1. What inspired the story of The Female of the Species?
I was in college when I ran into the inspiration for SPECIES. I never had cable television growing up, so my freshman year in a dorm I was suddenly mainlining all kinds of things, but especially true crime. I watched a mini-doc about a girl who had been raped and murdered in a small town, but there wasn't enough evidence to convict. Even so, everyone knew who did it. I was watching this becoming more incensed, and realized, that if I were capable of it, I could easily find this town, find that mine, and take care of things myself. Then I thought it was probably time to turn off the TV.
2. How did you get the idea for Alex Craft?
She came about organically once I had the plot. My characters grow into real people alongside the story if I give the them the space to do it.
3. How do you write a book? Is there a certain writing process that you go through?
My process is a definitely lack of process. I start at the beginning and I write until I'm at the end of the story. There's very little planing. I usually don't know how the book is going to end.
4. What aspect of writing do you find the hardest and how do you overcome it?
Just starting is hard. I don't write every day because I'm not always on a project. I get into the habit of NOT writing (which is very easy) so when I do have a new project on deck it's hard to jump start again.
5. From the books you've written, who is your favorite character and who can you relate to the most?
My favorite character is easily Stebbs from NOT A DROP TO DRINK. He's a good person in a horrible world, and he was just so easy to write. The character I can relate to the most is Lynn, from the same book.
6. What YA book would you recommend to anybody?
I just started THE HATE U GIVE by Angie Thomas. It's stunning.
7. Can you give advice to aspiring writers about literary agents, query letters and etc?
My biggest advice on that is to do you homework. It took me 10 years to get an agent, mostly because I didn't want to go through all the work I needed to do in order to succeed. I didn't want to learn the industry, the market, the agents and agencies... all the necessary things in order to make it. I wanted to just be a writer, and send off my book and have someone love it. It doesn't work that way. It also didn't help that my first book was shit.
8. What upcoming works can we expect from you in the future?
I have the first in a fantasy series releasing April 11, GIVEN TO THE SEA, and a contemporary thriller THIS DARKNESS MINE coming in the fall!