About Mitra De Souza:
I have loved to write for as long as I can remember. In elementary school, I used to tape my short stories to the back of my chair for classmates to read. When I lived in Trinidad and Tobago, I authored a series of children’s books published by a local NGO to foster empathy and promote animal welfare. Currently, I live in San Diego county with my husband, two kids and two big rescue dogs who think they’re still puppies. When I'm not writing, I enjoy walking on the beach and laughing uncontrollably with my kids. My debut YA novel The Fragile is being released in July 2024.
What inspires you to write?
I love the opportunity to be creative and use my imagination. Oftentimes, ideas come to me unexpectedly. For example, I woke up on Mother’s Day 2021 with the idea for my debut novel The Fragile and knew I had to write it. The first draft poured out of me as fast as I could get in on paper. The premise really spoke to me as a highly sensitive person who is also very empathic. In the simplest terms, I write because I love it. But I also hope my writing inspires others to see the world in a new way and helps people who are marginalized feel seen.
What authors do you read when you aren’t writing?
Ray Bradbury – My favorite book as a kid was The Martian Chronicles. I also loved Madeleine L'Engle. More current authors include Suzanne Collins, Veronica Roth, and Adib Khorram.
Tell us about your writing process.
I’m a panster. I get inspired by an idea and start to write in my head—like when I wake up at 2am and can’t go back to sleep—until the idea is solid enough to put on paper. After writing the first draft of The Fragile, I read books like Save the Cat Writes a Novel and the Emotional Craft of Fiction which have wonderful guidance for plotting a story. However, when I tried to write a series of scene outlines, it killed the process for me. I have since learned to give myself permission to write where the story takes me, trusting that anything can be fixed in the editing process. That said, I do have a general idea of the beginning, middle and end before I start, as well as the character arc, but most everything else is figured out along the way. That’s what makes it fun for me!
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I do on occasion. For example, at one point in the revision stage of The Fragile, I asked Maya, the main character, if there was anything she wanted. Turns out she wanted to kiss her crush. I may or may not have granted her wish- you’ll have to read it to find out.
What advice would you give other writers?
Write what makes you happy. Find a story you feel passionate about and tell that one. The path to publication can be a long process, so you really have to love what you are doing. Also, the querying process can be brutal, so try not to take rejection personally. I queried for nine months and amassed close to eighty rejections before I got my publishing deal. Finally, spend as much time as you can honing your craft and make sure your query letter is strong and your manuscript is as polished as it can be before you start submitting.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
When I finished writing The Fragile, I had no idea how to get published but knew that one way or another I would hold a copy of my book in my hands. I did tons of research on the publishing process including how to get an agent and how to create a strong submission package. I started querying agents and small publishers in August 2022. After numerous rejections, I got an offer of publication from Wild Ink Publishing in May 2023. Wild Ink is a small, relatively new publisher, but it's been an awesome experience working with them. And I absolutely love the cover they designed for me.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
That's a difficult question. I think the current system with agents as the gatekeepers for major publishers is broken since agents are overwhelmed with an unmanageable numbers of queries and authors are frustrated with long wait times and lack of responses from agents. One solution might be to create an online marketplace where authors can post their queries and sample pages so that agents/publishers can search for what interests them. This would save authors the trouble of sending out hundreds of queries and allow agents to easily search through the queries that align with their current wish list.
What genres do you write?: Young Adult Speculative Fiction
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Mitra De Souza Home Page Link
Link to Author Page on Wild Ink Publishing
Your Social Media Links
Facebook
Twitter
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
