Interview with Megan Miranda

Hey all you reader and writers! Emma Michaels here to introduce our guest author of the day:

Megan Miranda!

Hello Megan and welcome to The Writers Voice!

Tell us something about your book that we wouldn’t know just by reading the blurb.

Several people have asked me whether I consider certain aspects of Fracture to be science or paranormal. And, honestly, I’m not sure. I think it really walks the line between both. I wrote the book from the science angle, pulling on my science background. But sometimes things don’t react like we predict they will. Sometimes people who are supposed to live, die. And sometimes, people who are supposed to die, live. This is a story about the latter. And there are definitely elements of Fracture that are not quite explainable, so I think that makes it paranormal. It’s a really thin line, though. Technically, paranormal is just something that science can’t explain…yet.

What’s your favorite non-essential item on your desk?

I love sticky-notes. Especially the hot-pink kind. I’ve never revised without them, and I also use them when I’m starting to draft. If I have an idea for something that should happen, like, 8 chapters later, I’ll stick one in the middle of my idea notebook and write something like, “Remember that thing you were thinking about,” followed by some random words that make absolutely no sense when I look back at them a month later. I’m sure there’s a better way, but I’m attached to the sticky-note method.

What was the most challenging aspect of writing a novel?

Rewriting the novel. It was one thing to get the first 60,000 words on paper, to develop characters, create a setting, and discover a premise. It was another thing entirely (for me, at least) to develop a plot with tension and stakes and logic. I wrote the first version of Fracture fairly quickly, but I had to rewrite it from scratch, twice, to find my story. Rewriting took more time, more thought, and more patience.

What's a typical day like for you?

I have 2 small children, so most of my writing takes place at night when they’re sleeping. I try to do writing-related things (e-mail, research, etc.) when they’re awake but occupied (like when they’re eating breakfast or something). I do have a few hours a week when both kids are in school, so I try to maximize those hours by turning off the internet and doing nothing but writing. For the most part, though, my work day begins when the kids go to sleep. My plan for that time is usually to write until I get tired of writing.

Besides writing, what do you like to do in your free time?

Writing is what I do in my free time. Writing was my hobby—that thing I looked forward to doing whenever I had “free time,” and that really hasn’t changed. I’m sure I’m not alone when I say that finding free time is difficult—usually, I have to carve out the time. So if there’s ever a gap of time? Just waiting to be filled? Hanging out with friends and family comes first, but after that…I write. And if I’m in a writing rut, I read.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned when creating your book?

That at some point, you are no longer in control. You’re in control of the words, and, to an extent, the overall plot, but the characters can’t just do what you would like them to do. When you give yourself over to your characters, the plot can take some unexpected turns. Ironically, I think it’s actually at this point—when you lose yourself to their decisions—that the book comes together. I have no idea what this all means….but when I stop fighting them, the story suddenly becomes far more interesting.

Thank you for joining us Megan!

To all our readers our there thank you for following The Writers Voice and happy reading!