read my text.

What has surprised you the most so far?

It might be easier to ask what hasn’t surprised me. The whole process has been a series of surprises for me.

The big ones—

—Money: As Ruth notes, I heard repeatedly that one couldn’t make a living doing this. Thus my hopes for the sale were pretty low. But, I am making a good living writing.
—Time: Less than one week after my agent sent the text out to editors I had a number of offers. Within days, I had a life-changing pre-empt offer.
—Editor(s): I ended up with 2 of them, 1 in the US (who acquired the book) & 1 in the UK.
—Control: My publisher has invited my input on everything, including the cover design.
—The Team: The entire team at Harper has embraced me with a warmness that actually brought tears to my eyes by the second day of meetings. They are insanely fabulous people. My time in NYC with them was wow… there aren’t words really that capture how amazing it was.

I know it doesn’t always work out beautifully, but I went from thinking I shouldn’t dare do this to wondering how I can possibly pay back the wonderful attention and care that my agent and publishing house have shown me. This has been my lifelong dream, something I was terrified to try, and they have made it so much better than I’d ever dared hope.

So, umm, it’s mostly all been a surprise, but the biggest surprise is that the fantasy is possible sometimes.

What is your writing schedule?

My writing schedule changed after the deal. For the first novel, I wrote at night and all day Saturday & Sunday—unless I had grading to do, lectures to draft, or other tasks that had to get done for my paying job. Now, writing is my job so I write whenever I need.

Even so, I don’t write every day. I’m a believer in the theory that one must live in order to be able to write. I wander as much as possible—museums, city streets, parks, desert, ocean, forest. I read daily. I meditate. Then when the story strikes, everything stops. I write 14 hours at a clip. My family brings me food & coffee at the desk, and I don’t leave the office for a couple of days.

That said, I don’t think writing is just that act of fingers on keyboard. The wandering, mediatating, reading, exercising—those all are part of my process too. They are the actions that feed Ms. Muse so she’ll let me have my 14 hour writing days.

What career would you pursue if you weren’t a writer?

Until now, I taught university literature, so writing is my second career. If I didn’t write, that career would be the one I’d continue to pursue. I’m tempted some days to get another degree, but I have time still to try that later if writing doesn’t work out. History & Anthropology (so I can work digs) is my next big interest.

How much revision did you do AFTER you sold your book to your publisher?

I’m not sure how one quantifies “how much.” My editor claims the text didn’t require “that much revision at all.” Hmm. I’m not sure we define “that much” the same way though so I’ll share the steps I took.

Step 1
My editor (the lovely Anne Hoppe) sent me a letter & the manuscript. This letter included everything from a bit about her to the house’s dislike of the title to why she loved the book. It also had a list of what they wanted more of and (pout) a couple scenes they thought needed omitted so as to not spoil surprises. The text had scrawl that ranged from smiley faces to questions. I read & pondered this, spoke to Anne at length, & then spent a couple weeks in my 14-hour-a-day mood.

The word change was about 4-5k (out of 76k total).

Step 2
A few weeks later, I received another letter from Anne. This was mostly specific to the added chapters & more little stuff. The requested pages were in the package too.

The word change was about 1-2k (out of 76k total).

Step 3
I received a letter from my second editor, my UK editor Nick Lake, with his comments. That letter had Anne’s responses to Nick remarks in it. It was fascinating to get the two opinions.

The word change was about 1-2k (out of 76k total).

All said, I’m told that the changes were minor ones, but each phrase, each nuance, each gesture has been examined by two editors, so in the midst of it all, sometimes it felt pretty intensive.

Is an agent useful or necessary for a first-time author?

Like all answers in the writing world (the world as a whole?), the answer to this is subjective. For me, I find my agent quite necessary. I would be completely & utterly lost without her. (Disclaimer: She pretty much went out & brought me back a bag of stars and continues to deliver meteors and other celestial goodies to my door every so often. I’m really biased.)

My manuscript didn’t need much editting according to her, so the time between signing with her & getting the deal was about 3 weeks. The time between signing & her contacting editors was about 10 days. It was a big, overwhelming, intimidating blur. Afterwards, we had almost 3 months of contract negotiations between agent & publisher. During that, we had subrights sales and queries on film rights. I couldn’t have handled any of that without her. It was very stressful every with her handling the bulk of it.

Shortly after that I was summoned to NYC for 2 days of meetings, greetings, & discussions. Again, she was there to facilitate the process & assure that my rights were well looked after.

Now she’s giving my detailed editorial notes for the second book (it was a three book deal), helping me cope with oddities I couldn’t have been prepared for (dual editors, pre-publication tour, et al). I cannot say frequently enough how much I rely on my agent’s wisdom & support. From the onset of our relationship, I have found her not just “useful” but very, very necessary.

