Book info:
Title: Meet Me in Outer Space
Author: Melinda Grace
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Publication date: March 12th, 2019
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Synopsis:
Smart and unflinching, this #OwnVoices debut contemporary novel stars an ambitious college student who refuses to be defined by her central auditory processing disorder.
Edie Kits has a learning disability. Well, not a learning disability exactly, but a disability that impacts her learning. It isn’t visible, it isn’t obvious, and it isn’t something she likes to advertise.
And for three semesters of college, her hard work and perseverance have carried her through. Edie thinks she has her disability under control until she meets her match with a French 102 course and a professor unwilling to help her out.
Edie finds herself caught between getting the help she needs and convincing her professor that she isn’t looking for an easy out. Luckily for Edie, she has an amazing best friend, Serena, who is willing to stitch together a plan to ensure Edie’s success. And then there’s Hudson, the badly dressed but undoubtedly adorable TA in her French class who finds himself pulled into her orbit…
Chosen by readers like you for Macmillan’s young adult imprint Swoon Reads, Meet Me in Outer Space is a sweet, heartachingly real story of love and college life by debut author Melinda Grace
Author Interview:
1. What does your writing process look like? Do you
know the whole story when you start? Or do you just start writing and go
with it (seat of the pants writing)? If you plan it out, how do you do
that? Outline, notecards, post-it-notes, etc.?
I
am absolutely a seat-of-my-pants writer!
An idea will pop into my head and I will just start writing. I generally
don’t start storyboarding or outlining until final edits...when enough changes
cause continuity issues and I need to visually see the storyline. I like to
have to first chapter idea and the final chapter idea before I start. Typically
I know how the book with start and how it will end. The beginning usually stays
the same, the ending tends to change a bit.
One
of the things I do that may be unique is that I write all the dialogue first
and then go back and fill in the scenery. I like to think of the dialogue as
the base coat and then I go back and add the layers of the scene. Location,
textures, smells, tastes, colors, etc. All of my first draft chapters are just
dialogue and dialogue tags with minimal setting descriptors.
2. Do
you edit as you go, or wait till you're finished before you edit?
How many times would you say you go over it yourself before having another
set of eyes look it over?
I edit as I go. I like to re-read
what I’ve most recently written before starting again. I can’t even estimate
the amount of times I edit before any of my beta readers get their hands on it.
3.
How did being a part of the Swoon Reads program work?
My journey with Swoon Reads started
with a google search. I had written a manuscript and started to research
publishing. I found a lot about getting an agent, etc and then stumbled upon
Swoon Reads. I was a member for several months before gathering the courage to
post my first manuscript. The manuscript wasn’t chosen...and neither was my
second manuscript. I received so much positivity and constructive criticism
that when I decided to post MEET ME IN OUTER SPACE I was simply looking for
more of the same. I didn’t expect it to be chosen, mostly because I was already
discouraged from two previous denials, and because of the theme and subject
matter of the book was completely untouched. I didn’t expect a
first-of-its-kind book to be chosen, but it was.
For me it worked in my favor. I made
some great friends and writing partners. I got a book contract, obviously. I
gained a family with the Swoon Squad. I’ve learned a lot about the industry
through my own experience and through the experiences of the other authors.
4.
How do you come up with your ideas for your stories?
So much of my writing is inspired by
the world around me. Music. Poetry. Other books. TV. Movies. You name it. I
wrote MMIOS based on one lyric in a song I’d heard a hundred times before. I have another book
that I wrote based on the semi-colon tattoo for survivors of self-harm and
suicide. Typically the ideas come in small pieces. Phrases or conversations
first, then setting. Often my characters develop based on their conversation. I
can picture what the character looks like based on how they talk. The
mannerisms I write for them. The tone of voice I hear them speak in. The words
I choose for them to use. Sometimes I start with a kernel of an idea and it
evolves into something different, but still great. In all honesty, I’m never
entirely certain where my characters and story will take me.
5.
