Melissa Marr, Author

What was your inspiration behind the writing of Fragile Eternity?
Fragile Eternity is the book I call "Seth's book". In the first book, Seth saw his best friend and girlfriend embark on a career that puts everyone and everything second to her job. As a feminist, I realize that the idea of subsuming one's identity to the partner's is unhealthy. It doesn't matter which partner is doing it. Seth was losing his identity, his goals, and his happiness in order to be supportive, and that's no better than the woman losing hers. The events in the first two books made clear to me that he was pushed to a crisis point where he had to make some choices. That felt like the right story thread to follow next, so Fragile Eternity became the next book.

How important is the cover illustration of your books to you?
I think the cover can convey a lot, so it's important to me that those details convey accurate cues. In the US, I've been allowed to pick the models for the covers (and these are now the UK covers too). I've tried to pick models that look healthy, as well as match the mental image of the character. The vines around each title are reflective of an element in the text, and the size of my name (as well as it being in all lowercase) is to convey that the author is less important than the text. The art director and I communicate on all of these details. HarperCollins has invited a lot of feedback from me, and I'm very grateful.

The actual art, however, is outside my parameters - as it should be. I think Darren Hopes (the original UK cover artist) and Mark Tucker (the US photographer) are both amazing artists, and I couldn't be happier with the covers they created.

Do you think women are given equal chances in the literary world?
I'm not sure about the "literary world" as that's a rather large space, but as a writer, I've not felt limited. With a few exceptions, I've not really felt that the fact that I am female has mattered to most of the people I've met in the industry (both at home and abroad).

Do you consider your books as escapism? In general, do you consider escapism as a good or a bad thing?
That word often has such a negative connotation, but "escapism" merely implies daydreams or other routes to escape reality - which is pretty much the point of stories, music, art, beautiful landscapes, and stunning architecture (et al). Creative expressions allow us to be transported elsewhere. We seek that. Can those same things allow us to contemplate serious matters? Of course! However, I don't subscribe to the notion that art is to be mere didacticism.

Are my books escapist? I truly hope so. If I'm not transporting readers in some way, if they are unable to step into the pages, then I've failed to tell a good story.

I'm not sure there are absolute answers on whether escapism is positive or negative. If escapism results in a reader failing to live her/his own life, then I think it's veering towards negative; if it inspires thought, passion, hope, answering creative expressions, it tilts towards the positive. Ultimately, I believe that it's the relationship that happens between the text and the viewer/reader wherein the positive/negative is determined, and each relationship is unique. Thus, an absolute value is impossible to assign.

What advice would you give for someone who wants to write in the same imaginative way as your own?
What I write is what is, at this point, inevitable. I grew up with fairy tales, feminism, and folklore. I tried to write other texts, but they failed. These books roll out rather organically. So, I suppose that my best advice is to write what fits you naturally. If folklore based texts are it, proceed. If not, see what does fit.

If you've found that folklore texts are your fit, I think the importance of immersing yourself in lore cannot be overstated. I collect folklore; I travel; and sometimes when I get lucky, I get to hear tales told aloud. So, my advice is the same as for any sort of writing: live, travel, read, and immerse yourself.

What first made you start writing?
The very first time? A woman named Sister Elaine Peters who sent me to the library with a creative writing journal. I was 12, and she informed me that I was a writer. I'd never really written anything before then.

The most recent time? My husband encouraged me to trust myself, to follow the dream I'd had since then. I wasn't sleeping well, and it was either try to write or take sleeping pills. So, I wrote a few short stories, my first novel, and then Wicked Lovely.

How does your day go - how and where do you write?
It's one in the morning as I'm replying to these questions, so "day" is a relative thing. Of late, I get up midday, fix tea, go to my desk, deal with any business matters that require my attention, exercise, and then mid-afternoon, I see my kids when they return from school and activities. After they go to bed, I return to my desk where I write till about 4 in the morning. If writing isn't flowing, or I'm not on deadline and am backlogged on tasks (as I am this week), I do business tasks at night instead of writing.

