Today I'm pleased to present an interview with fellow author Megan Thomason. I think you'll find the peek into this author's mind and process fascinating!
What’s
your favourite thing about spring?
I
live in San Diego, so we have decent weather year round (defined by the ability
to wear flip flops which is very important to me), but by Spring, the nights
start to get warmer and lighter. In our yard, the hummingbirds are out, and
flowers are blooming. It’s gorgeous! Here’s my view right now on an
uncharacteristically hot, 90 degree day:
What’s
the best thing about being a writer?
When
I started writing, it was my very best escape mechanism. Now, it feels more
like a job (deadlines and expectations), but I still love morphing an idea into
an elaborate story. And any event from small (a great review or kind comment
from a fan) to big (having series optioned for film) can absolutely make my
day—or year!
What’s
the worst thing about being a writer?
The
worst thing for me has been bullying. There are plenty of writers who have had
worse experiences than I have had, but my experiences have had a profound
impact on me. I’ve had death threats and personal insults. I’ve been accused of
horrible things including paying for reviews (the only reviews I have paid for
were professional reviews from Kirkus, ForeWord Reviews, and BlueInk) and put
on lists that encourage people to post one-star reviews. I’ve had another author
(someone I don’t know/doesn’t write in my genre), manipulate one of my Facebook
posts to make me look bad and post it on her page, encouraging friends and
followers to “put me out of business.” I almost quit writing after that last
one. Instead, I decided to ignore the negativity and keep doing what I love
doing.
The
other hard thing—but not worst thing—is balancing writing with my other
responsibilities. I’m married and have five kids. Occasionally, real life
interferes with creating fictional ones. Last year, I had to take a long hiatus
to attend to my family. It was tough having to let deadlines pass and equally
hard to disappoint readers. I’d do it again in a heartbeat to be there for my
husband and kids, but that doesn’t make it any easier.
Tell
us more about your books.
My daynight series
is an award-winning, bestselling series that blends science fiction, dystopia,
fantasy, and romance. The series has been optioned and is currently in film
development (https://pathbender.media/press/).
It has a modern-day, parallel world setting. I got the idea for daynight (and
the world of Thera) while hiking the canyons of San Diego on a particularly hot
day. I pondered how hot it would have to get before society would be forced to
switch days and nights. From there, I contemplated what kind of government
would “rule the night” and concocted The Second Chance Institute.
daynight tells
the story about Kira Donovan, Blake Sundry, and Ethan Darcton’s interactions
with The Second Chance Institute. The SCI is a benevolent non-profit on Earth
and totalitarian dictator on Thera. Their motto: Because Everyone Deserves a
Second Chance at Life. In reality, the SCI uses those given a “second chance”
as subjects in political science experiments like Cleaving—a forced lifetime
union between two people who have sex. Punishment for disobeying SCI edicts is
Exile or death. Kira is lured into the SCI as a Recruit with the promise she’ll
receive a full college scholarship, but finds out she is central to the SCI’s
plans. Blake grew up in Exile on Thera and has been trained to infiltrate and
destroy the SCI. And Ethan has been groomed since birth to rule the Second
Chancers.
clean
slate complex (a daynight series novella)
follows the SCI’s happenings on Earth where the SCI’s pushing Project
Liberate, a program to woo the poor and downtrodden into their Clean Slate
Complexes—where “everything is provided” from jobs to food, shelter, clothing,
and education. Unfortunately, as with all things that sound too good to be
true, there’s a catch… Alexa Knight gets trapped by the SCI’s promises of free
health care for her mother, but quickly finds that behind every promise is a
lie.
arbitrate begins
a full year after the events of daynight, and the circumstances have changed
dramatically for each of the characters. Kira, one of the main characters, has
had to deal with the consequences of everything that happened during daynight
and over the past year, and she is broken. She makes decisions that end up
impacting everyone she cares about. arbitrate is told by Kira,
Ethan, and Blake in both the present and near past (filling in what happened
over the past year). Whereas daynight centered primarily in Garden City, Thera,arbitrate happens
across dozens of cities on both Earth and Thera. The Second Chance Institute
has well-developed plans for both Earth and Thera, and those in opposition have
more challenges than ever to try to defeat them.
generate completes
the daynight series. After decades of plotting and testing,
the SCI stands ready to execute their plan on Earth and annihilate anyone who
threatens it. They’ll stop at nothing and for no one—not the Deny the SCI
movement, nor the Exiler Nation, Arbiters, and Genitors—even if it means war.
