This year has been all about debut authors: in January, I decided to start an interview series to celebrate some of the wonderful books due to be published in 2019. With my own debut out in May, I wanted to get to know a few of the other writers who were experiencing the same thing and find out how they came to be published.
It’s been fascinating speaking to such a range of people and learning about their books. But the year is drawing to a close and it’s time to meet our final debut author, Melissa W. Hunter.
Tell us a little about your book and how you came to write it.
My novel What She Lost is based on my grandmother’s life as a young woman in Poland both before and after the Holocaust. Growing up, my grandmother and I were very close, and she shared many stories of her youth with me over the years. I always knew that I wanted to write her story one day. When I was in my early twenties, I recorded an hour-and-a-half conversation with her that became the foundation of my novel. I’m so glad I was able to capture her words for posterity, and to pass on to my own children and future branches of our family tree.
What makes your book unique?
While there are many Holocaust novels out there, I wanted to take a different approach than most. I wanted to focus on what happened “after.” I always wondered how the survivors managed to rebuild their lives after they were liberated. I’ve witnessed first-hand the psychological scars that have been passed down through the generations . . . the PTSD that many of the survivors faced. Yet they went on to become contributing members of society and parents and grandparents. While the first half of my novel talks about my grandmother’s life before the war, the second half picks up right after her camp was liberated. This was the more challenging but also the most interesting part of the story for me to write! To me, What She Lost is less a Holocaust novel and more a tale of redemption and hope.
Your book will soon be in readers’ hands. Which part of being published are you most excited about?
I am both excited, and NERVOUS, about the fact that this story will now be out of my hands! Since it is such a personal narrative, I hope that it is received well. I also hope that the lessons of history, that these events should never happen again to any people, come through its pages.
What has been the most challenging part of your journey to publication?
For me, deciding whether to self-publish or try the traditional route was very challenging. Both courses have their positive and negative aspects. It was always my intention to self-publish because I thought I would have more control over the narrative and how the book would be presented to the public. I was also nervous about having it scrutinized and rejected by agents and publishers. That is never easy! However, when the manuscript was finished, I decided to submit it to a number of smaller yet traditional publishers to see if there was any interest. I was so incredibly fortunate to be acquired by Holly at Cynren Press. She handled my manuscript with such care, and working with Cynren was truly a collaborative effort. I’m proud of the finished result and so happy to see What She Lost go out into the world!
Do you have a writing mentor, or someone who has influenced your work?
While I don’t have a mentor, I do have a “writing partner” who was instrumental in the success of What She Lost. A few years ago I was struggling to find time to write while juggling the responsibilities of being a full-time mom. A neighbor who I was friends with on Facebook posted that she was quitting her job to devote time to writing. We were just acquaintances at the time, but I reached out to her and asked if she’d like to meet up over coffee so we could discuss our projects with one another. We soon became fast friends and, much like a work-out partner, began meeting once or twice a week to work on our individual projects and bounce ideas off one another. We held each other accountable and helped one another deal writer’s block and rejection. I don’t think I would have finished my novel without her encouragement and support. I’m happy to say that almost five years later, both of our novels have been accepted by the same publisher! We get to celebrate this shared milestone together!
If there was one book that you could have written, other than your own, what would it be and why?
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. When I read this book, I was blown away! It was so beautifully crafted and unique. Not only did it tell an amazing story, but the pages are infused with artwork and notes, and the author’s choice of a narrator was so fascinating! I was immediately hooked. I keep a copy on my nightstand and read through its pages at least once a week. I can’t express how much I enjoyed this novel!
What advice would you give to other writers hoping to publish a novel?
The best advice I can give is the advice I received myself . . . Write because you want to write, not because you want to get published. Write because it is your passion. Define success not by getting published but by telling your story. Accept that rejection is par for the course, and take criticism for how it is intended. There are many avenues for getting published. Above all, don’t give up!
Is there a debut novel you particularly looked forward to reading in 2019?
My daughter and I like to share and discuss books, and last year she gave me one of her favorite books to read, Flame In The Mist by Renée Ahdieh. Now we are both eagerly awaiting the release of her latest novel The Beautiful! I love that books and reading are one of the ways in which my daughter and I bond.
About the author
Melissa W. Hunter is an author and blogger from Cincinnati, Ohio. Her articles have been published on Kveller.com and LiteraryMama.com, and her short stories have appeared in the Jewish Literary Journal. She is a contributing blogger to the Today Show parenting community, and her novella Through a Mirror Clear was published as a serial installment on TheSame.blog, an online literary journal. What She Lost is her first novel.
Visit Melissa’s website or follow her on Twitter. Find What She Lost on Amazon.