Q&A with Mindy McGinnis
Did you miss out on our Twitter Q&A with Mindy McGinnis? No problem! Check out the full list of all of the questions and answers below.
@Brilliant_Books says: Alright, @MindyMcGinnis you have quite a few books, all of which are quite different from each other. For someone wanting to get started with your work, where do you think they should start?
My first book - Not A Drop to Drink - is a great intro to my voice and style. But it's also post-apocalyptic. So... maybe a little too close to home for some at the moment! If you're looking for more of an escapist read right now, I also have a #fantasy series. I think the only person that has read it is my mom.
@gileslibrarian says: We in Vermont are very excited to have Heroine on our Green Mountain Book Award list next year! What was your inspiration for writing this powerful novel? @MindyMcGinnis @Brilliant_Books
First of all, I'm flattered! Thank you so much!
I worked in a public school system for 14 years, and I saw the ripples beginning before I left to become a full-time writer. Then, while doing a school visit, I was told that some kids needed to leave early to attend a funeral. A student had OD'd. It was their 3rd funeral for that school year. One of the female students told me they had spent money meant for prom on a "good black dress for funerals." That really got my attention. I drove back home fundamentally changed.
That’s heartbreaking. Thank you for sharing.
Yes. I grew up in the 90s. When we lost students it was to car crashes. Now when there is a student death, an OD is the assumption.
@Brilliant_Books asks: Our staff had a conversation about this and now it's my new favorite question. What's your book niche? That one specific sub-genre of books that you'll pick up every time (amongst our staff it's circus books, books about famous people who don't exist, queer time travel, etc)
Oooooo.... great question. I don't know if I have a specific thing I'll pick up every time. Anything that looks quirky, different, new, or something that covers an under-appreciated event in history always has my attention.
@JenLiaLongo asks: How many agents did you query before landing one?
I don't actually have a number on agents - but I queried for 10 years and didn't land @AdriannRanta until I had written my 5th book. #Writing is a long-haul operation.
WOW. Excellent. Resilience & work. Thank you!
So. Much. Work. If you're a writer check out my blog and podcast -- https://writerwriterpantsonfire.com for all kinds of free resources!
@CaitlinAMarsh says: So it's said that writers fall on the spectrum somewhere between "plotter" and "pantser" in terms of how they approach planning (or not planning) a project. Where would you put yourself on that spectrum? @Brilliant_Books @MindyMcGinnis
Great question! I'm a pretty extreme panster. I don't plot. I don't plan. I generally don't even know what is going to happen in my books. I just start with an idea, and I let the characters make decisions that shape the plot.
This keeps me invested in the story a well. My personal experience is that if I'm just filling in an outline, there's no joy for me. The feeling of staying up until 2 AM to find out what happens next in a book can be re-created in writing if you're a pantser!
@aj_persh says: How many cats can you own before you cross over to be a cat lady?
Right now I have 4 cats... down from 7 so I think 4 is the "normal" amount of cats to have. Also, cats are useful in the apocalypse. They tithe a certain amount of their kills.
@Brilliant_Books says: @MindyMcGinnis if you could adapt any of your stories for stage or screen (big or small), which would you choose?
That's a tough one! I think Not A Drop to Drink would be a good one b/c the production cost would be pretty low. It's set across something like a 5 mile area. You'd just need Carhartts and some rifles.
We love a good indie production. Movie or TV show?
I think TV is producing some amazing stuff right now, and with a more adaptable length you have more freedom for character development.
@carriemegan14 asks: How did you break in to the publishing world? I’m currently querying and it’s so challenging!
It's a very long, very tough haul. I got an agent through the traditional query process. That's how most authors I know got their agents, as well. It's not easy! It took me ten years. But - anything worth succeeding at will be difficult.
@Brilliant_Books says: @MindyMcGinnis Throughout your backlist, you've worked in a variety of genres from historical fiction to gritty contemporaries to fantasy and beyond. Is there a genre you haven't tackled yet that you really want to?
Oh boy... well, I can't say there's anything I'm itching to write. I am patiently waiting for urban fantasy to come back around though!
Who says you can't be the one to bring it back? #BringBackUrbanFantasy2020
I can promise you that more than likely you are never going to get a romance out of me.
You heard it here first, folks
It's so far out of my wheelhouse! My readers might be like... but where is the realism? Where is the existential angst?
That's so fair. Maybe if the romance was an epic Shakespearean tragedy?
I mean... yeah the kind of romance where nobody wins and probably the pets have mange.
Honestly, I'd probably still read it
I'm vaguely interested in writing it, after describing it.
@Brilliant_Books says: Last question on our end, (thank you so much for doing this, Mindy!), what books or authors have you read recently that you think deserve more hype? @MindyMcGinnis
I've been so busy I haven't read much lately, to be honest. One under-appreciated book I'm always pushing is A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge!