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A Conversation with Whitney Morsillo, a YA Fantasy Author
Whitney Morsillo, author of Sixth Sense Series, is also the owner of Whitney's Book Works where she works with authors as a freelance editor, formatter, and book coach.
Whitney Morsillo is a New England transplant living in the Tennessee mountains and writes YA paranormal romance. She has a Master’s in Creative Writing and believes books are crucial to survival in this wild world because “whether life is good or shit-tastic, you deserve an escape to beautiful men and to run with the wind in your fur… or hair.” When she isn’t writing swoon worthy, morally grey men who find their sassy fated mates to be their greatest strength—and infuriating weakness or beautiful villains with tragic pasts, she looks forward to the changing leaves of autumn, drinks way too much Earl Grey tea, and reads her children Harry Potter while sneaking in some steamy reads after bedtime.
Let’s get started with a quick rapid fire.
Q1. If you could be transformed into one mythological creature, which one would you choose?
I’d say a unicorn, but honestly, breathing fire sounds way cooler, so a dragon!
Q2. What time do you usually go to bed at night?
I fall asleep whenever my crotch goblins allow me to, so it’s anywhere between eight and midnight, despite bedtime being 7:30.
Q3. What are the least-likely three words someone would use to describe you?
Extroverted, dull, uncaffeinated.
Q4. Where did you go on your last vacation?
North Carolina mountains.
Q5. Would you rather find your dream job or win the lottery? You can’t do both.
Do I get to win the lottery if I already have my dream job? Because, hell yeah.
Q6. What is one thing you regret spending money on?
All those things TikTok made me buy, like new curlers that I’ll never use.
Q7. What object do you misplace or lose the most?
My sanity… Wait, object? The remote.
Q8. If you were a spy, what would be your codename?
Agent Honey Tits.
Q9. What secret about the universe would you most want to learn?
How to become a ghost that haunts. Spooky. “Even if I had faith in nothing else, I’ll always have faith in us.”Whitney Morsillo
Q10. What never fails to make you laugh?
The show “New Girl.”
Q11. What was one “before” and “after” in your life?
Before I met my husband, and after him.
Q12. What do you think people misunderstand about you?
The amount of tasks I juggle on any given day… or the amount of therapy I apparently need in my life, haha.
It’s time for a more detailed conversation, Whitney.
You’ve answered our rapid fire brilliantly, Whitney. Now, it’s time for our readers to know more about the person behind the book.
Q. Tell us about your journey.
Well, I became a book-obsessed kid in second grade, I think, when all I wanted to read was Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham. I even wrote a book report on it, which I thought was just copying it into an essay format and learned what plagiarism was. After that, I loved stories. In middle and high school, I started writing poetry, and by the end of high school and into college, I started a story that later morphed into my debut novel, Fate’s Rebellion. It took me ten years to finish that novel from scribbling notes in the margins of my college notebooks to jotting down character ideas on scrap paper while working as a nurse in an ER. I’d pull out my laptop after my daughter went to bed and type out my story. Now, It’s been about five months since that novel came out and it’s the first book of a finished trilogy. I also have two short stories published in a couple anthologies, one dark holiday collection and one about women where I wrote a story about my miscarriage.
Q. So, what books have you read more than once in your life?
So, fun fact, it’s rare for me to reread a book. Only because my memory clings to details, so it’s not always fun for me to reread them. However, I have reread The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen a few times and the Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare. I could read about Will Herondale for the rest of my life and never be satisfied.
Q. Interesting. Who has been the biggest supporter of your writing?
I’d have to say my husband and the moms in my Facebook group. They brainstorm with me, celebrate with snippets or parts that I share, help me get past writer’s block, and everything. They’re the people I want to have in my corner always, because they’re there to help encourage me when I hit a rough patch and to celebrate with me with every win.
Q. Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?
I craft my characters with names that have hidden meanings, and I make a name code sheet for the back of each book. Also, I use little easter eggs that only people who reread the books will find. Not everyone will know about the origins of my characters, like why Luna calls Adal her Endymion, but that’s all part of the fun.
Q. Now comes the most anticipated question that every author must answer. How do you process and deal with negative book reviews?
I try to remember that my books aren’t for everyone. They’re for my target audience. The people, usually women, who love Twilight and shifter romance. The readers who devour romance, but don’t care if there’s explicit scenes or not. I’ve had reviews that talk about my writing being immature or too angsty, and that’s fine. They’re told in first person from the perspective of seniors in high school. It isn’t a genre that’s for everyone. Hell, I don’t even read every genre out there myself. Sometimes, I also look at the negative reviews as a way to improve. If I notice a handful mentioning something, like character development, then I’ll focus on that for my future books as I keep writing.
Q. What comes first for you — the plot or the characters — and why?
The characters, usually with an opening scene. That’s how it always starts. A scene, with a girl, who then gets a name later on as I develop the plot around her and the opening. But then I’ll land on a name that I love and sometimes I have to change it, which is tough. My newest novel is up for preorder right now, Bitten Witch, and I’d been so excited about the couple in that book because I’d had their names from the start. They fit SO well. But then I read a popular book and realized those names were so close to my own, so I ended up changing them, which I griped about for a few days before, haha.
Q. How do you develop your plot and characters?
My plot develops as I write, though my characters do a bit too. I usually think of the opening scene and then what lead up to that point to put her there. It’s always a girl in my head. Then that’ll lead me to her personality. Did she run from something or to someone? Using that, my characters drive the plot, but lately, I’ve been doing more research and taking time to plot my books out a bit before sitting down to write them. It helps me stay organized, throw some obstacles in the mix, and plan my character growth. I like to pull inspiration from various things, like the books I’m reading or shows I’m watching.
