I’d written a book I thought I should write instead of a book I wanted to write. One of the reasons I think it struck out with agents, besides it being my first novel, was that my passion wasn’t showing through on the page. Why did you choose to write for young adults? A cheerleader seemed like a great fit for that.ĥ. In terms of Indie being a cheerleader, I really wanted to subvert the usual gothic witch stereotype, and I thought a fun way to achieve that would to be for the protagonist to be popular and snarky rather than a quiet outcast. Ironically, ‘The Witch Hunter’s Bible’ ended up not being the best fit for the finished product, and we changed the title in the editorial process. When she later decided not to pursue the idea after all, I asked her if I could use the title for a young adult novel that had been unfolding in my head ever since she first mentioned it to me. A few years ago she told me about an adult historical novel she wanted to write, which she’d planned to call “The Witch Hunter’s Bible”. To write HEXED, where did you get your inspiration from? (How did you come up with the idea of a cheerleader/witch?) Keep working, keep learning, keep reading, and don’t let someone’s “No” be what makes you give up on your dream.Ĥ.

There will always be rejection in a writer’s life, whether you’re querying your first novel or you’re a New York Times Bestseller pitching your next project to editors.

I always say the same thing: Be persistent. What do you say to writers who want to be published one day? But the good intentions are there, so that counts!ģ. I also set an alarm every day for 5:30am with the intention of getting up to write before anyone else is awake, but I usually end up pressing the snooze button and going back to bed. Now that my son is four and doesn’t nap, all of my writing gets done in the hour between when my husband gets home from work and before we get started making dinner. My son slept through the night and took 3-4 hour naps during the day, and I knew that if I was ever going to write that book, I wouldn’t get any better of an opportunity try. It was only once I began a yearlong maternity leave that things changed.

Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?īeing a writer was one of those things I always said I wanted to do but never took any steps towards accomplishing. I “met” Michelle online thanks to the Christmas In July pitch contest she organizes every summer with Ruth Lauren Steven.īook: HEXED (expected publication: June 10th 2014 by Delacorte Press)ġ. I’m delighted to share with you another interview with a YA author! This week it’s Michelle Krys, whose debut HEXED is coming out in June.

Hexed by Michelle Krys