Amidst the pandemic we want to bring you guys a little bit of joy in a form of a new interview! Hopefully, just like us, you never get tired of getting to know new LGBT authors!
Today our guest is Valentine Wheeler, whose first full novel – No Parking – just came out last month. Valentine talked about the importance of worldbuilding even in contemporary novels, the difference between writing adult lit & YA, and why she always includes bi characters in her stories. And a lot more, so dive in!
Of course, remember to follow Valentine Wheeler on twitter!
Let’s start at the beginning. How did you first get into writing?
I’ve always been a reader, but it never occurred to me to write until about 2012. I’ve been a fan content consumer for decades, and a friend dared me to try writing a piece myself. It was harder than I expected, and I’ve always loved a challenge. Eight years later, here I am still doing it!
What are your favourite genres to read and write?
I love many genres, but my first love is sci-fi. Lately I’ve been hooked by romance, and I also read a good deal of YA contemporary and fantasy. Most of what I write is contemporary with strong romance elements, but I would love to write more sci-fi.
What really hooks me into a book is the world, whether contemporary or not: does it feel real? Do the pieces fit together? Take Red, White & Royal Blue for example–it’s an alternate universe that feels complete. The details are there and work together to create a universe that’s cohesive and gives a full sense of reality. The worldbuilding is like an iceberg: what you see feels like it’s hiding a huge, solid universe below the surface that isn’t info-dumped. Other books that do this very well that I’ve read lately are K.R. Collins’ Sophie Fournier series, Seanan McGuire’s October Daye series, Ada Harper’s Conspiracy of Whispers, Felicia Davin’s Gardener’s Hand series, and Effie Calvin’s Tales of Inthya series.
And are there any genres or tropes you wouldn’t write?
I try not to cut any possibilities out entirely! I don’t write much horror, and I like a happy ending–or at least an ending happier than where they started, one with some hope. There are enough hopeless stories in reality. I don’t want them in my fiction.
How do you get inspiration for your books?
I usually start with a problem. For No Parking, I got the idea when customers at my dayjob were complaining about our parking lot being full. I was mulling over the problem while eating shawarma and reading the legal advice reddit.
Do you have a writing playlist? And if you do, does it focus more on the lyrics or melodies, vibe of the songs?
I can’t listen to music with words while I write. I just end up typing words from the lyrics into the text without noticing. So I mostly stick with movie soundtracks, especially anything by Ramin Djawadi. He’s the mastermind behind the Pacific Rim soundtrack (my personal favorite, and the best for writing action) as well as Westworld, Game of Thrones, etc.
What’s your writing process? At what point do you let other people read your drafts and who are they?
I’m a sucker for feedback. I would be happy to have my beta readers watch me write and comment real-time. Of course, I don’t want to make them read the same scenes six different ways before getting the whole book, so generally I try and hold back until I have a finished draft. My spouse always gets the first read–they’re a high school teacher, so they have pretty fantastic editing experience and are very good at giving gentle feedback. Next up is my writing group, Felicia Davin and KR Collins. We meet up usually at least once a month in real life and eat pastries and help each other stay motivated.
Summarise your most recent book in up to 5 words and a meme.
Lawsuits, shawarma, and second-chance love!
Which three authors would you say influenced your writing the most?
Tamora Pierce, K.A. Applegate, and Madeleine L’Engle. I would have said Orson Scott Card fifteen years ago, but obviously he’s not someone I can support in any way anymore. YA novels, when done right, pack so much character and worldbuilding into much smaller packages than adult works, and I still reread my favorites from when I was a kid frequently. So many people in my generation would instantly be able to be dropped back into any of those three universes and feel right at home even decades out. That’s an incredible accomplishment for an author, and one I dream of matching. With simpler language and with the tool of sexuality largely removed from your toolbox, writing YA forces the characters to stand on their own even more than in adult works.
If (when!) your book(s) were to be made into movies, who would you like to direct them?
My spouse and I just saw the new Charlie’s Angels, and if Elizabeth Banks wants to call me to bring that level of joy and fun to one of my novels, I’ll be waiting by the phone! Patty Jenkins is, of course, also welcome, as are Rian Johnson and Taika Waititi. As long as it’s someone who can recognize a real Massachusetts accent. If you can’t get an actor who can do it right, don’t get anyone at all.
While we’re dreaming big: for actors, I’d cast Melissa McCarthy as Marianne and Hend Reda as Rana. For supporting cast, Logan Rozos as Zeke, Earl Cameron as Joe, Kevin Cosner as Kevin, Bianca Leigh as Tori, and Steffinnie Phrommany as Doris.
And for something that is also very important to us & what we put a lot of emphasis on when blogging. What does ownvoices LGBT representation mean to you?
I’ve always known I was bi. I was lucky to grow up in a household that was absolutely accepting of queer people, and who valued diverse voices and diverse stories. So I honestly didn’t realize there was anything odd about being attracted to people of various genders until very late, and that came mostly through not seeing people who loved like I did in the media I consumed. So nearly all the main characters I write are bi, because I needed that and it wasn’t there. And of course, you can write characters who don’t share your exact life experience: my main character is thirty years older than me and has three grown children, for example. But she’s bi just like me, and I hope that gives her an air of veracity that she wouldn’t otherwise have.
Rec us some great LGBT books you’ve read recently! One can never have enough recommendations!
I just finished KJ Charles’ Henchmen of Zenda. WHAT A DELIGHT. I’m a sucker for fanfiction of public-domain works. Proper English, also by KJ Charles, was a super fun murder mystery/locked-in mystery/fun F/F romance and I can’t recommend it enough. Rivers Solomon’s The Deep blew my mind: generational trauma and heart-wrenching history with a The Giver-like twist. Max Gladstone’s Empress of Forever was phenomenal epic sci-fi with a lesbian tech billionaire protagonist. Courtney Milan’s Mrs. Martin’s Incomparable Adventure, because I love older queer love stories, especially ones about burning down the patriarchy.
What’s one piece of advice you would like to give your younger self?
Keep doing what you’re doing. It’s going to work out. You’re right more often than not, and you know it.
If you could have dinner with one member of the LGBT community, dead or alive, who would it be?
Oh, definitely Freddie Mercury.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Valentine lives in Boston, where she goes by Lis and spends her time citing obscure postal regulations and arguing with a preschooler. Her short fiction can be found at Ninestar Press and her first novel, NO PARKING, comes out in February 2020.
Follow on Goodreads | Buy No Parking
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