However, there are also weeks when I am away on tours or events (writing on flights or in hotels); there are other-quite wonderful-days when I stumble from bed directly to my desk, either my assistant or my spouse delivers me a pot of tea, and I spend 14 or more straight hours writing. And, of course, there are days when nothing works, and I am sure that the next book will never make sense. It's random which is exactly right for me.

How do you research your books?
It depends on the book. I love to read folklore and travel, so a good deal of the research is more a matter of indulging in what I am already doing for fun. Writing is, in part, an excuse to do what I enjoy and call it work.

In other cases, I consult with experts. For Ink Exchange, I spent a good deal of time making sense of the mechanics of tattooing, the way ink is made, and the history of the art. I'm already a tattoo aficionado, so I had some details already in my mind. For another text, I have been in consultations with a mortician.

For me, setting is equally important, so I take photographs everywhere I go. These are a different sort of research, as I'm not sure what they are for until after the fact. In truth, I approach a lot of it that way. I'm always asking people about their jobs, hobbies, or places they've visited. I collect books on random topics, and I keep notes on myriad passing interests. One never knows when miniscule detail will spark the next story.

What's it like seeing your books reviewed in newspapers and magazines?
I'm glad people are responding to the texts, and I'm simultaneously always a touch surprised by it. The books have hit a few bestseller lists (at home and abroad), received awards, and yet, it still seems surreal that people are curled up with my stories. That said, it doesn't really matter whether the response is from a reviewer at a journal or a reader on a blog: it simply astounds me that my characters are being pondered by people other than me.

Have you ever reviewed someone else's work?
No, and I have no desire to so unless if I can review it in a positive light. When I taught at university, my job was-in part-to deconstruct texts. We tore texts down to their roots. What does this mean? How is it reflective of the era/theory/symbol et al? What works here? Where is it less than it could be? As a writer, I still read that way. However, I don't believe that deconstructing the work of my peers is my job.

What's the best review you've ever had? What's the worst review you've ever had?
A review is merely one reader's response. Readers' responses are inevitably subjective, so assigning reviewers' responses extra weight because they write for a journal is somewhat problematic for me. I happen to think that William Faulkner is a god, but I know people-clever, wonderful people I trust-who hate his texts. Once upon a time, I thought Shakespeare wasn't a god. The reality is that there are times when a book isn't the right fit for a reader at that point-or ever.

As to best and worst, I can't honestly say. Reviews where the reviewer clearly didn't read the text irritate me. I've had industry reviews where plot details and even character names were wrong. Those are frustrating because they're sloppy, and the teacher in me cringes. I've had a couple that presupposed details inaccurately about what my teen years must've been like. Those amused me enough that I sent them to friends. I've had other reviewers lavish such praise on my books that I want to write and point out the texts' flaws. Those might be the most dangerous as they can delude a writer into thinking s/he is better than s/he is. I'm glad people are responding to the text, and I appreciate the time they are taking to read and write a reaction, but I don't think I could pick "the one" for either best or worst.

What sort of aspects of a book do you think that reviewers should cover in order to make their review fair and balanced?
I would suggest that balanced reviews are about more than which aspect of a book are covered. Reading the entire book seems obviously essential, as is being willing to sign one's name. Personally, I enjoy reviews that are not trying to sound snarky or otherwise cruel; that are about the text not the reviewer's personal or political biases; that are not about how the reviewer would've told the tale; that are not merely summaries; but that do address style, plot, narrative structure, character, and voice.

Further, my personal ideal for fair and balanced reviews would be several reviewers responding to the same text. Multi-voice reactions, to me, feel more likely to offer insights than one solitary voice can. When I read reviews of a book, I like to read reviews from various sources for this reason. It would be handy for me as a reader and as a writer to have more review venues offer up multiple reviews of a text.