Mindy McGinnis, author of A MADNESS SO DISCREET, on the importance of researching the query process

by Jocelyn Rish

We’re delighted to have Mindy McGinnis join us to share more about her latest novel A MADNESS SO DISCREET.

Mindy, how long did you work on A MADNESS SO DISCREET?

I wrote it fairly quickly. I had about 10k when I took a break from it because it’s very dark and I needed to do some research before I could continue. Then I wrote the remainder (around 70k) in about three weeks.

How long or hard was your road to publication? How many books did you write before this one, and how many never got published?

Very long. Very hard. My first published book NOT A DROP TO DRINK, was my fifth finished novel. I queried for 10 years before landing an agent – but a lot of that is my own fault. I wanted to be a writer in an ivory tower – not someone who researches the query process and agent hunt, knows the market etc. That hurt me a lot when I was starting out. Of the first four books that I wrote that are as of yet unpublished, one of them I re-fashioned the concept as a YA that will be releasing from Harper in the Fall of 2016, titled THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES.

What are you working on now?

At the moment I’m finishing up a revision on the first in my fantasy series from Putnam / Penguin, GIVEN TO THE SEA, which will be releasing in the Spring of 2017.

ABOUT THE BOOK

A Madness So Discreet
by Mindy McGinnis
Hardcover
Katherine Tegen Books
Released 10/6/2015

Grace Mae knows madness.

She keeps it locked away, along with her voice, trapped deep inside a brilliant mind that cannot forget horrific family secrets. Those secrets, along with the bulge in her belly, land her in a Boston insane asylum.

When her voice returns in a burst of violence, Grace is banished to the dark cellars, where her mind is discovered by a visiting doctor who dabbles in the new study of criminal psychology. With her keen eyes and sharp memory, Grace will make the perfect assistant at crime scenes. Escaping from Boston to the safety of an ethical Ohio asylum, Grace finds friendship and hope, hints of a life she should have had. But gruesome nights bring Grace and the doctor into the circle of a killer who stalks young women. Grace, continuing to operate under the cloak of madness, must hunt a murderer while she confronts the demons in her own past.

In this beautifully twisted historical thriller, Mindy McGinnis, acclaimed author of Not a Drop to Drink and In a Handful of Dust, explores the fine line between sanity and insanity, good and evil—and the madness that exists in all of us.

Purchase A Madness So Discreet at Amazon
Purchase A Madness So Discreet at IndieBound
View A Madness So Discreet on Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mindy McGinnis is a YA author who has worked in a high school library for thirteen years. Her debut, NOT A DROP TO DRINK, a post-apocalyptic survival story set in a world with very little freshwater, has been optioned for film my Stephanie Meyer’s Fickle Fish Films. The companion novel, IN A HANDFUL OF DUST was released in 2014. Look for her Gothic historical thriller, A MADNESS SO DISCREET in October of 2015 from Katherine Tegen Books. Mindy is represented by Adriann Ranta of Wolf Literary.

Have you had a chance to read A MADNESS SO DISCREET yet? Have you ever taken a break from your writing because it was so dark? Does Mindy’s road to publication give you hope?

Happy reading,

Jocelyn, Shelly, Martina, Erin, Lisa, Susan, Sam, Lindsey, Sandra, Kristin, and Anisaa

Jocelyn Rish

Jocelyn Rish is a writer and filmmaker who loves researching weird and wonderful animals and sharing what she learns. Her debut was BATTLE OF THE BUTTS, about ten animals that do weird things with their butts. Her latest book is BATTLE OF THE BRAINS, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection about ten animals with mind-blowing brain abilities. When she’s not writing, she tutors kids to help them discover the magic of reading. Jocelyn has won numerous awards for her short stories, screenplays, films, and novels and lives in South Carolina with her adorable dog. Find out more at www.jocelynrish.com.

Post @ Jocelyn Rish and/or Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.

Posted: Oct 10, 2015

Category: Imported from AYAP

Tags: YA Author Interviews

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