Q. You got 100 points. You need to divide them on the basis of how relevant and important they are to you as a reader and a writer for your book or someone else’s as a reader. Your options are Plot/Story, Book Cover, Marketing, and, Reviews.
Oof, this is a hard one. As a reader, marketing isn’t important to me, but it is important as a writer because it’s how your book gets in front of readers. Same for reviews. Okay, I’d do 30 points to the plot and story. If it isn’t interesting and pulling me in, then it’s too easy to put down. Both as a writer and a reader, I need something fast paced, gripping, that pulls me and won’t let me think about anything else. Another 30 points to dialogue. I love witty banter, saucy females, and morally gray and broody men. Dialogue not only helps keep interest but it also shows the characters’ personalities, both internal and external dialogue. It also helps build the relationships between the characters and between the story and the reader too. Of the 40 points left, I’d put 20 on a book cover. It’s what’s going to catch my eye as a reader, or the eye of my own readers. It’s a form of marketing in itself, honestly. Then, I’d do 10 and 10 for the last two. Now, don’t get me wrong. Reviews help other readers want to read your books, they help boost visibility on the Amazon store. They’re always nice to see as an author, but they can also be pretty harsh and critical at times. I don’t tend to even read them for books I’m looking to purchase. Marketing is critical for writers. It’s how our books get seen by readers and get talked about. But as a reader, it’s not something I’m thinking about either. And you can market all day long for a story with subpar plot, but it isn’t going to help you when you didn’t hit the marks on the foundation—a story that readers want to talk about to everyone they meet.
Q. So, now, about your book. Talk to us about it. No major spoilers.
My debut novel, Fate’s Rebellion, is a young adult paranormal romance. It’s something I wrote with inspiration drawn from Twilight and Romeo and Juliet. It’s set in a small town where two high schoolers are dating, though their parents are in a family feud. The main guy discovers he’s a wolf shifters and breaks things off. In his head, he’s protecting the girl, right? Wouldn’t want to kill her when he can’t control his shifts yet. Later, he realizes it’s not a family feud between their families, it’s a pack rivalry, because they’re both the kids of the alphas of each pack. He doesn’t care, though. He knows what he wants—his fated mate, and he’ll do anything to win her back. A lot of things happen outside of all that, a love triangle, other antagonists coming forward, some magical abilities, but that’s the main point. The hero is someone I really love, he’s my golden retriever hero. Loyal to a fault but fiercely protective. The trilogy (Sixth Sense Series) goes on to focus on different couples too. The next book are the two best friends, then the third book is a female/female couple with enemies to lovers trope.
Q. What part of the book did you enjoy the most while writing?
I enjoyed the romance. It’s my favorite aspect as a reader, and it’s my favorite part to write. There’s no explicit scenes in that trilogy, but the romance is very sweet and comforting. Something you cheer for and shake your head at when they’re being fools. When you finally hit that first kiss or that tenderness, you release a breath and go, FINALLY.
Q. What is your kryptonite as a writer?
Shiny new ideas. Isn’t that every writer’s kryptonite? I get so excited about a book idea, that I usually write the opening scene to get it out of my system and that lets me focus on my current works in progress. My other kryptonite is my kids. I’m not only an author, but I run my own editing business working with other authors, and I’m a stay at home mom to my youngest, who’s one year old. He’s the youngest of five, so it gets pretty crazy around here, which can make productivity be a struggle. “My lips are yours, my heart is yours. my soul is yours, forever.”Whitney Morsillo
Q. Would you and your main character get along in real life?
I’d like to say we would. I mean, I might get along more with their mothers at this point, being almost thirty, but I could be their cool aunt or their best friend when they’re older. They all have a piece of me woven into them, and I’d like to think that we’d get along pretty well with those pieces of our souls intertwined.
Q. What risks have you taken with your writing that have paid off?
Publishing in general is a risk. Putting your book out there, writing and editing and rewriting it until you feel like it’s worthy enough to be published into the world. You know, you pay money to have it edited, to have a cover made, to run ads, and do all these things. They’re all a risk of losing profit or getting a bad review, but they’re worth it. They’re worth every sale, every page read, and every positive review where a reader says, “This changed my life.”
Q. Let’s talk about the process of writing. Do you do research while writing a book to add more authenticity? What kind of research?
I do! I research name meanings, different regions of where my setting takes place, facts about wolves since all my books are wolf shifters. I want to be authentic. I also research my genre, which might sound silly. But I want to keep the elements that are expected in my genre, like a happy ever after ending or certain tropes. I put my own spin on each thing, but there’s a checklist to look for in each genre, so I make sure I’m hitting that. “I would die for her a thousand times, and marry her a million more. She’s not an outsider, she’s my heart and soul. She’s every bit a part of me as I am of her.”Whitney Morsillo
Q. What was your hardest scene to write?
The hardest scene to write that made me struggle was the war scene in book three. There’s so many things happening, and I could only focus on one area at a time. But the hardest to write for me emotionally was the end of book one. There’s a death that happens, and I felt like I ripped my own soul out doing it. It impacts the characters throughout the rest of the trilogy, and it’s a really powerful moment, one where some have seeds of doubt planted and others have seeds of power.
Q. Well, this has been great. Now, before we wrap this up, do you have any suggestions to help someone become a better writer? If so, what are they?
Yes, thank you for having me! My suggestions for new writers would be to read. Read for fun, read for work in your genre, read because you love it. And do the same for writing.
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