Rebecca Mahoney on Building the World of "The Memory Eater"

Inspiration is a funny thing. It can come to us like a lightning bolt, through the lyrics of a song, or in the fog of a dream. Ask any writer where their stories come from and you’ll get a myriad of answers, and in that vein I created the WHAT (What the Hell Are you Thinking?) interview. 

Today’s guest for the WHAT is Rebecca Mahoney, author of The Memory Eater, the story of a teenage girl who must save her town from a memory-devouring monster

Ideas for our books can come from just about anywhere, and sometimes even we can’t pinpoint exactly how or why. Did you have a specific origin point for your book?

The Memory Eater was the meeting point for a couple different concepts I wanted to write: a town built to hold a monster in, a teenage girl somehow responsible for the livelihoods and well-being of the adults around her, and a community that thrives on supernatural capitalism. But I think if there was an original origin point, it was probably my own tendency to ruminate over memories I’d rather not think about, much like many of us do when we’re falling asleep. It’s very easy to daydream, during those long nights, about the ability to just toss a memory out of your head and out of existence. So in writing this story, I wanted to ask myself – what if that went horribly wrong?

Once the original concept existed, how did you build a plot around it?

I think my plots always come together in concentric circles: I start with the very basics of the idea, then I usually nail down the emotional arc first, and build out the plot and the finer details around it. The Memory Eater’s construction process was a bit messier, since it was the first ever book that I wrote on deadline. With previous manuscripts, I usually wouldn’t sit down to write until I knew exactly what the scene was going to look like, but with TME, I didn’t have as much time for precise brainstorming or self-editing. But in a lot of ways, that ended up being very useful, because when I had to keep pushing ahead, I was able to figure out, in reverse, exactly what I wanted to do with the book. And once I had a clean draft to share with my editor, the basic plot beats of TME actually needed much less work than manuscripts I’ve written before!

Have you ever had the plot firmly in place, only to find it changing as the story moved from your mind to paper?

Oh, all the time! I’m generally a plotter – I always need a fairly detailed outline so I can always be aware of what plot and emotional beats I want to hit, both on the scene level and the chapter level. But I always go into a story very aware that the outline is going to change as I get going in earnest. Sometimes my original idea doesn’t work as well on paper as I thought it would, sometimes one of my critique partners will say something that connects a dot I didn’t realize was there, or sometimes I realize I need a bit more connective tissue to really drive home the emotion in the scene. The basic skeleton of the outline often stays the same, but the fine details grow as the story does!

Do story ideas come to you often, or is fresh material hard to come by?

I would say that I get story ideas fairly often, but they always need a little time to finish baking in my little brain oven. I do occasionally jump into a story idea right away, but my two published books, The Valley and the Flood and The Memory Eater, both came about after percolating in my thought for years. I try to keep a running list of things I want to write so that I can revisit them frequently.

How do you choose which story to write next, if you’ve got more than one percolating?

Because of the aforementioned list, I have a bit of a queue! I’m not someone who does well with working on multiple projects at the same time, so by the time I finish something, there’s usually a project or two that’s been trying to tempt me away from my WIP. Sometimes it’s really difficult to choose what I’ll be tackling next, and sometimes I’ll have my agent, editor, or friends weigh in. But generally the next project is the one that feels the most ready to write. (Although some projects just aren’t going to be fully ready until I dive in!)

I have 6 cats and a Dalmatian (seriously, check my Instagram feed) and I usually have at least one or two snuggling with me when I write. Do you have a writing buddy, or do you find it distracting?

My roommate’s cat, Mouse, can certainly be distracting from time to time! She’s extremely chatty, and if I’m sitting on the couch, chances are that she’s going to want me to put my laptop down and pay attention to her instead. But she’s very cute, so it’s never a hardship to take a break and give her what she wants. And if it disrupts the flow a little, that’s okay – the flow will come back!

Rebecca Mahoney is the author of The Valley and the Flood (out now from Razorbill), as well as the forthcoming The Memory Eater (Razorbill 3/14/23), and the co-creator of independent audio drama The Bridge. Rebecca is a strong believer in the cathartic power of all things fantastical and creepy in children’s literature - and she knows firsthand that ghosts, monsters, and the unknown can give you the language you need to understand yourself.

Deeba Zargarpur On Being a Slow (But Steady!) Writer

I'm lucky (or cunning) enough to have lured yet another successful writer over to my blog for an SAT - Successful Author Talk. SAT authors have conquered the query, slain the synopsis and attained the pinnacle of published. How'd they do it? Let's ask 'em!

Today’s guest for the SAT is Deeba Zargarpur, author of House of Yesterday which releases tomorrow, November 29

Are you a Planner or Pantster?

I wish I could say I was a planner (it would make my life so much easier haha), but after many attempts at trying to plot ahead of time, I’ve embraced the chaos of my pantser ways. It’s just the way my brain wants to be!

How long does it typically take you to write a novel, start to finish?

I’m not a fast writer—I’m more slow and steady, with brief bursts of concentrated focus and productivity. For better or worse, being a writer that can only write when inspiration hits means I need to allot more time into my drafting schedule to not run behind on deadline. On average, it takes me about 6 to 8 months to write a first draft. But once the first draft is down, editing goes much quicker. I find it easier to revise material that’s already on the page!

Do you work on one project at a time, or are you a multi tasker?

