Author Interview with Megan Crewe
Today, I’m delighted to welcome YA author Megan Crewe to my blog. I’m halfway through her latest release, A MORTAL SONG, and it is brilliant (seriously, go and buy a copy now). So, let’s find out a little more about Megan.
Hi Megan! Please introduce yourself! Tell us a little about you and your books. What do you write?
Hi! I’m Megan Crewe, a Canadian author of YA speculative fiction (fantasy, sci fi, paranormal, horror–it’s all good!). I have eight novels currently published: GIVE UP THE GHOST, a paranormal standalone about a girl who’s friends with ghosts; the Fallen World trilogy, my post-apocalyptic killer virus story; the Earth & Sky trilogy, a science fiction adventure involving aliens experimenting on Earth using time travel, and my latest, A MORTAL SONG, a contemporary fantasy standalone set in modern-day Japan that takes the magical changeling trope and turns it on its head. 🙂
What is it that draws you to the fantasy/science fiction genres? Has it always been this way?
Yes, I’ve loved fantastical and futuristic stories since I was a kid. I think it’s just that I like being able to explore what-ifs beyond what I experience in my everyday life. It’s so much fun to play with the possibilities, and to see how extraordinary settings or circumstances can mirror and even amplify real world concerns.
And you’ve just released A MORTAL SONG! I’m halfway through this book and love it so much. What inspired you to start writing this book?
I’d just read two books back to back where the main character discovered she wasn’t actually human but some sort of special magical being hidden among humans to protect her from supernatural threats, which is a plotline I’ve seen quite frequently in YA. I couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to end up on the opposite side of that sort of changeling trade. What if you thought you were special and powerful, and you found out you were only an ordinary human, and that someone was coming to take the place you thought was yours? It had so much potential for drama and angst that I got excited right away. I also wanted to explore the idea that maybe being human isn’t so “ordinary” and not-special after all.
How do you go about writing a novel? Do you do loads of planning first? Or just dive right in?
I’m a big planner. I always let the idea sit for a while as I brainstorm and the pieces come together. Then I outline to make sure I have all the major events and turning points I need. It’s only once I have a good sense of the full story that I start writing.
And let’s talk about worldbuilding. Can you share any tips for successfully creating a believable fictional world?
I think there are two keys: detail and certainty. You don’t want to bog your readers down with tons and tons of information, but you do want the information you reveal to be telling details, distinctive and strong enough to convey a lot about the world and to set it apart from others even if they’re relatively small things. And you want to be fully confident in your world and how it works, so that you can convey that confidence as you’re describing it. Vagueness and handwaving of important elements will quickly make the world feel less real to the reader.
What’s your favourite part of writing?
Second drafts. First drafts are always difficult for me even with outlining, so with the second draft I can take the story I’ve managed to get down and shape it into the story I really wanted to tell, without having to deal with the blank page.
And the worst?
First drafts. 😉 I find I can’t balance all of the factors I want to be considering when I’m first getting a story down, so I have to just focus on getting *something* down that vaguely resembles what’s in my head and reassure myself that I’ll fix it later. But it always feels unpleasant knowing that what I’m writing isn’t as good as I’d like it to be.
What’s next for you in the writing world?
I have to admit I’m not sure yet! I have a book on submission to publishers and possibly some other indie stuff in the works, but nothing that’s set in stone yet. I do intend to have at least one book out in 2017, though, and it will definitely be YA.
If you couldn’t be an author, what would you be?
Sad. Um, to answer properly, I’d probably work with kids in some capacity. That’s what I did before I started writing full time and I’ve always enjoyed it.
What’s your advice for aspiring writers?
Read a lot, so you’re aware of what’s out there and can see what works and what doesn’t. Write a lot, so you can practice and develop your craft. And seek out feedback from people who enjoy the sort of thing you’re trying to write, so you have a sense of how close you are and where you need to work harder or learn more.
About Megan Crewe
Like many authors, Megan Crewe finds writing about herself much more difficult than making things up. A few definite facts: she lives in Toronto, Canada with her husband and son (and does on occasion say “eh”), she’s always planning some new trip around the world, and she’s spent the last six years studying kung fu, so you should probably be nice to her. She has been making up stories about magic and spirits and other what ifs since before she knew how to write words on paper. These days the stories are just a lot longer.
Find Megan Crewe’s Books
