Today, we’re speaking with Inkubator Books’ author Marnie Vinge. Marnie is the author of Crazy for You.
Inkubator Books: When did you start writing?
Marnie Vinge: Probably from the time I was able to hold a pencil! At about 9 years old, I wrote a “book” that was really several pieces of paper stapled together, and called it Dogula. It was about a dog that was also a vampire. I’d read enough books that I knew most of them had dedications. So, in mine I wrote, “To my family, who has been there through everything.” Again, I was 9 and had an idyllic childhood, so I’m not really sure what I meant by ‘everything’ at that point! But I’ve always had a flair for the dramatic.
IB: What does a typical day of writing look like for you?
MV: I love writing in the very early hours of the morning since no one is up, the phone isn’t ringing, and no one’s really expecting anything of you yet. I usually write in the mornings and if things are going well, I keep writing into the afternoon.
IB: Do you base your characters off people you know or are they all the product of your imagination?
MV: Yes, to an extent. I once saw a notebook with “People I have met who proceeded to disappoint me” embossed on the cover and I like to joke that it could be the cover of my next novel. All joking aside, what I like to do is take something I’ve experienced in real life, or a type of person I’ve known and then blow that situation or personality up to this larger-than-life, life-or-death kind of thing. The emotions I write about are very real even if the situations and people are unrecognizable.
IB: What’s the most difficult part of your writing process?
MV: For me, the most difficult part is not jumping into writing a story as soon as I have the idea. I’ve learned that having a detailed outline makes things so much easier in the editing process. But it’s hard to wait when you’re so excited about the story! And I think some of that early writing can be very useful in finding things out about characters or directions you might want to go or not go with it.
IB: What comes first for you – plot or characters?
MV: When it comes to psychological thrillers, the plot is usually what comes first. I get a lot of my ideas from real life occurrences, whether it’s something I’m personally touched by or something I read in the news. Usually, my ideas come from me experiencing or reading something and thinking, “Oh, gosh. What if…?”
IB: Which of your books is your favorite? Why?
MV: I Remember Everything is my favorite book that I’ve written. I’m so proud of the way it’s structured and the twist at the end. I knew exactly where the book was going from page one and that made it so easy to pepper in hints and know what to hold back as well as what to share. It was a fever dream to write and so, so enjoyable.
IB: How would you describe your ideal reader?
MV: Generally, women from 27-75 who probably spend some time watching true crime shows or listening to true crime podcasts. They probably know a little too much about serial killers or crime scene investigation. They’ve been touched by darkness just like me and many other authors, and they love to see a strong female protagonist overcome that darkness, or in some cases, embrace it.
IB: What are you doing when you aren’t writing?
MV: When I’m not writing, I’m probably taking photographs of birds, hiking, watching a documentary about something weird, obscure, and generally unsettling. I might also be listening to a true crime podcast on the way home from an appointment on the far side of the city. I also love to hike, but because of my love for true crime, I never do it alone.
IB: What does your writing space look like?
MV: Controlled chaos. I have a bulletin board and a calendar, both with my latest editing notes pinned to them. At least two monitors going at once and lots of little spooky decorations such as a witch’s hand candle holder, a bat in Lucite, and a little orange and white ghost.
IB: Have you ever traveled to research for a book?
MV: I’ve never intentionally set out to travel somewhere specifically for research, but invariably, every trip I’ve ever taken has produced some element that has found its way into a book.
IB: What genres do you like to read? Who are some of your favorite authors?
MV: I love non-fiction and thrillers. My absolute all-time favorite non-fiction book is Piercing the Darkness by Katherine Ramsland. All of her books are fantastic, but that one, in particular, is amazing. I also love Mary Roach. Her book, Stiff, is another favorite of mine. I love Jon Krakauer’s book Into Thin Air, about one of Everest’s deadliest seasons. For thrillers, my favorite author is Riley Sager. Final Girls is an all-time favorite. I also love Lucinda Berry, Clive Barker, and Preston & Child among many others.
IB: How do you come up with names for your characters?
MV: This part is not usually very exciting. I tend to either hear a name in real life and tuck it away for a character or do a search for names that might fit with the character I’ve already envisioned.
IB: What was your favorite childhood book?
MV: Hank the Cowdog. I loved that series. It’s set in Texas which is not far from my home state of Oklahoma. Hank is constantly getting into mischief with his friend Drover. There are also two coyotes named Rip and Snort that tend to get a little silly after eating at the local silage pit. Sometimes I refer to my dogs Penny and Ellie as Rip and Snort.
IB: Have you ever abandoned a book you were writing? How did you know it was the right thing to do?