That said, please remember that there are scammers & other foul beasties out there. Check up on any agent before you sign your name. Good agents don’t require reading fees. Good agents don’t feel threatened by polite questions or requests to confer with other clients. (I’ve willingly & gladly answered questions for writers interested in checking out Rachel’s credentials.) Like anything else in business, do your research & trust your gut.

How much research and/or meditation about your subject did you do before you began your first draft?

I didn’t research in the proper sense at all. I’ve always read old folk & faery tales. I grew up with it, so from that perspective I suppose I’ve been researching for a couple of decades. I’ve never thought of it that way though. I just like old books. And I had this fascination with Cailleach Bheur that I’ve pondered for a while. Over the course of a week or so, I re-read all I have & could find on her—and the idea of the cailleach in general and the varying versions of her—to write a short story in fall ‘04.

In December ‘04, that short story was rejected from adult SpecFic magazines & children’s—both suggesting I try the other market. So I set it aside. But in the summer of ‘05 I picked up the short story & still loved it. I pondered for a few weeks. Then WICKED LOVELY just poured out over a few months in Fall ‘05. I suppose one could argue that there was meditation going on in a subconscious way for a while, but my actual conscious meditation was just a couple of weeks.

What is your plan to get the word out to the public about your book?

I don’t know that I have a concrete plan just yet. I have my website, & I’ve had that up for a bit now. I spoke to a few personal publicists, but after I met with my marketing team in NYC I was given to understand that Harper had much of that under control. Recently, I’ve received the final marketing plan from Harper US. (They are being just fabulous.) My only request was that my book be in their First Look program. They’ve done that and so much more. One fun thing is that they’re sending me out on a pre-publication tour to a number of cities. Aside from the general anxiety that I’ll sound inarticulate in conversations, I’m pretty excited about that.

And, my Darling Nick (my British Editor, N. Lake) tells me that I will be doing PR stuff next summer in the UK—possibly just London, but those details are not set yet. We’ll see. Either way, that sounds like good fun too.

Beyond that, I have a few vague ideas, but I don’t have a proper plan. My plan is to let the folks who have the plan run this part. If needed, I’ll supplement if it becomes prudent to do so. Right now though, I’m just putting my trust in the experience of those who know better than I do.

Where did you get the idea for your book?

I have absolutely no clue where I got the idea. Years of reading folklore? Life? I can trace the influences of some aspects of the text(s), but that’s as close to an answer as I get here. One day I wrote a short story (not as dark though) with the general plot of the text. A year later, I picked up the short, and it evolved into the novel over a couple months. I credit my muse (Ms. Muse) for telling me the tales. She dictates them; I just write them down.

What writing training have you had?

Once upon a time I wanted very much to take creative writing courses, but I thought writing was a pipe dream. I figured I’d be secure enough in my career to dabble in writing when I hit 40. That was my plan, so I didn’t fuss at pursuing any creative writing courses.

In college, I majored in Lit, minored in Soc. I did take a semester of writing prose non-fiction. It was a bit touchy-feeling for my tastes, but we only met with the prof every so many weeks. I liked that. In Grad School I concentrated on the Victorians, Faulkner, & Feminism—no writing courses there. After I finished my degree, I taught lit.

Three years ago, I signed up for two online writers crit groups. I met some nice people, but my multiple POVs caused much consternation. I heard advice on what the market wants, and I was told very often that what I wrote wasn’t it. I quit them both and wrote a couple novels.

I’ve never attended a live critique group, workshop, conference, retreat, or fiction writing course. What I did do, however, was read like a madwoman. I worked my way through a lot of classic literature, philosophy, academic articles, popular fiction, children’s fiction, and essays on all of the above. I re-read books to study what makes them sing or stumble. Studying literature and popular fiction has taught me more than I can express. Plus, umm, I study people. I bartended and taught and partied and took road trips and tried new experiences and met people from all sorts of walk of life. The combination informs my writing in ways I like.

Creative writing courses, workshops, and crit groups didn’t appeal to me, but many people find much merit in them. Like all things, there’s many paths to get where you want to go.

Why write for children and teens?

I don’t know that I “write for teens.” This one was for specific teens & specific reasons. Others may be for other ages or groups or whatever. It all depends on Ms. Muse’s moods. I wrote this for teens for two primary reasons.

Reason #1—My daughter & I started reading YA together a couple of years ago, and she found too many fantasy books with girls who weren’t active enough or MCs who were all boys. I remember that feeling far too well. We found others with characters she liked, but she wanted more. I wanted more. So, I wrote a book.

