In 2019, we made it our goal is to work with as many debut authors as possible and to spread the word about their debut novels. It was such a success last year that we decided to continue the fun for years to come! Follow us this year as we pick the minds of the 2021 debuts and chat with them about their writing process and what it's like to be a new author. Also stay tuned for news of giveaways, Twitter chats, and more!
At the end of 2020, we Tweeted about wanting to discover more debut authors and their books. When we found out that Margot Wood, one of our YA *heroes*, had a book coming out this year, we couldn't wait to talk to her about it. So without further ado, we are *so* excited to have Margot on the blog today to answer some of our questions!
Margot Wood is the founder of Epic Reads and has worked in marketing for more than a decade at publishing houses both big and small. Born and raised in Cincinnati, and a graduate of Emerson College, Wood now lives in Portland, Oregon. She once appeared as an extra in the Love, Simon movie.
The Book Bratz: First of all, congratulations! How does it feel to be a debut author?
Margot: It feels amazing! I only get to be a debut author once and I’ve had a wonderful, extremely rewarding experience so far.
The Book Bratz: In your opinion, what's the best part of the writing process? What's the hardest?
Margot: My favorite part of the writing process is writing dialogue. I have no formal writing education so I leaned on my experience with acting and theatre when I set out to write this book. For every new scene, I would write the dialogue first and later went back in and filled everything else in. The hardest part of writing for me is plotting. I’m more of a character-driven writer so plots don’t come naturally to me.
The Book Bratz: Where did you get the idea for FRESH?
Margot: Fresh was inspired by my own experiences as a freshman in college as well as Emma by Jane Austen. Your freshman year is such a wild and messy time with so much change and growth in such a short period of time and I really wanted to explore this specific experience in young people’s lives. And as for Emma, I love the idea of charming characters who mean well but don’t always do well and Emma Woodhouse is the epitome of that archetype. It’s one of my favorite comedies of all time and while Fresh is only loosely based on Emma (aka not a direct retelling), I wanted to honor my fave by writing a modern, queer spin on it.
The Book Bratz: Who was your favorite character to write? Who was the most difficult?
Margot: Elliot is obviously my favorite because the whole book is narrated from her perspective, so besides Elliot my favorite characters to write were Elliot’s core group of friends as well as her younger sister, Remy! The most difficult character to write was probably Rose Knightley, Elliot’s resident adviser. I kept making her too likeable from the beginning which didn’t help with tension building at all, so I had to go back a few times during the editing process and make her more of a foil for Elliot instead of a friend.
The Book Bratz: Do you feel like your vast experience in publishing affected your writing process in any way?
Margot: I was making were choices that might turn off some readers. Like the narration style and its use of footnotes. A lot of people hate footnotes and there are 90 of them in Fresh so I knew going in right away that some readers weren’t going to like the style of the book. Another example would be setting the book in college. I know from my background in publishing that YA books set in college are difficult to sell because people don’t know where to place them. Are they young adult or adult or new-adult? I really want 18–24-year-old stories to thrive which is why I chose to set Fresh in college in the first place instead of high school but I also knew that by doing so I was making it more difficult for my book to sell. Hopefully it can overcome those hurdles!
The Book Bratz: What do you hope that readers will take away from FRESH?
Margot: More than anything, I want readers to have fun when reading my book. It’s written to be a fun, escapist, good-time book that’s perfect for those who are in reading slumps or just want something funny to blast through in one sitting or two. Fresh does touch on some more serious topics like sexual assault, but at the end of the day it’s a comedy. It’s meant to be fizzy and bright and chaotic and fun.
The Book Bratz: Do you plan on returning to the world of FRESH in the future, or do you have any other projects in mind? Can you tell us anything about them?
Margot: I’m always down for more Elliot McHugh shenanigans but for now it’s a standalone story. As for what I’m working on next, that’s a good question because I have like five new book ideas in my mind and I haven’t committed to any of them yet. The plan is to dive into those as soon as Fresh is out so hopefully I’ll have more of an update on that after Fresh is out!
Title: Fresh
Author: Margot Wood
Publisher: Amulet Books
Hardcover, 352 Pages
Publication Date: August 3rd, 2021
Summary: Some students enter their freshman year of college knowing exactly what they want to do with their lives. Elliot McHugh is not one of those people. But picking a major is the last thing on Elliot’s mind when she’s too busy experiencing all that college has to offer—from dancing all night at off-campus parties, to testing her RA Rose’s patience, to making new friends, to having the best sex one can have on a twin-sized dorm room bed. But she may not be ready for the fallout when reality hits. When the sex she’s having isn’t that great. When finals creep up and smack her right in the face. Or when her roommate’s boyfriend turns out to be the biggest a-hole. Elliot may make epic mistakes, but if she’s honest with herself (and with you, dear reader), she may just find the person she wants to be. And maybe even fall in love in the process . . . Well, maybe.
Thank you so much to Margot for stopping by and answering our questions! We are super excited about FRESH and can't wait for it to be out in the world on August 3rd! You can also check our reviews of the book, coming soon!
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