I feel like I’m revealing my slow ways, but because it takes me so long to finish a project, it makes multi-tasking on novels nearly impossible. When I’m drafting, I really need to be immersed in one project at a time. So when I sold my YA, House of Yesterday, and my MG, Farrah Noorzad and the Ring of Fate, within a year of each other, it made balancing the two projects very difficult and I learned the hard way that I can only juggle drafting one project at a time.

Did you have to overcome any fears that first time you sat down to write?

When I first sat down to write, I didn’t experience any fear. Mainly because I was writing just for me. At that time, there weren’t any thoughts about publication or other people reading my work. Because of the lack of diversity in the books I was reading, I never thought someone like me could get published, which in a strange way, made me unafraid the first time I decided to write a novel. It wasn’t until I realized that there was a chance at publication that I became afraid, when my words were no longer privately mine to read. Sending that first batch of queries was terrifying—and to be honest, that feeling of sending a new project out to be read will always be a little bit scary.

How many trunked books (if any) did you have before you were agented?

When I completed my first novel, I wasn’t well versed in the industry. I had no idea what the parameters were for different audiences and genres. I just wrote a story that I loved and decided to send it out to agents. I learned the hard way in many, many form rejections that this first book wasn’t working. After getting a few CPs, critique partners, I revised that book over 8 times. But a broken book is a broken book. After nearly two years of rejections, I finally trunked that novel and started a new one. That second book was what got my agent.

Have you ever quit on an ms, and how did you know it was time?

The second novel I wrote was the one that landed my agent. I adored that manuscript. We worked hard for nearly two years revising that book. I poured all of my heart into that manuscript, waiting for the day we were submission ready. When we finally went on submission, I was so sure an editor would love this story the same way I did, but that submission journey was a tough one. That manuscript didn’t sell and I was crushed. After spending three years on that book, I felt like I didn’t have the heart to revise it again, and so I shelved it. I worked on my third manuscript—which ultimately sold and became House of Yesterday—to put distance between myself and that second book, which I’m glad I did because it wasn’t until I allowed a good chunk of time to pass for me to be ready to re-evaluate it. Ultimately, I changed almost everything about that shelved novel and re-sent it out on submission. That book is now Farrah Noorzad and the Ring of Fate.

Who is your agent and how did you get that "Yes!" out of them? 

My agent is Elana Roth Parker at Laura Dail Literary. Funnily enough, I had originally queried Elana with my first manuscript, and she rejected it. When I finished a revision of my second manuscript, I participated in #PitMad and Elana was one of the agents who liked my pitch. Within two weeks of receiving the full manuscript, Elana offered and the rest is history as they say. 😊

How long did you query before landing your agent? 

It took three years, two books, and over two hundred rejections before I finally got my agent!

Any advice to aspiring writers out there on conquering query hell?

As cliché as it sounds, keep writing. For as long as writing brings you joy, keep at it. Find your support system because the rejections will hurt, and I can say if I didn’t have my critique partners, fellow writers to hold my hand and continue to encourage me to keep going, I would have given up a long time ago.

How did it feel the first time you saw your book for sale?

I’ll let you know when it’s November 29th! It still feels surreal to know that people can preorder House of Yesterday now. I think I’ll finally believe it’s happening when I have the finished book in hand.

How much input do you have on cover art?

I was lucky to have a team that let me in on cover conversations early. My editor and the design team at FSG really listened to what was important to me regarding artist selection and the vibe of the cover. We went through a few rounds with the cover and each time, my editor asked for my input. It was a wonderful experience!

What's something you learned from the process that surprised you?

How much promotion there is! I mean, I knew it would take up a good chunk of my time, but it wasn’t until I got into the thick of it where I realized creating assets, promoting, creating social media content, preorder campaigns, etc is a whole full time job by itself!

How much of your own marketing do you?  Do you have a blog / site / Twitter?  

I do a lot of my own marketing! There’s so much behind the scenes work I didn’t realize I’d need to do until it was the time to promote. It’s been a learning experience to see what works and what doesn’t, but I’m learning to go with the flow and putting effort into things that feel good to me. One marketing tool that is good to have is a website with a purchased domain. Mine is www.deebazargarpur.com. I find it’s better to always direct promo and buy links to your site to generate traffic and for potential customers to click around and get to know a little more about you.

I’m also (sporadically) on all social media—IG, Twitter, TikTok—at @deebazargarpur.

When do you build your platform? After an agent? Or should you be working before?

This is tricky and often feels like a double edged sword since platform is often associated with social media. I think there are many ways to build a platform that isn’t tied directly to social media. Yes, having a strong online presence is desirable to publishers, but not everyone is an online person. Platform can extend past follower numbers. Being involved in your local community, providing support and awareness of who you are IRL is also helpful. Unless you’re writing non-fiction or memoir, I would say platform is not necessary to work on prior to getting an agent, but being a part of your local literary community is always a plus.

Do you think social media helps build your readership?

It depends. I’m a big believer of only being on spaces that bring you joy and to only engage in social media platforms you enjoy posting and interacting on. Readers crave authenticity, and I find readers can often tell when an author is only engaging on a platform because they feel they have to. All said, while I do feel being active on social media can help build readership, it only really works if what you’re putting out there is genuine and gives you joy. Otherwise, I would say it’s not needed. There are many other ways to build readership offline, and it’s okay to not be an online person. Using myself as an example, I find more joy connecting with readers offline, in person at events or conferences.

Deeba Zargarpur is an Afghan-Uzbek American. She credits her love of literature across various languages to her immigrant parents, whose eerie tales haunted her well into the night. If given the choice, Deeba would spend her days getting lost in spooky towns with nothing but a notebook and eye for adventure to guide her.