We went to the library constantly, so I read the way some people watch television-not just one genre. Biography, mythology, “how it works”, adventure, sci-fi, fantasy, horror, romance…I read it all. That kind of variety made picking favourites difficult. It still does.
Would you say your childhood and teenage reading has had a distinct influence on how you write fiction now, and why?
I suspect my inability to pick a genre as a reader is why my writing isn’t tidily tucked into one genre box.
What did you do before you became a published novelist, and how did you come to write your first novel and get it published?
Before writing, I taught university literature for 12 years. I hope to one day get back to the classroom as I still miss it horribly. I was (and still am!) also a mother-which is by far the best job I’ve had.
I got published in a pretty straight-forward way: I wrote a book, queried agents, was rejected, wrote another book, was not rejected that time, picked an agent who queried editors and one of them bought Wicked Lovely. There were no secret “ins” or tricks.
How would you describe your style of fiction or your approach to writing fiction during your first few novels?
As I write this, I’ve published six novels, and there are two more written and set to release. I’m not sure my style or method is any clearer to me now. I write when I’m captivated by a story. When the words don’t come, I walk, meditate, or some other distraction, but when the words do come, I let them consume me, missing days on end by doing little but write. I love it.
Was your first published novel standalone or part of a series, and what advantages or disadvantages did this present for you?
Both. Wicked Lovely (and Ink Exchange & Radiant Shadows) were designed to be self-contained stories that a reader could read individually or as a series. Books 3 & 5 (Fragile Eternity & Darkest Mercy, respectively) were intended to be series books. I like mixing it up/having both.
Did you find writing your second novel easier or more challenging than writing your first novel and why?
Each novel is an individual experience. My second published novel was the hardest to write because it deals with a character who is a rape survivor (as am I). It’s the book I’m most proud of having written, but it was difficult emotionally because I had to tap into memories I’d rather leave in the past.
Who is another novelist whose fiction writing you admire and why?
I’m sorry. I can’t play favourites and limit it to only one, especially in regards to my admiration. This is too broad of a topic to answer.
Pick a series of novels you have written. How would you describe what makes that a cohesive series with strong appeal for readers? If you have not written a series of novels, how would you describe what makes one of your favourite series by another novelist a cohesive series with strong appeal for readers?
I’ve written one series (five novels) that is complete now. I think it’s cohesive in that it’s a series of individual stories (each novel is on different characters or the same world) that when read together tell a story of the faery courts that defined these characters and which are defined by them simultaneously.
How would you summarise one of your novels in one paragraph?
“There are always choices” probably describes all of my novels. I know that’s not the sort of summary that you’re probably seeking, but it’s a lot more accurate. If you’re seeking summary in a plot/character way, it’s on the flaps of the books.
How would you describe the appeal of this novel to readers?
Readers are no more universally defined than books. Some readers come to a book for the escapism of the story; others seek character identification; and some want that experience of learning or re-learning that the volition the characters find is theirs too.
How would you summarise a chapter from this novel in one paragraph?
I wouldn’t. It’s not the pieces, but the whole that makes a book/story/person/pic/family. The elements and the interplay are what I find interesting.
Author website: http://www.melissa-marr.com/
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