An Interview With… Dystopian Author Joanne Macgregor!

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Today, I’m delighted to welcome dystopian author, Joanne Macgregor to my blog! Author of the Recoil Trilogy, Joanne definitely knows a thing or two about writing successful dystopian trilogies, and she shares her advice for aspiring writers.

_DSC2214i1. Hi Joanne! Please introduce yourself! Tell us a little about you and your books. What do you write?

Thanks for having me! I am a writer (mostly of Young Adult fiction) and also a Counselling Psychologist in private practice. I started my professional life as a high school English teacher and I’ve always had a real admiration for teenagers, so it’s no surprise that I love writing for, and about, young adults. Although I live in the frenetic adrenaline-rush of a big city, I find real peace in nature, and escape to the mountains and the wilderness whenever I can. I’m a pretty good cook (I make a mean choc chip cookie) and I’m addicted to chillies, Harry Potter, and bulletproof coffee.

I’ve written several books for young adults, including the eco-warrior series (set in South Africa), Scarred (a standalone contemporary romance) plus, of course, the Recoil Trilogy – the first two books of which have already been released. I’ve also written a disturbing psychological thriller for adults, called Dark Whispers.

2. What is it that draws you to the dystopian genre? Has it always been this way?

I’ve written across multiple genres, though mostly in young adult fiction, so I don’t write dystopian exclusively. But I’m really enjoying it! I think it’s an excellent way to examine issues in our current world, and challenge some of the problems we face now, in an entertaining and thought-provoking way. I’ve had fun trying to imagine what a nation gripped by a plague would be like, and to invent little details to build that world with a sense of reality and plausibility. Ideas and concepts for stories seem to choose me (rather than the other way around), and so (for me) it’s the story that dictates the genre.
3. As a writer of dystopians myself, I know that this is a tough market to break into due to the sheer amount of dystopians that are already out there. Did this worry you at all?

Yes and no. I know there are writers out there who write to market, in other words, they figure out what’s newly hot and hip and then write that kind of story. It’s probably a more business-savvy way to write, but it’s not my way. The ideas for stories drop into my head or suggest themselves from the news, or a television program, or just an image, and then I follow the what-if wonderings to create and write that story. I didn’t write the Recoil Trilogy to get into the hugely competitive dystopian genre, it’s just that the story was dystopian/post-apocalyptic. Of course, I do hope that many more readers will find these books, but I’m not limiting myself to this genre, so all my eggs aren’t in one basket. I also think that when we hear news like “The dystopian is dead!” we should take it with a pinch of salt, because it’s often the view of agents and publishing editors, rather than readers. For years now, writers have been told that “Vampires are done! No more vampires!” and yet nobody (apparently) told the readers who continue to buy and read books in that genre.

4. What’s your most valuable marketing method?

Long-term, I believe that it’s word-of-mouth – readers who enjoy my books and recommend them to others. That’s ultimately what keeps a book alive and its readership growing. In the short-term, I’ve found book bloggers to be enormously valuable. I guess bloggers are a form of word-of-mouth recommendation to a larger audience. I also keep up a presence on social media, but that’s more about making connections than selling books. Paid advertising can help introduce your books to new readers, but only BookBub has given me a good return on investment. Also, though it’s not technically a ‘marketing method’, writing more books is what helps in the long run. Readers who like what you put out will tend to buy your other books.

Recoil small file5. Recoil, book one in your Recoil Trilogy, has received some great reviews! What inspired you to start writing this book?

Thank you! I’m so glad that it’s finding an appreciative audience. As usually happens with me, a couple of ideas melded together to form this concept. I was watching a television documentary on US marine snipers, and was struck by their utter lack of compunction about their work. What, I wondered, must it be like to be exceptional at shooting and yet to be fundamentally opposed to hurting any living creature? At the time, the Ebola epidemic was on the rise and I thought about how vicious diseases could be used as bioweapons by terrorists. (Being a writer means having weird and scary thoughts like this all the time!) Then I fell to thinking about how different societies might react differently to an incurable pandemic – how might that change the way we live, think, vote, eat, play? I was also watching a series of Doomsday Preppers and was struck by the measures taken by one mother who was convinced that a great plague was coming, and wove some of those details into the story.

6. And did you always know—right from the beginning—that Recoil was going to be the start of a trilogy?

I did, yes. The story and the themes I wanted to examine were just too big for one book. I also felt that the reaction to being compelled to doing something you’re opposed to comes naturally in the form of three steps: the Huh? What?! (Recoil) The No, I won’t. (Refuse) And the And neither should you! (Rebel).

