interview

Q&A with Charis Marsh, author of Love You, Hate You

Charis Marsh, author of the series Ballet School Confidential, sits down with us to answer some questions about writing, her books, and what she’s been reading.

Describe your ideal writing environment

I write in coffee shops mostly. I like it when there are other people around me, preferably people that are also quietly working on something. I can’t usually write around people I know, they’re too distracting, but I also hate to be alone for very long. My ideal writing space definitely includes coffee and music, lots of both. Comfortable armchairs are the best, but they’re valuable real estate in coffee shops, you have to be pretty experienced to score one. The battle is totally worth it though … And free internet. And a place that has soy or almond milk to put in my coffee. I’m not picky about coffee shops at all, I swear!

In your own work, which character are you most attached to, and why?

Oh, this is a hard one! It actually changes depending on what mood I’m in. I find certain of my characters easier to write than others when I am in a particular mood.

I have a special fondness for is Julian, probably because he and I are both from the Gulf Islands. I like how on the surface he mostly seems to go with the flow, but he really has a very strong set of personal values and identity. He probably has the strongest sense of himself out of all of the main characters in Love You, Hate You actually.

Taylor is so much fun to write about when I am excited about stuff, she always makes me smile. She is such a unique person and I want to protect her, but then when I’m writing I put her in the most terrible situations!

Alexandra is such an odd combination of being extremely mature for her age in some ways and being very innocent, very young in other ways that she’s also very dear to me. She clearly has a lot of issues, but I still have a lot of respect for her. Alexandra is my character that reminds me of all the things I should have accomplished in my life but haven’t, and all that I still could if I worked hard enough.

Kaitlyn is a bit spoiled, but I can’t help but sympathize with her, it’s not really her fault. The adults around her have taught her that she is perfect and she’s going to go through some pretty tough learning experiences as a result, because of course she’s very far from perfect.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received as a writer?

To write! It seems so simplistic, but really, the only way to improve your writing is by practice.  The more I write the more comfortable and confident I feel transferring the ideas in my head to a page. Writing truly is a craft. Much like when you have a beautiful image in your head but lack the necessary skill to paint it on a canvas, you can have many brilliant ideas for a story but be unable to recreate them on a page without practice.

When I was in grade 10, I had an awesome teacher who got us to write every morning for 20 minutes in a journal. 20 minutes of writing whatever poured out of my 14 year old consciousness at 8:30 am resulted in 2 journals full of embarrassing ramblings, but this exercise is actually one of the best ways to start writing just for writing’s sake, without the pressure to produce something good. Another thing that I like to do is write down what people say, or practice writing dialogue in their conversation style. I started doing this as a joke with my friends when I was younger, imitating each other and our teachers, and it turned out to actually be a pretty useful skill. Most people have a unique conversation style or voice. This can really help when you are trying to develop a character.

What are you reading right now?

Well, textbooks mostly. Seriously, it’s sort of depressing. And also my little brothers keep me fully updated on the books they read, they’re great readers. They are all completely obsessed with Rick Riordan’s work, so I’ve read his Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, The Heroes of Olympus series, and The Kane Chronicles series. My roommate just loaned me her copy of Paint It Black by Janet Fitch and that was so good! I have so much respect for both Riordan and Fitch.

I had the most wonderful dream the other day that J.K. Rowling had just announced that she’d been secretly writing a new fiction series (I know, I know she said she was fairly sure she’d never do that!) and then I woke up and it was not at all true. I was very sad – I am such a dork. I don’t have a Pottermore account yet though, so apparently I’m not obsessed enough!

What is your next project?

I am currently editing the next book in the Ballet Confidential series, You’re So Sweet. The second book in the Ballet Confidential series, this book was fun to write because there was more freedom to show other sides of the character’s personalities. You’re So Sweet shows the ups and downs of their competitions and training, but it also shows what they are dealing with outside of dance. They are at a very tough age, where training for dance has to be your whole world, and sometimes the outside world gets in the way of that commitment.

I also just finished an adventure book that I am very excited about, Gage Roberts and the Little Knife – this book is very important and special to me because it is exactly the sort of book I would have adored when I was about 8-10, and I wrote it for my brothers who are around that age right now. This book is about growing up and figuring out how to stand strong for what you know is right in the face of opposition. It’s about loyalty, hard work, and learning how to be brave. But it’s also about pirates, best friends, magicians, sea monsters, and kings!

If you like Love You, Hate You, make sure that you pre-order You’re So Sweet, another Ballet School Confidential book, releasing in the spring.

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