MV: I never really think of them as totally abandoned but rather shelved for a later time. Sometimes, stories that aren’t working get cannibalized by other stories so I feel that there’s never really any time or word that’s wasted. It can be hard to know when to move on to another project and I’m a bit hardheaded when it comes to that. Usually, I’ll just take a break if things really aren’t working. Sometimes working on something else for a while will give me some inspiration on how to use elements of the other story for something new or maybe even give me an idea of how to solve the problem.
IB: Do you have any tips for first-time authors?
MV: There’s no secret sauce. Keep going. Do not give up. Hone your craft and publish the absolute best book you can possibly write. Focus on building your backlist of titles in the beginning. Spend the majority of your time writing rather than worrying too much about social media. The best thing you can do to further your writing career is to write the next book. Always be humble, always be open to learning, and always be ready to adapt.
IB: Who inspires you?
MV: My grandfather is a huge inspiration of mine. He came from extremely humble beginnings and built a wonderfully successful life working for Anthony’s clothing store here in Oklahoma. He traveled the world and was one of the kindest, hardest working, and honest people I’ve ever known. He was selfless and generous with his good fortune in life. He was ethical and a savvy businessman. He always put others first. And he was my biggest supporter when I decided I wanted to become a novelist. He would tell me, “Write that book,” every time he saw me. He never got to see me finish a book, unfortunately. I would love to know what he thinks of where I am now. My grandmother has also been a big inspiration to me. She was the life of every party she attended. I was very blessed to be raised by an amazingly strong mother as well. I also lucked out and have two incredibly strong aunts. The three of them inspire me to work hard for what I want and play even harder. Also, they’re vicious Rook players and I attribute most of my thick skin to the trash talking we’re all so good at during those games. I often say that I’m among a special group that not only loves their family, but also likes them.
IB: If you could eliminate one thing from your daily life, what would it be?
MV: I would eliminate running errands. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to find an errand enthusiast who could joyfully take that over for you?
IB: Do you have any pets?
MV: Between my mother and I, we have 4 dogs. Maggie, T-Bear, Penny, and Ellie. Maggie is a border collie/lab mix who will only bark at you if you dare make eye contact with her. T-Bear is a basenji mix who hates thunderstorms and fireworks. When I met her at the shelter, she bit me almost immediately and I thought, “Oh, little dog! You have to come home with me now because no one else will think that was cute!” A love story for the ages. Penny is another lab mix that’s too smart for her own good. And Ellie might be from a distant planet because I’ve never met another dog like her. She has her own agenda and will not be stopped when it comes to counter surfing and being generally destructive.
IB: How do you approach your genre in a unique way?
MV: Something I try to keep in mind as I write is the reader experience. I tend to write shorter chapters and give the reader a reason at the end of the chapter to go on to the next. I’m always conscious of what might make someone put a book down for the night and try to eliminate that. I want them to be up in the wee hours of the morning, heart pounding, as they find out what happens next!
IB: How do you manage the “whodunit” aspects of your story as far as clues and revelations? Do you outline?
MV: Something that I love about working with my editor at Inkubator is the brainstorming and outlining process. As I said earlier, I have a tendency to want to jump right into the story, but I’m learning the value of taking my time with the outline. I love that with an outline you can decide exactly when to reveal what and how to structure things so that the story flows effortlessly for the reader. I almost always go in knowing what the major twist is going to be. Peppering in even more twists is much easier with outlining. It saves you a lot of time on revisions!
IB: How do you relax?
MV: Relax?! What’s that?! Joking aside, I do like to photograph birds to relax. It’s a very mindful thing. Hiking is the same and a lot of times the two hobbies coincide.
IB: Who are your first readers when you write a new book?
MV: My mom is always my first reader.
IB: What’s one thing you wish your readers knew about you?
MV: Something I’m very open and passionate about is mental health. I have a diagnosis of bipolar disorder type 1. The main reason I am so open about this is because when I was diagnosed, representation of this mood disorder was limited to boogeymen in crime shows. Despite my mental health battles, I have managed to create a productive, happy life and manage my illness well. If there had been someone doing what I wanted to be doing at the time that I felt like I couldn’t have a normal life, that would have been life-changing for me. I just want at least one person with this disorder to know they aren’t alone, and anything is still possible.
IB: Which do you enjoy writing more: dialogue or internal thoughts?
MV: I enjoy them both, but dialogue can be really fun, especially because when I write it, I see a movie in my head. I can picture the characters gestures and body language. It feels very real to me as I write it.
Thanks to Marnie Vinge for sitting down with us today.
Want to read Marnie Vinge’s books? Check out Marnie’s titles on Amazon.
You can find her at the following places:
Website: https://www.marniewritesthrillers.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marniewritesthrillers
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marniewritesthrillers
