Q&A with Katelynsam

Author of Last Masquerade at the Carousel House

 

🦀 What authors, people, or stories inspired you to start writing?

 

Growing up, I stayed up far too many late nights reading fantasy authors, such as Cassandra Clare, Roshani Chokshi, and Sarah J. Maas among others. I loved how the stories transported me to other worlds and other lives, and so I began to write stories of my own that I hoped would do the same for my readers someday. 

 

🦀 What does your creative process consist of? Do ideas for a story just come to you or is there anything specific that you have to do in order to create a story and its characters?

 

Ideas for my stories often arrive at the most random of times. Sometimes, I will see a beautiful piece of art, a scene from a movie or TV show, or something in my own life that will inspire the kernel of a story that takes days or weeks to fully develop into a story idea. When the story idea at last arrives, it does like a flash of lightning, sizzling with promise and potential. I’m usually in the middle of another project when it does, so I keep a list of future story ideas that I’m always adding to. 

 

🦀 You submitted a story to a traditional publisher and it was rejected. What story was it? Do you feel like going independent is the way to go moving forward?

 

I wrote my first book at 12 and started querying agents (for another story) when I was 15. It took me 10 years, 6 books, and hundreds of agency rejections to finally find my first agent. 

 

For 4 years, I worked with my first and second agent (both from big well-known agencies) to publish my debut fantasy novel THE FATED, which I’m releasing next month. I worked with my first agent when the novel was classified as Young Adult. When we ultimately weren’t able to sell, I revised the novel to be adult and worked with my second agent to go on several rounds of more submissions. The feedback from the publishers on all the submission rounds was kind and flattering, but each publisher and editor had different reasons for why they felt they couldn’t take on the project. To give you an idea, one editor said they enjoyed the story, but that it fit too much between the area of fantasy and magic realism for the publishing house to be able to market. Another editor adored the book, but her colleagues didn’t share the same enthusiasm, so the book never made it any further in the acquisition process. 

 

Unsurprisingly, facing so much repeated rejection for over a decade was very disheartening. I spent months of my life waiting for my “big break” to come, and when it didn’t, I would tell myself that the next book would do it, and then the next one after that. When it became clear THE FATED would never be traditionally published, I was heartbroken. For the hundredth time, I considered giving up writing altogether, but of course, like always when this thought had crossed my mind, I kept going. I’ve written for so many years that it has become a part of me, and to sever myself from it would be like losing my voice and my anchor in an already chaotic and confusing world. 

 

 

So instead of locking THE FATED away in a drawer, I decided to self-publish it. The book was already polished since I had revised it at least 6 times with my previous agents over the last 4 years. It would be as ready now as it would ever be–and I was tired of relying on anyone else to fulfill my lifelong dream of being published. Looking back, I’m grateful to my agents because they took a chance on an unknown writer and spent many hours giving me editing notes. I learned a lot from them about how to tell a story. I also am deeply thankful for the prior experience I gained about the publishing industry through both the agents that represented me as well as several agencies I interned for in college. 

 

I am, however, also grateful for all the amazing tools now available for authors to publish their works themselves. As the marketing and other budgets for even the biggest publishers continue to shrink, I believe self-publishing will play an even greater role in the industry moving forward. With the rise of booktok and self-published authors landing hybrid or traditional book deals after they made tons of sales on their own, we’ve already seen a lot of the stigma that previously surrounded self-publishing dissipate in the winds of change. 

 

🦀 Where did the concept of this carousel house originate from?

 

To be honest, I’m not really sure. I just knew I wanted the setting to be luxurious and magical–a characteristic that my debut novel THE FATED also shares. I also think that the concept of a lavish mansion that can spin like a carousel reinforces how powerful of a sorcerer the owner (Raidenn) is, which plays an integral role in setting up the stakes for the story. 

 

🦀 Are you Yuina, the main character of this short story? 

 

What a fun question! No, I would definitely say Yuina is a bit edgier than me. She’s also quite as glamorous as she is bitter, which are both traits with which I don’t particularly resonate. I do strive to make every main character I write relatable though in some way. So I would say I relate to Yuina’s desperation to change the circumstances around her and take her power back. 

