Hello my lovely bookworms, I am currently in my mystery era of YA books and I am excited to be bringing you a new to me author that I read recently, Ginny Myers Sain to my blog to talk about her twisty , supernatural YA mystery – One Last Breath. I recently reviewed this book which you can check out it here.
Under the Cover is where I interview some of favourite authors and authors I’ve recently read and discovered. I’m trying to refresh my blog and I love interviewing authors and getting an insight into their storytelling, hence Under the Cover was born.
INTERVIEW WITH GINNY MYERS SAIN
Can you share with us something about the book that isn’t in the blurb to introduce your brilliant new YA, One Last Breath?
There is a true crime element to this story, and that part of the book was inspired by a couple of real crimes that affected me deeply as a child and a young adult. First, I grew up in Oklahoma near the scene of the infamous Oklahoma Girl Scout murders, which was literally the stuff of nightmares. Three little girls murdered in their tent at sleepaway camp. It was this huge dark cloud that hung over our whole state at that time, and it became kind of a lifetime obsession for me, in the same way the Hidden Glen murders do for Tru in the book. The other true crime that inspired this story was what happened at the University of Florida in Gainesville in 1990, the murders committed by Danny Rolling, who was known as the Gainesville Ripper. As a young person about to graduate from hight school and head to college, those murders had a big impact on me. I was glued to the news. So when I started thinking about adding that true crime element into this story, I knew I had to include elements of those two stories that had affected me so much.
It’s a classic question, but one I love to ask authors, what started your love for writing?
I grew up in a family of writers, and I always did some writing. But I never really considered myself a writer until Covid hit and shut down the world. Theater had always been my art form, and for the first time ever in my life, that was taken away, which meant I was forced to find another way to tap into my creativity and search for connection. So I turned to writing.
I loved the supernatural connection with Tru and Rio and the murder case. What inspired this?
All of my stories have just a hint of the magical or supernatural running through them like a thread. Although I’m a pretty firm skeptic, that idea of magic hiding in our very real world has always fascinated me. In Tru and Rio’s case, I was particularly intrigued by the question of why we sometimes feel those instant, burning connections with people. What could cause us to be pulled so hard toward someone we’ve just met? This story is a supernatural exploration of that kind of instant connection and where it might come from.
Did you do any research behind the world building for your book? Was there anything you learnt or found interesting that inspired your story?
I’d fallen in love with the fresh water springs of central Florida decades before this book was written, and once I started writing, I knew I wanted to set a book in that beautiful and mysterious, but potentially deadly, environment. Because I’d spent a lot of time at the springs, I didn’t have to do a lot of research on the setting itself, but I did have to do a lot of research into the sport of freediving, which I found absolutely fascinating and completely terrifying.
This is your third YA book, what has been the highlight of your writing career so far?
Having so many readers say things like, “This is my favorite book,” or “You’re my favorite author.” Nothing prepares you for that. It’s such a gift and an honor, and it still blows my mind every single time. Other than that, when DARK AND SHALLOW LIES won a Crystal Kite award from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, that was a huge moment for me because that award is voted on by the organization’s members. So it’s a peer awarded honor, which is a big deal. Plus, my mother has been very active in SCBWI for many, many years, and it’s an organization that’s been a part of my life for so long. It just felt like a tremendous, and very touching, honor.
I’m always curious about how authors write horror/mystery novels. How do you plan? Do you know who dunnit and work backwards or does it change whilst you’re writing?
I’m not a detailed plotter, but I do generally have a pretty basicoutline with six or eight major plot points before I begin, and I do always know the ending. So I know what A, B, C, and D are going to be in the story, but I don’t know how I’m getting from A to B or from B to C or from C to D. Those are the details I work out as I go, and sometimes it feels like magic how things just fall into place. Working backwards is very helpful to me when I’m writing mysteries. I tend to think, ok … this is where I need to be in the last scene. Now let me work backwards to figure out where to put those clues and red herrings so that we end up in the right place by the end of the story.
Who was your favourite character perspective to write?
This story is told only from Tru’s perspective, so I didn’t really get to write from anyone else’s point of view, but I did particularly enjoy creating and crafting the character of East. He has such a golden heart, and it’s been fun to see how much readers love him.
Were there any deleted scenes that you wished were in the book, but never made it in?
No, I don’t think so. I don’t really think any scenes ended up being deleted, although we did end up coming a few of the diving segments. I don’t think I’ve ever had a full scene that ended up being deleted in editing, although there are always things that need tightening and trimming, of course.
What’s your experience been like as a writer so far?
It’s been a lot of fun, and a bit of a wild ride! There are times I look back and I can’t quite believe I’ve had three books come out since 2021. It’s been such a dream to step into this life, and I’m so grateful to everyone who has made that possible, but especially to everyone who has read one of my books. Of course, there are times of stress and anxiety too. Lots of self-doubt and imposter syndrome and worry. But I try to remind myself in those moments what a gift it is to be able to do this full time.
Can you give us a sneak peek as to what’s next for you?
My fourth supernatural thriller, WHEN THE BONES SING, will be out in early 2025. This one is set in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, and I spent twenty years living in that area, so it’s really special to me. It’s magical and dark and romantic, and I can’t wait for you all to read it!
Finally, if you could recommend 3 books to read, what would it be?
Thank you so much to Electric Monkey and Ginny for to be interviewed on my blog. One Last Breath is out now!
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