Because a golden opportunity has led to the deeper discovery of this book and all its wonders.
As mentioned in my latest review of K. Ancrum's book The Wicker King, I had the chance to meet the author as part of being in a Young Adult Fiction course where I got to meet the author and be able to ask questions.
Fun fact: I was part of the welcoming committee with two lovely partners in crime as we weaved our way to the destination (and a wacky elevator journey!)
It was an absolute joy to be able to meet Kayla in person who was really kind and had the charisma to hold our attention and our curiosity as we dove into all the burning questions we had as we finished up our read of The Wicker King (which you should all add to your TBR shelf soon!) Now... onto some of the burning questions (and discoveries!) our class asked in this Author Q&A!
NOTE: Some of the answers were edited to fit the purpose of this article as it was a larger conversation with a few tangents and money jokes as well :)
Q1: Was the darkening of the pages of a literal descending into madness your decision or a publisher idea? Do you think the PDF or ebook version takes away from this experience?
A: The art department chose the idea of darkening pages as a strategy to make it more appealing to readers and in conferences so it could stand out! Since the LGBTQ+ stories being told at that time were very limited and I was just entering this world where no one knew me, there needed to be something to help me stand out from the rest.
Q2: Why did you decide to write the book in third person POV? Would you have written it in a different way such as in August’s or Jack’s POV?
A: I chose third person because it allows for it to be an experience like peering into a shadow box rather than sharing an intimacy with the characters that sometimes doesn’t feel earned. First person is always more intimate and didn’t resonate with the way I write.
Q3:Did you create the playlists yourself?
A: Yes! This was so I could create a depth to the characters that I couldn't exactly figure out how to do so well back then and it allows for the readers to become participants in the story to better understand the characters, the time in which this story is happening too!
Q4: When writing a book do you always know how it’s going to end or do endings change while you’re writing?
A: The world already has enough tragedies, so we need more of those! I always want to focus on happier endings (although the ending for Darling is less happy)
Q5: What made you want to write novels?
A: A Wrinkle in Time which I read when I was younger and when realizing that a very religious woman wrote it and had lessons she wanted the world to know, the only way she thought to do it was through a novel and it made me realize that I, too wanted to share my lessons and contribute to the bigger discussion we have about the things we take away from life. (This also led to me cancelling all my art lessons and dropping everything to focus on the novel instead!)
Some of the wisdom/ memorable quotes that stick with us moving forward:
"Why do you need to be better now? I could be better later, I have the time anyway” (As a reminder to not feel so pressured to publish at a young age just because others get it done early!)
“Don’t be afraid to be bad” (We'll let this one talk for itself ;)
“Let art be happy, not just an act of suffering.” (On the topic of how to find time and inspiration to write)
“We are friends because of stuff we have in common and then we change, decide to come out in college and then we realize that TA-DA! we were all just finding each other all along like a found family.” (This one stuck with me the most!)
“I was living the life of crime and debauchery.” (When being asked why was the book filled with intense sexual tension, this was the answer :)
And to wrap things up, when asking about the new books in store for the future, I realize that my 2024/2025 will be filled with MANY good reads including:
The Icarus retelling of my dreams where Icarus falls in love all while being stuck in a heist plot (And ode to one of my favorite myths!)
A train mystery heist loosely inspired by the gunpowder plot with a group of girls trying to loot a fancy train and planning for it before accidentally landing in the middle of said train already being robbed by another group of thieves
a Gay Frankenstein retelling (need I say more?!)
A Vampire story where one vampire is dealing with her life and a newly turned vampire loses all his humanity and is left to grapple with losing himself and with the new reality of being hunted to be killed.
And that's all for today, I get to leave with a very rewarding experience, with a picture I will treasure and with a new connection that leaves a lasting smile behind :)