Today I’m pleased to be taking part in the blog tour for The Unraveling Of Luna Forester. I’m sharing my Q&A with Marisa Noelle with thanks to Zoe O’Farrell for inviting me on the tour and to the author for answering my questions!

Have you always wanted to write?

Although I wrote fan fiction and stuff as a teenager, I didn’t think about writing seriously until my 20s. I’d always been a bookworm, but it didn’t occur to me to try writing seriously. And when I did, I realized I loved it and wouldn’t ever to be able to stop!

What were your previous jobs? Have they helped you with your writing process?

I have worked in supply chain for IT companies such as Sony, Motorola and Sun Microsystems. I had to use a lot of spreadsheets, so they helped my brain use a spreadsheet for plotting purposes. And also calculating expenses etc! lol!

What was your inspiration for The Unraveling of Luna Forester?

Several years ago I was on a layover in San Francisco, and met a man in the bar with a certain condition (that I can’t mention b/c of spoilers). We talked for a a couple of hours and it fascinated me. Cue psychology degree and lots of research and the idea of Luna was born. I wanted to write a character who had demons to battle. Scars and serious tragedy. I wanted to show her struggle, her healing, and how her path could be different from others. 

How do you construct your characters? Do they have traits of people you know?

It depends on the character. One of my WIPs, Camp Nowhere, is modelled on real teenagers. More often I’ll use a character form a film or TV show that I think personifies what I’m trying to get across and go from there. But mostly the characters are built on what they need to learn, what they need versus what they want, and I develop them from there. 

What does your writing process look like? Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I am a definite plotter, but I do leave room for change. I am not a “put every scene on a post-it and move it around” kind of person. I use a spreadsheet and start with my beginning, idle and end. I also need to know what my character wants versus what they need. Their internal and external obstacles. Then scenes will start coming to me and secondary characters. Once I’ve finished jotting notes, I put the scenes into a 16 point plan or 3 act structure, and work on where the holes appear until I have a complete plan. Then I write! 

How did you research The Unraveling of Luna Forester? Did you enjoy it?

I spent a lot of time talking to people, researching in psychology websites and relying on what I learned during my own degree. Chatting with sensitivity readers was also really important. I did enjoy the research. Although I have my own experiences of mental health conditions, I don’t experience what Luna does, and I find the concept truly remarkable. 

Who are your favourite writers? Are you influenced by them?

Dean Koontz has been my favourite writer since I was 11. I lived in California then, in the town next to him, so his books became real for me as he described the local vicinity. I believe him to be a master of tension and feel I owe a lot of my own ability to write tense and suspense to him! He is my go to author when I need a comfort read and one of the few people who’s new books I order immediately! 

If you could invite three people, living or dead, to dinner, who would they be and why?

Anthony Hopkins – I find him to be an intelligent and talented human and would love to talk to him about his appearance in The Silence of the Lambs. 

Davind Attenborough – I love nature and animals. He has had such a fabulous long career around both and would love to her him talk about his experiences. 

Shakespeare – Although I am not a “classics” kind of person, I do enjoy Shakespeare. The plays as well as the dramatisations and movies. I’d love to talk to him about how he got his ideas and his approach to writing. If he intended his plays to be studied 500 years after his death! 

Who would you least like to be stuck in a lift with and why?

 My kids! Haaaa! But seriously, gah, this is hard. Probably Donald trump. I would just not be able to stop myself. 

Who would play the main character/s in a film version of The Unraveling of Luna Forester?

Ooohhh! Weirdly I haven’t actually thought about this! And really I have 2 main characters. So Luna could be Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things), or Sadie Sink, or even Willow Shields. and Matthew might be Cole Sprouse (Riverdale), or Tom Holland, or Timothee Charlamet (Dune). Gah! I’ve just been down a rabbit hole.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I love to swim! Mostly in the pool but I love to be near the ocean when I can. I also do pilates. I’m a girly gamer and can be found playing Minecraft with my kids. I love to watch movies and hang out with friends. I love games, lile Pictionary and Articulate, and murder mystery parties and escape rooms. I play the piano and guitar – but not regularly enough! And I love to read! Of course!

What is next for you?

I don’t know! I’m on submission with my agent for a middle grade road trip adventure novel. Then we’re about to send out my YA cli-fi thriller. We have notes to go through for my vampire high fantasy trilogy and my YA horror, Camp Nowhere. I’ve written a load of other books I want to revisit and improve. I will also be putting out the next 2 books in my mermaid series sometime next year! I have a few fairs and festivals coming up which I’m really excited about! I think I need a nap.

Favourites:

Book? The Watchers by Dean Koontz

Film? Karate Kid (the original)

Band/Singer?  Train/McFly/Jack Johnson/ 

TV show? Buffy/ Cobra Kai/ Supernatural/ The Walking Dead/ Locke & Key/ The Haunting of Hill House/ 

Colour?  Blue

Place? Ocean

Biscuit? Chocolate covered chocolate chip or shortbread

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The Unraveling Of Luna Forester is available from Amazon.

You can follow the rest of the blog tour here: