Inside the Mind: Kate, Demitria, and Marley

Lily

6 years ago

Welcome to Inside the Mind where we here at The Faerie Review interview authors and creators.

Our guests today are Kate Karyus Quinn, Demitria Lunetta, and Marley Lynn, the authors behind Grave New World.

Lily: Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview Kate, Demitria, and Marley I loved reading Grave New World. How was it writing and coordinating with three authors? Kate: This is the second series we’ve tackled as a trio, so we mostly have our routine down at this point. Not to toot our own horn, but I think the way we write together is really something special and unique.Demitria: And fun! It’s great to have a built in critique system. It’s also pretty awesome to come back to an MS and discover a few chapters have appeared as if by magic. And by magic I mean my writing partners’ hard work. 🙂 Marley: It’s true. Not only do we know our own strengths and weaknesses, but we also know each other’s! So for example if there’s a romantic scene planned, we all know that goes to Kate. A battle scene or a death? That’s me. Some snarky dialogue exchange? Demitria.Lily: That’s awesome! I don’t know if I could do it. I can barely get myself to sit down and write for me hehe. Where did the idea come from?Kate: We wanted something a little more grown up than our previous series, which was YA. That series we called Mythverse and over the course of seven books we created a world full of Greek gods gone wild, every paranormal creature you can think of, and a modern world rocked by their existence. We loved the world and the characters we’d created and didn’t want to completely leave them behind.Demitria: I think Kate came up with the supernatural cleaning services idea and Marley and I ran with it! I love writing Paige, she’s so snarky! I also love the whole premise, a cute sassy cleaning lady as an amateur PI! It’s so fun to write!Marley: But we also wanted to move into the adult world. We were attracted to the idea of seeing some of our characters from Mythverse as adults. What would they be like? How have they changed? And of course, writing in the adult world gives us a little more leeway on the steamy stuff… which quite frankly we all need in quarantine times.