Kira must persuade the Genitor leaders to stop the atrocities happening at the
hand of the SCI—or, if they refuse, she’ll risk everything to do it herself.
Ethan embarks on his own agenda, teetering loyalties between the Arbiters, the
SCI, and the Deny the SCI movement on Earth. Blake begins an assignment to
watch over the Exiler Nation and finds unlikely allies in his crusade to save
thousands of innocent lives.
Coffee
or Tea?
Neither,
actually. I’m a diet Coke junkie, and I particularly love dirty diet Cokes
(just add coconut creamer).
Plotter
or Pantser?
The daynight series
is plotted. It is way too complicated to just sit down and start writing.
For arbitrate, I had to keep a very elaborate timeline (for all
three main characters), a map of both Earth and Thera, and detailed story arcs
on hand at all times. I knew from the beginning exactly how I wanted it to end
and loosely plotted the entire book. I’m in the middle of writing generate,
and the process has been similar. The process serves as an excellent starting
point and basis of inspiration for me. However, as I get better ideas, I always
incorporate them, even if it means rewrites and rethinking. Most days, when I
hit the end of a scene or a chapter, I’ll go for a walk to plot the
scene/chapter out in more detail (yes, I’m a danger—mostly to myself—as I type
notes into my iPhone while walking).
Are
there any books involved in the YA Spring Fling that you’re secretly lusting
after?
I
read 300-500 books a year (made possible by insomnia). So, I’m interested in
any book that catches my attention. I always read a sample first (not every
book is for everyone, including mine). If I find the characters and plot compelling
in the sample, I one-click and read away. I’ll often start a book at 9pm and
finish by 11:30pm, then I’ll (unwisely) start another at 11:30pm and finish
much, much too late to be a productive member of society the next day.
What
was the last YA book you read?
All
the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven, a Fault in Our Stars-like (aka bring
tissues) novel. I don’t solely read YA. I’ll read everything from YA to
contemporary romance to new adult to fantasy to science fiction to
mystery/thriller to historical. Some of the recent standouts I’ve read are The
Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, The Law of Moses by Amy Harmon, Ugly Love and
Confess by Colleen Hoover, The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, You by
Caroline Kepnes, and Black Lies by Alessandra Torres.
Why
do you write YA?
I
started writing young adult because I had teenagers with voracious reading
appetites. At my daughters’ request, I wrote a YA romantic comedy trilogy.
After that great writing practice (not good enough to publish!), I came up with
the idea for the daynight series. While the characters span
young adult/new adult ages, I categorize the series as YA because, while edgy,
the books have no explicit content. Since I still have a house full of teens
who insist upon reading everything I write, YA works best for me. Also, I love
flawed characters with depth to them who morph, change, and evolve over time.
YA characters are perfect for that, as they’re trying to find themselves and
figure out what they want out of life. They also readily make mistakes and have
to learn and grow from those mistakes.
What
are your top tips for surviving a bad review?
Don’t
read them :). No seriously, don’t—or at least have a friend or family member
preview the review and pull out any pieces of constructive criticism for you.
Constructive criticism is awesome—like nuggets of gold. Writers need these
nuggets in order to improve. But, a writer might encounter something nasty, and
unless that writer wants to be depressed, anxious, self-doubting, or to endure
a few days of writer’s block, it is best to stay blissfully unaware.
What
are your top tips for surviving a zombie apocalypse?
There
is often a raging debate at our dinner table over this—particularly if we have
guests. We have an extensive collection of daggers and swords from around the
world that would be employed during a zombie apocalypse. Some of my children
think we need to add some automatic weaponry to the collection. I had a couple
friends in high school who had friends die from gun accidents, so that’s out as
far as I’m concerned. But, a good supply of food and water and a defensible
house would be important. I’m not sure my new electric car will do me much
good, so I have to plan to be stuck here for the duration :).
What
inspires you?
People,
music, art, an errant thought—I find there to be inspiration everywhere if I’m
looking for it.
Where
can readers find your books?
The
main books of my daynight series are available as an ebook on
Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Megan-Thomason/e/B00A6SXUI0),
and as paperbacks on Amazon, bn.com, and through the
Ingram catalogue. Quite a few libraries have picked up the series, as well as
some Indie bookstores. If the movies make it to theaters, I’d expect the
distribution to increase :).
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