Since your book has to do with a central auditory processing disorder, or
learning disability as some may call it, what kind of research did you have to
do to make this story authentic?
For starters, MMIOS is a #OwnVoices
story, which means that I share the same disability as Edie, the main
character. So much of Edie’s story is my own story, though I wasn’t diagnosed
until I was long finished with graduate school. I am a school counselor and
throughout my 12 years in this field I have had the pleasure of knowing and
working with students with all different types of disabilities. For MMIOS, I
reached out to three special people that I knew could contribute to Edie’s
character the best:
A former student with CAPD who was
diagnosed young. Like Edie, she wore a FM transmitter that she eventually
decided she was done with for similar reasons to Edie’s. She was also language
exempt in high school and had to take a language other than English for the
first time in college. Unlike Edie, my former student attended a college with a
stellar Disabilities Services Office and her own strength and self advocacy
skills. She is now a special education teacher!
My cousin who was told throughout
school that she would never work a “real job” let alone attend college. She
attended a college exclusively for
students with learning disabilities. A college that understood her strengths
and worked with her when she struggled. She has since graduated with a degree
and works a job she has always wanted. Her path wasn’t easy, but she achieved
anyway. Her disability lies in reading, and despite being a valuable
contributor to my book, most likely will not read it. I am advocating for an audio
version of MMIOS for this very reason...a book about representing diversity
should be available through multiple medias.
My sister’s friend since elementary
school, who has a diagnosis of ADHD though more than likely was misdiagnosed,
though she is hesitant to self-diagnose, she is quite aware that her symptoms
are more typical of someone with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) than ADHD. She
stopped taking her ADHD medication in college and hasn’t taken it in years. Her
point of view was so important to Edie’s story because her journey was one of
true self-reliance and discovery.
All three of these awesome people
overcame adversity to reach their goals. Their journeys, while individual,
still hold a universal relatability.
6.
What tips do you have for aspiring writers?
Stay strong. Keep writing. Find a
community of writers to befriend. Don’t let people put you down for following
your dreams. Know that it takes time...so, so much time.
7.
What are your favorite:
Books/authors/genres
I love poetry. I’ve been on a real
poetry kick lately, but that could be
because I love Amanda Lovelace and everything she touches. I love my fellow
Swoon Reads authors. I’m a big fan of contemporary YA. I’ve recently started
dipping my toe into graphic novels and have been thrilled with the books I’ve
encountered thus far.
Movies/TV Shows
Spirited Away. Anything Marvel.
Harry Potter, of course. / I don’t watch a ton of TV shows. I like Scrubs,
Gilmore Girls, Futurama, Shameless. I just finished The Umbrella Academy and it
was fantastic.
Music
All types of music. I always create
a playlist for whatever I am writing. Currently, I am at a coffee shop and The
Beatles are on and I’m loving it.
Food/Writing snack
When I’m in full writing mode I
refer to it as the “writing diet” because I forget to eat. I lost almost 20 lbs
writing MMIOS simply because I lose track of time (and space) when I write. I
don’t plan eating into my work time, I just sit and start typing away. Even
today, for example, I sat down at the coffee shop to answer interview questions
at 11:30am and it’s 2:30 pm right now. I haven’t eaten anything. FULL
DISCLOSURE: I do not recommend this at all! There have been so many times where
I start writing in the morning and don’t look up until it’s dark out. My body
doesn’t appreciate it and neither will yours!
However, I ALWAYS need a cup of
coffee when I start the writing day. I might drink one sip, or have several
cups, but I need to have it within arm’s reach.
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Author Bio:
Melinda Grace wrote her first piece of fiction in middle school, but didn’t write a complete story until an introduction to creative writing course at SUNY Oswego, where she earned a BA in human development. She went on to earn a MS E.D. in counseling and currently works as a school counselor. When she’s not guiding the youth of America, she’s planning her next vacation to Disney World, laminating anything she can get her hands on, and binge watching Netflix. MEET ME IN OUTER SPACE is her debut novel, publishing March 2019.
Author links:
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