7. How do you go about writing a dystopian novel? Do you do loads of planning first? Or just dive right in?

I needed to know the overall story arc across the whole trilogy first – roughly what the heck was actually happening in this world, and more-or-less how it would end (the story, not the world, lol). Then I needed to know, at a very high level, what would happen and be revealed in each book. But I only plot in deeper detail just before and during the writing of each book. I can’t imagine how a writer could just dive in and write a dystopian (or some other kinds of genres, like thrillers, for instance), because it’s such tricksy writing. You need to hide real clues in amongst the red herrings; give enough info so you aren’t cheating your reader, but not so much that you give away the big reveals before their time; you need to write conversations that can be read in two ways (with hindsight), and it all needs to make sense at the end of the day. You can’t just cobble together some cool world-building details and some exciting action scenes and expect that to form a coherent and satisfying whole. I also decided up-front the rough arc I wanted to send my protagonist, Jinxy, on. Of course, my outlines can and do change as I write the actual books – sometimes radically – but I’m not one for just diving in!

refuse small file8. And let’s talk about worldbuilding. Can you share any tips for successfully creating a believable dystopian world?

My dystopian is set in a very near future – the USA maybe 3-5 years from now – again, because that’s the story I was interested in. How would this nation, this society, change in the short-term? So I couldn’t invent flying cars and spaceships and crazily futuristic technology. My details are all grounded in what is happening now (or will be in the very near future) in the worlds of science, technology, medicine and politics, and I had to keep my details pretty grounded in reality. I think this may have made it harder to write because I can’t just have one character inject another with a memory-destroying solution, or stick an injured character in some machine that heals him within minutes, etc. In creating believable story-worlds, I think a little goes a long way – a piece of graffiti here, an advert in a newspaper there, an entirely different Oscars ceremony playing in the background. I dislike books where great chunks of backstory and worldbuilding are dropped into the story. I like to weave little details (like new words, TV jingles, fashion styles) into the action of the story without slowing down the pace. I also had to make those details consistent with a world in the grips of a plague. So if people had to wear latex gloves and face-masks wherever they went, for instance, how might that change appearances and fashion? I thought that people would try to individualize the protective wear, by having differently-patterned gloves, for example, and that they would accentuate the parts of their faces that could be seen. So in the world of Recoil, people have lots of upper face tattoos, crazy eye makeup (including weird and wonderful lashes and contact lenses), and wildly cut and colored hair.

9. What’s your favourite part of writing?

Having written!

10. And the worst?

Probably just ploughing through the middle of the book, after the excitement of the beginning, and long before the speedy, exhilaration of hurtling towards the satisfying climax. It’s hard to believe you’ll ever finish it. You’re certain it’s awful. You just want to run away and read on a beach somewhere! I used to hate editing, but now I really enjoy that phase of rewriting, layering in extra details, emotional punch and rewarding easter eggs for the clever reader. The first draft – that’s the hardest part.

11. What’s next for you in the writing world?

I’m about two-thirds of the way through Rebel – the third book in the Recoil Trilogy – which I want to release this year. I’m not used to writing up against such tight deadlines, and it’s got me going a little crazy! But I’m, determined to do the series justice by wrapping up all the threads and characters properly. You’ve got to respect your readers – they pay for your books and give you the gift of their precious time spent in reading your work, so I don’t want to let the trilogy fizzle out with a substandard finale. I hate it when the second and third books in trilogies aren’t as good as the first, and I’m determined not to do that to my readers. Next year, I’m be bringing out two standalone YA romances which are a bit more light-hearted than the dystopians. I’ve already finished their first drafts, so I’m looking forward to the more leisurely pleasure of rewrites and edits.

12. If you couldn’t be an author, what would you be?

The list of jobs I’ve done could fill a book! (It would be a tragicomedy.) I’ve done so many different kinds of work (teacher, business consultant, personal assistant, theater manager, data-capture, modelling and acting, waitressing, etc.), and none of it has gone to waste. Sooner or later, it all works its way into my writing. But if I could no longer write, I’d probably want to be a cook in a high-end resort in the African bushveld. Or, ya know, be Queen of the world.

13. What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Take your time and learn your craft. This business is a marathon, not a sprint. Don’t rush to publish, rather craft your absolute best work. Do read as much and widely as you can – you will be equally as inspired by the rotten writing as the good. Finish what you start. Don’t spend more time playing on the internet than writing. And take care of your back – trust me on this one!

Find Joanne’s books…

RECOIL (Recoil Trilogy Book 1)

Amazon.com http://amzn.to/2bFyN3s
Amazon.co.uk http://amzn.to/2bzx4JJ
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29909674-recoil

REFUSE (Recoil Trilogy Book 2)

Amazon.com http://amzn.to/28RYhqk
Amazon.co.uk http://amzn.to/28V1CsI
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30185590-refuse

Find Joanne…

Website: http://www.joannemacgregor.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoanneMacg
Pinterest: https://za.pinterest.com/jmacgregor0989/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoanneMacg/

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