Lily: I’ll definitely have to check out the Mythverse. I agree, we could all use a little extra steamy fun right now. Would you rather spend a day with Paige, Jax, or Nico, and what would you do? Kate: Hmm…I think I’d spend a day with Jax. Paige would definitely hand me a broom and make me pitch in with work. Nico is a little too dangerous for my tastes. But Jax I feel like could show a girl a good fun time. Demitria: Paige all the way! Sure, she’ll make me clean, but we’ll have a blast doing it!Marley: Nico. 2000% Nico. He plays a bad boy, but at heart he’s a teddy bear. It’d be nice to see both sides and know you’re the special person that gets to experience both!Lily: Honestly, I want to spend a day with each of them. They all sound like they’d be fun! Did you put part of yourselves into any of the characters? Kate: I did once work as a cleaning lady for a few weeks in college. I cleaned offices at night. They didn’t understand why the vacuums I used always broke. I never told them it was because instead of picking up paper clips and other big stuff like that left on the floor, I just vacuumed right over it. Demitria: I feel like I’m a bit in Shauna, she says all the things that I wish I had the guts to say!Marley: I’m in there in some ways… mostly dick jokes. That’s the other thing – if there’s space to squeeze in a dick joke, I’m your girl. See what I did there?Lily: That’s awesome Kate, I sometimes forget to pick up the bigger stuff (don’t tell my husband). Demitria, I loved Shauna, she reminds me of me in a few ways (who needs a filter on what they say lol). Marley I think you’d fit in perfectly with a bunch of my friends I swear half our chats are dirty jokes, so dick jokes are welcome! Now we’d like to talk about you as writers. Can you describe your ideal writing space? Kate: One where my children are somewhere else. With COVID that’s been sadly limited lately.Demitria: My couch! With a piping hot cup of tea. Those two things and I’m good to go.Marley: I’m very fortunate to have a very keen ability to filter out my surroundings. I can write alone, in public, in silence, with noise. I’m just good at managing my environment.Lily: Out of those three I think I’d be most comfortable on my couch with tea (where I might be as I write this up). Do you work better at night or in the morning? Kate: Night. But I’m trying to become less of a night owl.Demitria: I used to be a night owl but as I get older (ahhhh, it happens) I find I’m more productive in the mornings. Especially with a cappuccino in hand.Marley: Again, it doesn’t really matter. I can grind words out anywhere, anytime.Lily: I’m definitely a night owl. Marley I’m kind of jealous of your ability to write anytime anywhere! Do you prefer pen and paper, typewriter, voice dictation, or computer for your first draft?Kate: Good old Google Docs. I typed something like 90wpm the last time I tested myself. Demitria: Typing! I know there are people who go old school and write things out in a notebook. I am not that person.Marley: I type everything out. Like Kate, I can type much faster than I can write.Lily: I definitely type faster than I can write (guess mom was right it was an important skill to learn). I love asking this question, although more authors lately tend to lean towards the computer now. Let’s finish up with some fun questions and get inside your minds. What’s your favorite thing to eat for lunch (or dinner)? Kate: Pizza. I live in Buffalo, NY and it’s a little known fact that we have the best pizza on the planet. Demitria: My favorite meal is sushi. Anything Salmon. Mmmmmmm. Also, I have to agree with Kate that NY pizza is the best!Marley: I have an insatiable sweet tooth and can eat a donut at any time of day. They are not safe from me. Lily: I love all three and I’m not sure I can pick…sushi appetizer, pizza main course, donut dessert maybe? What’s your favorite song or musical artist/composer?Kate: Lately I’ve been super into Taylor Swift’s Folklore. Demitria: I am not huge into music (I know, gasp!) so I listen to whatever is on. I do have a soft spot for 90s music for teenage nostalgia.Marley: I’ve been listening to a lot of Mumford & Sons.Lily: I love Taylor Swift, but I might have a 90s playlist for the same reason… I don’t know if I’ve listened to Mumford & Sons but I’ll have to check them out. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? Kate: I’m in love with where I live. But I do want to visit more of the world. New Zealand is at the top of my list. Demitria: SCOTLAND! I lived there for a while in my twenties. It’s my favorite place ever. Kilts, scotch and bagpipes. I’m there!Marley: I’m near Lake Erie, so we get all kinds of mixes of weather. I don’t know that I could live anywhere else, but I would visit just about anywhere.Lily: I’d love to visit Scotland and New Zealand some day. What household chore is just the worst? Is there one you enjoy? Kate: Dusting. I hate dusting with a passion. As a result…my house is very dusty. Demitria: Dishes. Blech. I don’t have a dishwasher so…I’m the dishwasher.Marley: Anything cyclical – laundry, dishes, cooking. Basically everything. It’s all stupid.Lily: Hehe. I hate dishes too Demitria. I don’t mind dusting and I love to cook, just hate the cleanup! What is one piece advice you would give to someone?Kate: Go ahead and wear white whenever you want – who cares if it’s before or after Labor Day. Demitria: Buy a dishwasher.Marley: Don’t spend too much time on social media. You’ll end up comparing yourself to others and that way lies madness.Lily: Kate, I remember my mom telling me you can’t wear white after Labor Day, so of course I had to! I can’t agree enough Demitria, we didn’t have one growing up so I was the dishwasher. I have to admit I’ve been trying to cut back on social media because I fell into that trap Marley. Would you rather be a reverse centaur or a reverse mermaid/merman? Kate: Reverse? Like I’d have a horse head or a fish head? I guess reverse centaur, at least I wouldn’t have a horses’s ass.Demitria: So…a reverse mermaid would be like, a fish head and human legs…so my mer-gina would just be hanging out? That is a tough one. I mean, at least I’d be in the ocean. I feel like a reverse centaur would just be confusing for everyone.Marley: I think she means a centaur that can only walk backwards. I’d be that. And I’d make a BEEP BEEP BEEP all day just to be a dick.Lily: Y’all just made me spit out my tea, I love those answers! Is there anything else you would like to add that I haven’t included? Kate: We have a Christmas freebie that just went up – so make sure to look for that if you want a taste of the Mythverse world! Demitria: I’m still thinking about mer-gina…er… Oh! sign up for our newsletter, we have a few promotions coming up!Marley: We’ve had so much fun thinking up names for the continuing series of Down & Dirty. Most of mine get thrown out, but I love airing them for the reactions 🙂