Q&A with Chelsea Lauren

Welcome Chelsea! Thanks for taking part in this author Q&A. First, a few quick-fire questions: What is your favorite kind of sandwich? What is your preferred writing-beverage? And who, in your opinion, is the most despicable fictional character of all time?

First, I want to thank you for asking me to be a part of your blog!  As a querying writer, sometimes it’s hard to believe I actually count as an author with all the rejections stacking up around me.

Interesting first question for me, because I actually sort of hate sandwiches.  Hate may be a strong word, but I definitely don’t prefer them.  The only sandwich I do like is a BLT, but with no T (because gross).  So yeah - I’m a picky eater.

Interesting first question for me, because I actually sort of hate sandwiches. 
Hate may be a strong word, but I definitely don’t prefer them.

Writing beverages!! I could partake in any type of writing beverage and instantly be put in the typing mood.  Coffee, hot chocolate, frappuccino, smoothie, apple cider, they are all on the same level of preference.

This is a tough quick-fire question!  It’s hard for me to call any one character absolutely despicable, because there’s always something under that layer of not-niceness.  I find villains are typically the most complex characters in a cast.  There are so many layers to their backstory that made them into the monster they are.  If you take a moment to step in their shoes, see the world through their lens, you may understand how they justify their actions.  It doesn’t excuse them, but it does create sympathy, and how can you despise someone you pity?  But if I had to choose one, I would pick Maven from the Red Queen series.  I don’t want to be 'spoilery', but he did some really messed up things to people he had claimed to love and it made me really upset.  I will say though, he has that complex backstory that makes you sympathize with him and some readers actually like him and ship him with the main character - he did not win me over that much.

I find villains are typically the most complex characters in a cast.  There are so many layers to their backstory that made them into the monster they are.

What does a productive day of writing look like for you? Are you at home or out in public? Do you typically write thousands of words at a time or just a few hundred each session? Do you write on a schedule or are you flexible?

My writing schedule is controlled chaos.  Working a full-time job and managing other adult life things makes it hard to designate specific time to writing.  What I do is more of a general weekly writing goal of 5,000 words a week.  I write during my lunch break, waiting for my oil change at the repair shop, waiting in a long line at the bank, when I have a free evening at home - you get the idea.  Sometimes I don’t make that goal because life happens, but I don’t beat myself up for it, I just partition the extra words between the following two weeks to make it up.  Right now I’m not following that schedule though as I’m focusing on short stories, so my writing time/amount of words on the page is even more sporadic than it was when I was writing Creatures Most Vile.  

Chelsea Lauren's Bookshelf

Though there is a lot of discussion around the ‘how’ of writing on Twitter and other online communities of writing I find that authors very rarely speak to why they write. Why do you write?
    
I’m a bit of a late bloomer when it comes to writing.  I haven’t been writing since I was little and dreaming of becoming an author since I was 12. It took a Creative Writing 101 class my senior year of college to make me realize that dream.  

I majored in biology and chemistry and had to take an elective to meet my liberal arts requirements.  I picked creative writing because it fit in my schedule.  Little did I know I would soon fall in love with writing.  One thing I have been my whole life is a lover of books, I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me until I was 21 that I might actually love writing books, too. 

Little did I know I would soon fall in love with writing.  One thing I have been my whole life is a lover of books, I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me until I was 21 that I might actually love writing books, too.

So now that I’ve caught the bug, I find I have lots of stories to tell.  Stories about girls who find themselves misunderstood and ridiculed by society, girls who fight for their right to live their lives the way they choose, free of retribution.

You are in the process of querying agents and publishers. How have you found that process and do you have any tips for writers who may be getting close to finishing their current manuscript?     

Querying is one of the most difficult things I’ve done to myself.  I am willingly putting a piece of myself out into the world for strangers to judge and, in my case, reject.  That is one of the hardest things to cope with during the querying process- people constantly rejecting something you love with all your heart and poured endless amounts of work into. 

So my biggest tip for writers about to start querying is prepare your heart.  Be ready for rejection and have some coping strategies to get through it.  Most importantly, always keep in mind that rejection is NOT a measure of your talent or self.  You’re work is amazing and you are amazing for putting yourself out there and taking this big step towards sharing your creation with the world.  Don’t let the rejections define you or discourage you, no matter how many stack up. 

