Melissa Marr
Author Interview - Melissa Marr
Author of A Treason of Magic
In a world where magic, desire, and duty collide, it is beauty who is fated to kill the beast in a lush historical fantasy of secrets and star-crossed love by New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr.
Two young women. Heirs to altogether different hereditary burdens. Yet bound by a monstrous threat to their village.
Gabrielle is the first woman in Alveus to carry the mantle of Hunter, which comes with an obligation to kill the faery beasts murdering travelers in Brimmond Wood. Wary of the power she wields as guardian of her people, Gabrielle is summoned by her first love, a seductress who shattered her heart into pieces a decade ago.
Isabeau is the rarest of nobility—a lady duke. She is also afflicted by a curse that leaves her in a deep sleep between the gloaming and daylight. How can she begin her tenure as protector when she can’t keep her village safe from whatever stalks its darkest hours? For that, she needs the help of the Hunter.
Against her will, Gabrielle is falling in love all over again. But what new threats will arise when Gabrielle and Isabeau’s star-crossed destinies collide with the beast of Brimmond Wood?
Author Interview - Melissa Marr
Author I draw inspiration from:
I love more authors than any other type of creative. My degrees are in literature, and I taught lit for 12 years. But I don't know that this is where I draw creative inspiration. :)
Favorite place to read a book:
On a swing/hammock or on a plane.
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
I was a teen, had just blown curfew, and my mother asked me "what do you have to say for yourself?" I spun a tale of vampires and trying, and "yay, I'm alive!" She tried not to grin, sent me to bed, and I thought "maybe I'm not half bad at this." Literally.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
Hardback is perfect unless I'm packing. Paperback is just perfect in all the ways. Ebook is useful for travel. Audiobook is great for my adult kids who like to hear while working out or my youngest who doesn't see the letters exactly as they are. I don't do audio, though, because I cannot listen and drive without getting lost, so I'm 95% paper or hardback, 5% ebook, 0% audio.
The last book I read:
The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark. It's clever, well crafted, and lingers after reading. Recommended!
Author Interview - Melissa Marr | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
I vacillate. Sometimes I'm a notebook person. I like being unplugged, & I like writing at the river or out & about. I carry a vast "mom bag" to carry essentials (phone, notebook to write in, granola bars, & the occasional orange). Lately, I also use the Kindle Scribe as a notebook if I'm at a basketball practice or waiting for a game to start. Portable. Efficient.
Most days, at home or retreat though, I'm on my laptop. I typically either free draft or start w a "living synopsis" that evolves with the draft.
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
Previous career? I taught university lit. Fantasy/fictional career? Assassin with a cause.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
I'm a Victorianist; I own custom created bustle, gown, and assorted frippery. Regency is fun though. Simpler lines. Flapper era is fun too. As a girl, I was able to try on and wear some of my Gran's old flapper clothes.
Place I’d most like to travel:
It varies. I'd like to go to South Africa where my daughter (an archaeologist) is excavating. I'm hoping to visit her there at work one day. I always enjoy Scotland (the Hebrides and Orkney, especially; I'm there for the wild, so skip cities). Ningaloo Reef in Australia? Any bioluminescent bay? I work to afford more travel.
My signature drink:
I am a desert dweller, so I have a lot of opinions on every type of liquid. In waters, I'm a Fiji, Icelandic, Waiākea, or Volvic fan.
In coffee I love both a Yirgacheffe and Sidamo, and lately, my tea preference is Tea Pigs Earl Grey (single source tea).
In juice, fresh blood orange juice is my default.
In liquor, I love single malt, but I only allow 3-4 drinks per year for health. The Balvenie is my preferred choice. Their 21 year portwood is delicious, as is the Caribbean Cask. I also appreciate a good margarita, particularly a prickly pear one.
Desert life means I think constantly about liquid.
Favorite artist:
Dali, usually. I've made trips to see the Dali Museum or to visit specific pieces in museums. Rembrandt, also. (I traveled to see the Rembrandt House and to a Rembrandt exhibit.)
Number one on my bucket list:
I subscribe to the "life is not guaranteed" belief, so if I get a whim or my kids or wife do, I do it as soon as time allows.
Hot air balloon? Loved it. Opera, ballet, theatre, concerts? YES. Major league sports? We are WNBA season ticket holders. We have gone to the British Museum because one of my kids wanted to see the Rosetta Stone, Italy to look at art, ghost towns, NFL games, NBA games. Last year, we went to Venice Beach because my youngest wanted to skateboard there at dawn. We went to Sequoia because my wife wanted to stand by a huge tree. Whatever they or I find interesting, we do.
This year is Pompeii. I enjoy all of it. Life is meant to be FULL.
Anything else you'd like to add:
Thank you for asking interesting questions :)
Find more from the author:
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MelissaMarrBooks
Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/melissamarrwriting/
Bluesky page: https://bsky.app/profile/melissamarrwriting.bsky.social
About Melissa Marr:
Melissa Marr is the New York Times bestselling author of the Wicked Lovely series, among many other novels, short stories, and fiction for teens and children. Her books have been translated into twenty-eight languages and have been bestsellers in the US and abroad. If she’s not writing, you can find Melissa in a kayak or on a trail with her wife. For more information, visit www.melissamarrbooks.com.