 

 

🦀 In the story there is this line:

 

“The jazz music and opulent surroundings washed over our senses like the most intoxicating plume of opium smoke”

 

Is that suggesting that Yuina smokes opium, therefore she is familiar with its effects? 

 

I didn’t intend it that way, but readers are welcome to interpret those words for themselves. With this line, I was striving to solidify how intoxicatingly luxurious and carefree the setting of the Carousel House was. I also think it hints or at least might question how much Raidenn’s magic might be enhancing the already lavish decorations of the mansion in order to further dazzle and disarm his guests. 

 

🦀 I know you have a full novel coming out soon. Can you tell us what it’s about and what in your mind will make it worth it for readers to buy it and read it?

 

Sure, would love to! Here is the pitch: 

 

Every sixteen years a luxurious ocean liner known as The Fated appears at the docks of Abeon City to carry a few lucky passengers to paradise. Yet when people onboard begin disappearing, one woman soon discovers their destination might not be paradise after all.

 

Amarra Obrel never expects to receive a ticket in the mail. Ever since failing her chance at becoming a concert pianist three years ago, she has spent her days as an elevator operator, resigned to the uninteresting future that seems set before her. When given the opportunity to embark on The Fated, however, she boards with the hope of starting a new life. Yet she soon senses something dark and sinister lurks beneath the ship’s decadent halls, ornate ballrooms, and opulent jazz clubs. When people close to her begin disappearing, she is left with no other choice than to set out and uncover the vessel’s secrets along with fellow passenger Kye-Shin Hura. But instead of providing answers, every discovery leads to more questions—questions about why they were selected for this voyage in the first place and more disturbingly: If not to paradise, then where exactly is The Fated taking them?  

With cinematic and haunting prose, The Fated is the perfect suspenseful and atmospheric read for fans of The Night Circus, Titanic, The Great Gatsby, and The Midnight Library. 

This novel is for anyone who is looking for a luxurious and magical setting infused with mystery, romance, and suspense. While I am marketing it as a fantasy since it takes place in an alternative world, it has elements of magic realism as well as historical fantasy given the world of THE FATED resembles the glamor and undercurrent of tension in the 1920s-30s. 

 

🦀 I always see you posting on Substack and you always come off as a very driven and motivated writer. Where do you find that motivation in an industry where it seems so hard to make your books known to the general audience?

 

I believe every rejection I’ve received has made my resolve and determination to share my work with the world even stronger, so I’m willing to put in more hours and work than I likely would have had I never faced any obstacles. Writing is also just a part of my way of life, so while it can be difficult and frustrating at times, it never feels like the kind of work that is draining. In fact, writing and the purpose and love I infuse behind it is what motivates so much of my life. 

 

🦀 Your favorite writer today? Your least favorite one?

 

I can’t think of a least favorite writer, but I have so many I enjoy reading. In addition to the writers that I mentioned earlier who inspired me, I love reading Danielle L. Jensen, Donna Tartt, Kelly Link, and Leigh Bardugo among others.  

 

🦀 Does eating chocolate help write better books? If so, any specific type of chocolate you would recommend that writers should eat more often? I personally enjoy drinking hot cocoa before I go to bed. It gives me weird dreams.

 

I firmly believe eating chocolate helps with writing books along with many other things in life! I love milk chocolate truffles with the raspberry or strawberry filling, you know, the kind that you have to hunt for in the holiday chocolate boxes (which sometimes results in  a disastrous mis-selection). Also I agree that eating sugar right before bed can induce the strangest dreams. I should know as I’ve been guilty of this multiple times. 

 

🦀 Thank you for taking this time to give us an insight on yourself and your passion for storytelling. Look forward to great things coming up!

 

Thank you for reaching out as well as taking the time to read my work and speak with me! 

 

For anyone who is interested in following my writing journey further, I regularly give behind-the-scenes looks at my writing, publishing, and cover design process through my Dear Writing Diary series on Substack: katelynsam.substack.com. 

 

I also regularly post on Instagram @_katelynsam_, and my website is katelynsam.com