Reason #2— I wanted to write a book for the teens I knew then & now. I see all of these “alt teen” wanting to be like the “cool kids” (*laughs*) or needing “saved” or being “trouble.” It infuriates me. Piercings? Leather? Black? “Weird” taste? Most of the interesting people I’ve known dance to the sound of a different instrument, not just a different beat. This is a point worth praising, imo. So, I wrote a book.

Where is your novel set, and why there?

Both of my novels are set in a fictional small city with an abandoned railroad lot, a warehouse district that’s looking a bit worn, and a high unemployment rate. There are a number of smaller dying cities that influenced the aspects of my town, but I chose not to name the city after any one of those out of respect for those places. Why there? It’s set in such a place because there are so many smaller cities clinging to life but not thriving. They have a character that intrigues me. I can find traces of it in neighborhoods of larger cities, but it’s not the overall pall that I find in small struggling cities. That pall feels like home to me, so I wanted to set my texts in such a city.

There were other reasons, of course. As the novels deal with faeries, I wanted to utilize the fey aversion to iron (& therefore steel) so I added the railroad. As the novels deal with the mortal desire to escape and find a better life, I wanted a city where the very air felt oppressive, so I added the warehouse district. It works. And, well, it’s where I and the people I’ve known once lived and left. I love that odd beauty of steel and broken windows, and I wanted to write those images into my characters’ lives.

How did you celebrate your book sale?

I bought a Nightmare Before Christmas hoodie at Disneyland (we were on our way there when I got the call)—and then Monday I gave notice that I was quitting my job. Then when the advance came, I sat up one night with my spouse & paid off the bills. Umm, and I smiled a lot and worried a lot.

Describe the query letter that got you published.

For the most part, mine’s pretty standard stuff.

Para #1— Why I’m querying you. This varies by agent, but here’s one example “As you are reputed to be building your list of speculative fiction authors, I am writing to inquire if you would be interested in seeing my urban fantasy novel for older YA readers,TITLE (65k).”

Para #2— Overview of novel (4 lines total, short synopsis)

***Para #3— Other details (“The novel, which is set in a smaller city with a high unemployment rate, utilizes the third person narratives of all three of the primary protagonists—Aislinn, Keenan, and Donia. I believe it would appeal to older teen readers of such novels as __________. While it does contain some darker elements ___________, they are not gratuitous.”)

Para #4— Intro of my creds (nothing much to say here, so I stated my undergrad & grad degrees & that I’ve been teaching university for a decade plus)

Para #5— Closing (“As per your guidelines, I am enclosing ________ of the novel, which has not been submitted to editors yet. If you’d like to consider TITLE, I’d happily forward it to you in print or digital format.)

In my opinion, Paragraph #3 is the only “odd thing” I did. Basically, I answered “what makes this text different?” & “where does it fit?” My response rate was very high. The agent I chose used a version of my letter in her pitch to the editors.

That said, I think A.C.E. had the magic answer here—query letters don’t sell books. Query letters can make an agent or editor pause to look at the text. The selling part is about the text itself. Even the world’s best query letter can only get you to the door, it’s the text that gets you into the house.

What books had an impact on you when you were growing up?

Oooh, I was just talking about this elsewhere with some urban fantasy authors! Here’s my list—

Childhood:
My grandmother had a shelf of books in “the spare room” at her house. One of these was a 1907 text Draper’s Self-Culture: Fairy Tales, Myths, and Legends. I read and re-read that until I could tell the stories in it. My other fav reads were presents—Andersen’s Fairy Tales (Grossett & Dunlap, 1974) and Aesop’s Fables. I’m still carrying these books with me as I move about the country. Around 12, I started to read Shakespeare, The Odyssey, a collection of English poetry (that I still have), and a bunch of other lit texts my uncle gave me. He’d bring me boxes of books twice a year (he taught college so they were extra “review copies” or books he picked up at used bookstores or read and didn’t want to keep).

Teen:
By 13-15, I read whatever I could get ahold of—myth, romance, fantasy, history, mystery. I, umm, read dictionaries and the phonebook when I ran out of books. Somewhere around 16/17, I discovered the Beat authors (I liked Keroauc & Ginsberg, not Burroughs), as well as Baudelaire, Rilke, Flaubert, Faulkner, Nietszche, & Plato.

Is your main character like yourself?

Wicked Lovely has 3 MCs, and I suspect I have traits in common with each of them. With Keenan, I share volatile emotions; with Donia, I share a stubborn streak; and with Aislinn, I share a need to keep my identity intact. They have many other traits I don’t share (for example, Aislinn is an optimist; I’m not), but I suspect that to identify with a character it’s handy to have some trait or core belief in common.

What’s next after your debut novel?