My coping strategy is to turn that rejection into fuel to move forward.  I have a rejection goals checklist, for every rejection I put a sticker on the board.  My current goal is to reach 30 rejections by the end of the year. Those stickers show that I’m not giving up on my dream by turning my rejections into milestones, rather than failures.

Don’t let the rejections define you or discourage you, no matter how many stack up. 
My coping strategy is to turn that rejection into fuel to move forward.

Your first novel, Creatures Most Vile, is a YA fantasy rife with terrifying monsters that stalk a young woman named Anora who is navigating the difficulties of trauma and struggling to support her family. Where did you find inspiration for this harrowing tale?

Henry Fuseli's 'The Nightmare'

   The initial inspiration came from a dream.  I have incredibly vivid dreams that play like a movie with characters that come out of nowhere (I am not in them nor my family/friends - it’s weird).  When I woke up, I wrote the dream down and used that as my base for the story.  Since that dream, it has morphed and developed into something completely different.

As I was writing, I went through some tough times and I infused that situation, my emotions, and my decisions into the plot, overall theme, and Anora's character/character arc.  In some ways, Anora's story is mine, just with different types of monsters.  

The initial inspiration came from a dream... When I woke up, I wrote the dream down and used that as my base for the story.

The suspenseful scary setting and monster inspirations come from my lifelong interest in all things horror. I'm a big fan of monster movies especially, because I love seeing imaginative takes on biology.  Writing my creatures was my favorite part because I got to be the creator and brought my own imagined organisms to life on the page.

Writing my creatures was my favorite part because I got to be the creator and brought my own imagined organisms to life on the page.

Issues surrounding mental health have been given increasing attention in recent public discourse. Through Anora’s story are you trying to address any particular mental health concern or spark a conversation on a particular issue related to that topic?

 Yes!  The main theme and conversation I want to address is the downplay of mental health in society.  

Anora suffers from PTSD and anxiety from growing up in a world constantly under threat of attack from voracious monsters.  She has witnessed countless massacres, including her father’s death, and has nearly met her own grisly demise more times than she cares to count.  When her storm-wielding powers are discovered and she’s expected to fight these beasts, her mental health is completely disregarded by society.  They write it off as a simple fear she’ll get over with time and throw her right into the thick of training without a second thought.

When her storm-wielding powers are discovered and she’s expected to fight these beasts, her mental health is completely disregarded by society.

This is a problem that many people with any form of mental illness face.  I suffer from anxiety and had situational depression in the past.  I’ve heard comments like “You’re overreacting/ being dramatic”, “Just calm down”, or “Get over it” more times than I should.  Downplaying and disregarding any form of mental illness needs to stop.  Mental health is just as important as any other health measure, and should be a priority concern with how people treat others, regardless of the kind of monster that person is facing.    

Mental health is just as important as any other health measure, and should be a priority concern with how people treat others, regardless of the kind of monster that person is facing.

In speaking with other fantasy writers I find that one of the most common difficulties in building a fantastic world is handling and defining the role and use of magic. How does magic work within Anora’s world and how did you define its boundaries and limitations?  
    
Magic is very rare in Anora’s world.  The only manifestation of magic is through rare, supernatural abilities. I’ve drawn a lot from my biology background to define the terms of this magic.  It is something you’re born with, a specific gene mutation occurring in a small portion of the population that allows the person to manipulate specific aspects of the environment.  In Anora’s case, she can manipulate specific elements: water and air.  She can manipulate them individually or in tandem to create weather.  Others are born with a manipulation of earth or energy, while others can manipulate more organic materials like muscles, nerves, and brain matter (IE mind control). 

With the biological element to how these powers work, there is a finite well to their power that limits them from being super crazy powerful beings.  The explanation behind how it works is super science-y and I won’t describe here (I don’t go into full detail in the book either, it’s mainly to satisfy my nerdiness).  

There are no magical objects, but there is some imaginative tech developed to help people survive in this creature ridden world.   

I’ve drawn a lot from my biology background to define the terms of this magic.  It is something you’re born with, a specific gene mutation occurring in a small portion of the population...

Where can readers keep track of Creatures Most Vile on its march towards publication and where stay fans stay up to date on your most current projects?
    
Creatures Most Vile and I have a long journey ahead of us and I post updates on Facebook, Twitter, and my website.   Thank you for your support and hope one day you’ll find Creatures Most Vile sitting on your shelf!  

Find more from Chelsea Lauren on Facebook, Twitter, and her writing website!