1 What inspired your story?
It wasn't ever just one thing. I'd been writing romance and I wasn't pleased with my results or the process. Mainly, I wasn't enjoying myself. I wanted to write something fun. Something I'd want to read. Something challenging and inventive. I've always loved Hellboy, Sin City, Gotham, Jessica Jones, L.A. Confidential and the wise-cracking Salem from the 90s version of Sabrina the Teenage Witch. So I asked myself what would happen if you tossed them all in a blender and hit puree. Well, besides a bloody mess that is. What I came up with was Harlequin City and an overarching story arc involving a "supervillain" known as The Priest. Mags came later. I knew I wanted a strong female lead who wouldn't sit around waiting for a prince to save her, but I also wanted her to maintain her femininity, have style, flair -- hence her penchant for high heels. I also knew I didn't want to write a Mary Sue. I wanted a real person with real weaknesses.
2 what is something you struggled constructing with your story?
Oh wow, timelines. Timelines are the bane of my existence. Overarching backstory timelines for my alternate history are no problem at all, but when it comes down to how many days ago did Mags meet that one guy...ugh. Just ugh.
3 what did you enjoy writing most of your story?
Ms. Prescott. Hands down. She's just so sassy. I love her.
4 what's the overall response of your story from your readers?
The overall response I've received from readers has been encouraging. So far so good both on and off of Wattpad. I've had a positive response from most folks who've gotten a chance to read Magnolia's story up to this point. Overall I'm optimistic.
5 is your story a stand alone novel or a piece of a series ?
A Most Wicked Game is the first in a series of novels featuring Magnolia Malone, P.I. and is set in the retro-futuristic decopunk world of Harlequin City.
6 what would you like your readers to take away from your story?
That a place like Harlequin City doesn't happen overnight. It's a slow fade. The end of a society doesn't come with a bang, but with a whimper in a dark alley and a blind eye turned away by someone who could have made a difference. In brief, ambivalence and decay are two sides of the same disastrous coin.
7 what advice would you provide to fellow writers, when it comes to focusing on their own story?
Oh focus. I don't know that I'm the right person to be offering advice on that subject. I struggle with focusing on most things in life, let alone writing. I'm either hyper-focused/borderline obsessive or so distracted I can't sit still for two minutes straight. :P The best advice I could offer is if you love it, if it's important to you, don't let go of it. It's worth the effort. Keep coming back. Your characters are waiting for you to breathe life into them...so breathe.
8 does your main character share any similarities to yourself?
Is Mags Malone similar to myself? She's a smarta**...does that count? Seriously though, I believe it's darn near impossible to create a character and not, even unintentionally leave something of yourself behind. My characters tend to be an amalgamation of all the people I've met over the years. Maybe someone I know well, or someone I've passed in the grocery store. I'm like Dr. Frankenstein, I take a piece here, and a piece there and stitch them together into something new. But none of them are 100 percent me or anyone else.
9 what is something about your story you believe would draw in new readers?
The setting. Definitely the setting. Harlequin City to me is a character in and of itself. It lives and breathes and crawls and creeps under your skin. If you're not careful, it may well take you down with it ;)
10 do you have any future projects?
As far as long term projects go, I'd like to eventually connect with a graphic artist and create a series of graphic novels based on Mags Malone and Harlequin City.