Next is INK EXCHANGE. It’ll actually be through revisions and to copyedit before WICKED LOVELY is available for sale. I find this part rather odd, in truth. I’ve spent 2006 hopping back and forth between drafting INK & tasks for the release of WL.

Harper bought my third book too, but all that’s set there is that it’s another YA text. I have one idea that I’ve been toying with—and hope to develop as that third contracted work—but there are a couple other ideas that are swimming around my mind too. My editors are being very awesome in letting me not commit to anything just yet.

So 2007 will see the release of Wicked Lovely, revision of Ink Exchange, & drafting of the third text—as well as promo for Wicked Lovely. I think I’m looking to nap a bit in 2008 to catch my breath … well, along with revision of Three and promo for Ink.

What should readers get from your book?

There are obviously themes that matter to me. Some show up in the texts. I’d hope that a reader—even if s/he doesn’t walk away believing it—would consider these: that a preconceived definition of happiness can be modified, that no matter how deep the swamp seems there’s also choices, that we can survive things that seem impossible to endure, and that the experiences we have and the choices we make and re-make define us. Some really ugly things can happen sometimes. We can choose to let them destroy us, or we can let them temper us into something tougher. I vote for tougher: no regrets, no pity, just the knowldge that even if we break it doesn’t need to be a permanent state.

Why do you write?

A. Ms Muse tells me stories, so I write them down.

B. It keeps me closer to sane.

C. I enjoy it.

D. I believe/hope that I have something to say.

Describe your favorite teacher when you were your protagonist’s age.

At my characters’ age, that would be my high school art teacher … She let me take art even though painting & sketching weren’t in my skill set. My strengths were/are in words & photos, but she let me take the courses anyhow. As a result, she was how I got to my first art museum. She’d also let us play music (*sigh*) and move about during class and sometimes work outside. I remembered that when I became a university teacher: I taught outside regularly.

I actually spoke to her last month for the first time since I graduated. Madwoman that she still is, she said, “I’m not at all surprised. I always knew what you could do.” She was the only teacher there that had that sort of faith in me. Despite my grades being all As, my black nails, leather jacket, & my social habits made most teachers (and my pincipal) see me as the girl who wouldn’t amount to anything, but my art teacher saw those same things as signs of individualism. Pretty awesome.

What are some of your current favorite writing or author-help books?

Aside from bits of Annie Dillard’s The Writing Life (which I had to read in college) & a few grammar books, I’ve not read any author help books. I had fears that they would interfere with my process, so I refuse to read them. I like Dillard’s book though and still thumb through it. She has some very lovely lines & insights.

Describe your favorite library.

I’m not good with picking just one. The NCSU library had a dark little room downstairs where they kept scholarly journals. I liked that. Duke had stacks that always made me feel like something was going to creep out at me. I liked that too. UNC had an airy wide open space and so many awesome texts it made me wander happily. The Carnegie Library has gorgeous stairs that make me glad when I forget things and must go up and down them again. Oceanside CA has a fabulous used bookstore inside the library. Altoona PA has the library that fed my book habit as a child. My current local library is letting me give a workshop for teens. The community college where I taught has a library that actually made me late for my interview there. They said, “Wait in the library until __,” but they had to come get me because there were so many great books and these comfy chairs … I like libraries. I’ve yet to find one I don’t like.

What was your favorite book when you were your protagonist’s age?

Senior year in high school … I read a fair bit of poetry that year (Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Rilke) and some philo (Nietszche) and whatever fantasy, romance, or mystery I could get a hold of. The only novel I really remember reading and enjoying that year was ON THE ROAD (Kerouac). I don’t think it was The Favourite, but it has passages in it that still make me sigh.

Did the art director read your entire book to get inspiration for the cover?

Both the Art Director (Alison the Art Goddess) & her right hand, Bev, read WICKED LOVELY. Then, we met to go over ideas and for me to answer questions for them. As the process moved forward, we were in contact on a variety of details (iconic images, type of flower, which model, different designs). I was kept a part of the process, but each idea was derived from their familiarity with the text.

What drew you to the conflict you created for your main character?

Is it awful to admit that I have no idea how to answer this? I’ll try, but I can’t promise clarity here.

There’s no one single conflict—which FWIW, made writing a query, synopsis, & jacket copy challenging. WICKED LOVELY has three main characters who tell parts of their story. They each have goals that are in opposition to at least one of the others. For me, the conflict derived from having three characters who each needed to and deserved to win, but simply could not. As I wrote each thread (the sections are interwoven so the POV varies by chapter), the conflict was simply a result of the characters’ goals and desires colliding.

What draws me to this? To me, it feels like life. No person is completely good or evil. No person is able to “win” or “lose.” We’re all just out here trying to do the best we can with the lot we drew. Examining that theory—with the added tension of really high stakes—seemed intriguing to me.