Abigail Rose-Marie
Author Interview - Abigail Rose-Marie
Author of White Rabbit
In a yellow house perched on the crumbling edge of Massachusetts Bay, eleven-year-old Penelope Willows is living in the shadow of loss. Her father is gone, leaving behind only whispers and shadows, while her mother drifts further away each day, lost in her own grief. Left alone in a home that seems frozen in time, Penelope clings to her routines, counting everything she can—logs by the stove, soup cans in the pantry—hoping to hold the world together.
But this is no ordinary house. It once belonged to the poet Sylvia Plath, and her presence lingers in every corner, her ghost becoming an unexpected companion to Penelope. As the days stretch on, Penelope begins to hear the echoes of Plath’s poetry in the wind, feel her sadness seep into the walls, and see her ghost in the mirrors and empty rooms.
When Penelope’s mother begins to withdraw further into her own world, leaving Penelope more isolated than ever, the girl’s grip on reality starts to fray. Haunted by the absence of her father and the presence of a ghost, Penelope must navigate the treacherous waters of memory, madness, and the fear that she, too, will be lost to the abyss.
Author Interview - Abigail Rose-Marie
Author I draw inspiration from:
So much of my work leans into the gothic, that dark underside of reality where I would place writers like Shirley Jackson, who has been a source of inspiration for me since I was very young. White Rabbit certainly shares roots with We have Always Lived in the Castle, a work I have read and loved many times over. It’s not just Merricat’s voice that I find so captivating, but the ambiguities, the subtleties of the book that just beg the reader to start it up all over again.
Author Interview - Abigail Rose-Marie | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
I have always wished to be one of those people who can read anywhere—a bus, a coffeehouse, a park—but I am too interested in people watching to stay focused on the page. So, admittedly, my favorite place to read a book is at home, on the couch, with a cup of tea and, of course, my orange striped cat beside me.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
I suppose it would have to be Vanessa Ford from Taylor Jenkins Reid’s newest novel, Atmosphere. Not only has Vanessa been to space and witnessed a catastrophic event—great fodder for conversation— but I have no doubt that she would have the skills to get us out of the elevator.
Author Interview - Abigail Rose-Marie | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
We’re going way back now. I was six years old and my best friend’s father asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up—the standard question for an adult interacting with a child. I told him I wanted to be an author and he laughed. You like animals, he said. How about becoming a veterinarian? I thought about it for a moment and then shook my head. No, I wanted to be an author. I felt like an adult when I said it, maybe for the first time. But that’s not what I remember most. What stays with me, even now, is his laugh—that sharp scoff that told me I was just a child with a too-large dream. Well, I’m the one who is smiling about it all now.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
I’ll tell you the truth—to this day, I have never read an ebook or listened to an audiobook. Not because I am adverse, but because the thought has never really crossed my mind. I prefer paperback to hardcover, simply because of malleability. I like the feel of it better in my hands.
The last book I read:
The last book I read was Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson. What a fascinating and profound story that speaks to childhood emotion and trauma. At first, I was skeptical of a story where a pair of children spontaneously combust when they are upset, but I was deeply moved by the narrative and the portrayal of both parenthood and family. It’s a book I would recommend again and again.
Author Interview - Abigail Rose-Marie | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
I am a big proponent of the storyboard—anyone who knows me will roll their eyes here as I gush. Now, I’m not talking about electronic storyboards, though I can understand how those would be helpful. I’m talking about real, physical, hang-on-your-wall corkboards covered in notecards, photos, drawings, sticky notes, etc. This might make me old fashioned, but it is the single most important and most loved part of my writing process. I start with color-coded notecards and designate one per chapter, writing quick plot points on each card. This allows me to see the full arc and structure of a story visually. I then add pictures, song lyrics, maps, quotes, and anything else that inspires the work-in-progress. This all hangs above my writing desk and, anytime I get stuck or have a bad writing day, I just look up and see the story there above me. More often than not, it’s enough to get me going again.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
It has to be Ninny Threadgoode from Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Café by Fanny Flagg, a book that was well before it’s time when it was published in 1987. Many people are most familiar with the film adaptation, but the book is truly spectacular. It’s my go-to read whenever I’m in a slump. Ninny Threadgoode is the elderly woman who lives in a nursing home. I love her for so many reasons. Not only because she is a terrific storyteller, but because, when she wants to look her best for Easter, she has a student beautician dye her hair bright purple to look festive. I think Ninny could teach me a lot about life. In fact, she already has.
Author Interview - Abigail Rose-Marie | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
Maybe this is a time to share that I have always dreamed of being a Broadway star? No. I’m much too introverted. If I weren’t an author, I’d be a veterinarian. Perhaps.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
What a fun question! It would have to be the 90s. Not only because I am nostalgic for my childhood growing up alongside Lake Michigan, but because I still like a nice pair of denim overalls and a bright pink hair scrunchie.
Place I’d most like to travel:
My current travel obsession is to East Gippsland, Australia. This is an area on the south-east coast of the country, separated from Tasmania by Bass Strait. I am particularly interested in this location because my novel-in-progress is set there. I’ve been told the area is very old and mystical—rural coastal towns and thick forests. The novel I’m working on features a protagonist who becomes obsessed with the albatross, a sea bird that is spotted off the coast of Gippsland and Tasmania. What a sight that would be—to see an albatross flying above the ocean. A trip to Gippsland would be well worth it for just that.
My signature drink:
An iced caramel macchiato with oat milk. It’s my go-to drink for both a writing session and a long drive.
Favorite artist:
I’ll admit that I am a Swiftie—my recent Spotify “Year in Review” was very clear about that. But I’m also a 90s child who grew up with 60s musicals. When I think of “artist,” I would be remiss to not speak about my love for Barbra Streisand, an artist that eight-year-old me talked about incessantly while my peers went on about Disney and The Power Rangers. I think it was Streisand’s portrayal of Fanny Brice in Funny Girl that encouraged me to be a writer. Her passion, her fearlessness, her ambition made me believe that, just maybe, I could chase after my dreams, too.
Number one on my bucket list:
I spend quite a bit of each day thinking about birds. This is because the two novels I am currently drafting both feature birds in some compacity. So, though spotting an albatross flying over Bass Strait is surely my top-tier bucket list item, I am also keenly interested in following the whooping crane migration from North Dakota down to the Texan marshes come fall. Whooping Cranes are fascinating birds. They almost went extinct back in the 70s, though their population has since risen. I grew up spotting sandhill cranes every once in a while near Lake Michigan. But a whooping crane? Much rarer. They start their migration from Canada in October and fly over two thousand miles to the southern marshes. I would love to see a part of that journey.
Anything else you'd like to add:
To the young writers out there: Write like hell. We need your words now more than ever.
Find more from the author:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorabigailrosemarie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561109053457.
Website: https://www.abigailrosemarie.com/
About Abigail Rose-Marie:
Abigail Rose-Marie
Abigail Rose-Marie is the author of The Moonflowers and forthcoming novels, White Rabbit and Between Breaths. She holds a PhD in creative writing from Ohio University and an MFA from Bowling Green State University. She currently lives with her wife and their very spoiled pets in Utah.
