“Beneath the streets of New York City live the Avicen, an ancient race of people with feathers for hair and magic running through their veins.” Melissa Grey’s debut novel, The Girl at Midnight has just been released.
First of all can you tell us a bit about your new novel, The Girl at Midnight?
Sure! It’s about a human girl named Echo who’s taken in by a race of magical creatures who live beneath the streets of New York called the Avicen. The Avicen have feathers for hair and magic in their veins, and they’re at war with another race called the Drakharin (who believe they’re descended from dragons). Echo takes off on a perilous journey to find the firebird, a mythical entity prophesied to end the war once and for all.
Can you give us some insight into your main character, the runaway pickpocket Echo?
Echo is a bit of a street urchin. She ran away from an unhappy home at the age of seven and took up residence in the New York Public Library’s flagship branch on Fifth Avenue. When one of the Avicen’s leaders discovers Echo in the library late one night, she’s whisked away to a world she never could have dreamed of. While she no longer needs to steal to survive, old habits die hard and sometimes, being a thief can be the survival skill in one’s repertoire. She also likes to collect esoteric words that are largely untranslatable, like backpfeifengesicht (German, a face made for slapping) and akrasia (Greek, the state of knowingly acting against your better judgment)
How did you come up with the idea for the two human-like races, one with feathers and the other with scales?
My imagination did most of the work when I wasn’t really thinking too hard about it. The idea for the Avicen grew out of my research into firebird mythology from around the world. Quite honestly, it was so long ago, I don’t really remember when I first thought of the Drakharin as a race specifically, but I had the idea for the character of Caius and when I was drawing him up in my mind, I knew he had scales (sexy ones, not gross ones).
What goals might you have set for yourself when writing The Girl at Midnight and how do you feel about the end result?
I knew the end of the book before I started writing it (no spoilers!) and I’m happy that I got there mostly in one piece, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. It never really changed throughout the course of the book’s writing. I knew where Echo wound up at the end and I’m content with the way it played out.
What is it with YA Fantasy you find fascinating?
Fantasy’s always been my favorite genre ever since I could read on my own and probably even before then, when my parents were reading me bedtime stories. I loved stories of princesses and dragons and warriors and wizards. It’s always been my jam. I’ve also been consistently fascinated by coming of age stories, which existed long before the term Young Adult became A Thing. It’s such a volatile time in one’s life, even in the regular non-magical world, that adding elements of fantasy to narratives that take place in those tumultuous teen years creates something that’s both spectacular and emotionally resonant.
Can you tell us a bit about the process that led to the book being published?
I started writing The Girl at Midnight in bits and pieces years ago, but it wasn’t until I had written and rewritten the book what felt like a million times that I felt it was ready to send out into the world. I started querying literary agents with my finished manuscript in spring of 2013, and by fall the book had sold to Random House. I got lucky – I found the right agent and the right editor at the right times.
How did you start writing? Was there a particular book or moment in your life that spurned you on?
There wasn’t really a single A-ha! moment for me. I’ve always loved stories and I always knew I wanted to write my own. It seemed like fun! The first short story I distinctly remember finishing (though I had written loads of poems and unfinished stories before then), was a little diddy about an opera-singing, skate-boarding vampire when I was twelve. I don’t remember what it was about beyond that, but I do remember being super proud of it.
What is the hardest thing about writing?
Starting. Once I hit my stride, I can keep going, but I can procrastinate like a pro.
What are your thoughts on good/bad reviews?
I don’t read them, good or bad. I’m glad people write them and I’m grateful people take the time to think critically about my work, but I find I’m more productive when I just focus on writing the next thing.
How do you define success as an author?
I don’t know yet. I’m happy I wrote a book and that it’s been published but my work is definitely not done. As an author, I feel like I’ll always be a work in progress and the idea of success seems stagnant to me.
For your own reading, do you prefer ebooks or traditional paper/hard back books?
Usually, I prefer physical books because I spend enough time staring at glowing screens as it is, but I do love the portability and accessibility of ebooks. I also like that I can read ebooks in the dark, which you can’t do with paper.
What kind of books do you read, any favourite authors?
I’ll read anything, but I tend to gravitate toward fantasy, unsurprisingly. I’m a huge fan of Neil Gaiman, Mercedes Lackey, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Victoria Schwab, Kelly Link, Holly Black, and J.K Rowling (including her more recent work that’s definitely not fantasy).
What do you do when you’re not writing, any hobbies?
I get a kick out of nail art – I started novelnails.tumblr.com, which features nail art inspired by books. I also like traveling. The Girl at Midnight is pretty much a love letter to the places I’ve visited in the past few years. I also like to cook but I’m terrible at it so if you come to my house hungry, it’s probably best just to order a pizza.
What’s next, what are you working on now?
Right now, I’m finishing up The Shadow Hour, the second book in The Girl at Midnight trilogy while also working on the third book. I’ve got a few short stories in progress as well – I like having multiple irons in the fire, because if I hit a roadblock on one project, I can just pick something else up without losing my momentum.
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Interview by Dag Rambraut – SFFWorld.com © 2015
