A Soul With Good Intentions (with Channelle Desamours)

In this episode, we welcome author and high school science teacher Channelle Desamours to discuss her new YA supernatural thriller mystery, They Call Her Regret. Channelle shares why she writes for teens, how the dystopian boom reignited her reading, and how science and problem-solving inform her approach to mysteries. 

Channelle’s Books

They Call Her Regret

Needy Little Things

Other Books Mentioned

When I Was Death by Alexis Henderson

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

Where to Find Channelle

channelledesamours.com

Instagram

TikTok

Timeline

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

01:02 Why Write YA Mysteries

04:24 Regret Plot and Stakes

05:40 Themes of Consequences

08:54 Social Justice in Fiction

11:35 Staying Grounded as Author

13:13 Students Reading Her Books

15:29 Upcoming Releases and Writing

17:18 Recent Reads and Recs

19:02 Advice and Closing

Thank you for being part of the Liberation is Lit podcast! If you have stories to share, want to suggest topics, or just want to connect, find us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok @liberationislit or visit our website at liberationislit.com. If you enjoyed the episode, please consider leaving a review! Remember, your voice matters, and together, through the lens of stories, we're making a difference in the world.

Transcript

0:09

Hey y'all. Welcome to the Liberation is Lit podcast, where the power of storytelling means of force of social change. I'm your host, Tayler Simon, and in this podcast we believe in the profound impact of stories and I'm super excited to be reunited in a way with author Channelle Desamours to talk about her new book they call her Regret. Channelle actually was one of our feature authors for our liberated Young Adult book Club. So if you wanna know more about that initiative, you can head to our website and I'll link it in the show notes. But hi again, Channelle, how are you doing today? Hey, I am doing great, beautiful spring day. Thank you for having me. Yes. Awesome. Again, so glad to have you back, part of the Liberation is Lit Lit Universe. So, to kick off our conversation today, can you tell us a little bit about yourself as an author and why you decided to write for a young adult or younger audience? Yeah, sure. You know, I have always enjoyed writing. It's always been something. That I've done on the side in the background as a hobby for fun, right? That kind of thing. And I'm also a high school science teacher. I have been teaching for almost 15 years now, which is wild because what is time? I cannot believe it has been that long. But I actually have a really dis distinct memory early in my teaching career when there was like the big dystopian boom of books, hunger Games, divergent, all of that. And my students were reading those books and I had not seen them reading anything else. So I was like, what is this that has their attention like that? And you know, they wanted to talk to me about it. They've come like during study hall and wanna talk about these books. So like, if they are trying to read and talk about books, I'm gonna. We're gonna do that. So I read the books and I was like, wait, this is good. So those books actually reignited my love for reading. Like I read a lot as a kid, but kind of fell off in college and all of that. So, those books got me reading again and naturally I always kind of kept writing in the background. So that kind of realigned those things for me and I think just already having a career where I work with teens and being reintroduced to books through ya I just never really considered writing anything else. It was just kind of like the lane I was already in and just felt really natural for me. So it was always gonna be writing for younger audiences and I think that's just such a interesting stage of life, right? So many big firsts. Developing your sense of self independence. It's just, it's fun. It's emotional. So I, I love writing for that writing that age category. And then I think, you know, I am a science teacher, so I love science. I'm a science nerd. And naturally like kids will think, you must write sci-fi, right? And I love sci-fi, but I think more broadly, science is about asking questions, solving problems, collecting data, analyzing data, figuring out what's valid, what's not. And I think that lends itself really well to mystery writing, right? Because that's what mysteries are too. So, it just felt completely natural for me to write young adult mysteries. And I know those books ignited the love of storytelling for a lot of people in general as well. And I know it did for me. And I was one of those kids who was like obsessed with hunger games and all of that in high school. And I think it's so interesting too that you would think as a science teacher, it's like, oh, I'm rooted in the phenomenon we can study, but a lot of your books are very spec, speculative in nature. So I wanna talk about your newest book they call her regret. What inspired you to write this spooky story and what message did you hope readers would get from the book? Yeah, so, they call her regret follows, Simone Washington. Who has some dark secrets in her past that she is quite determined to keep buried. So, you know, she really loves horror and party planning. So as a distraction, she decides to throw her 18th birthday party at a creepy cabin in the woods because what could possibly go wrong? Well, everything goes wrong, in fact, and unfortunately, her best friend ends up drowning in a tragic accident, and at that point, Simone is confronted by a cursed witch named regret who offers her a bargain. If Simone can figure out how to break the curse and free the witch within 14 days, then her best friend's life will be immediately restored and all of those dark secrets and regrets from her past will be erased. However, if Simone fails to uphold her end of the bargain and free the witch, then her best friend will die again and Simone will be the one to kill her. So it's big stakes. It's definitely a supernatural thriller mystery. But it's also very much about the links that we will go to to protect the people we love and that includes ourselves. So when I was crafting Simone's character, nina Simone's, and that's where her name comes from. Nina Simone's song don't let me Be Misunderstood. There are a couple of lyrics in it that really just kind of, I kept coming back to that I feel like really just sum up her character really well, and one of them is I'm just a soul whose intentions are good. Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood. And the other is don't you know, no one alive can always be an angel. So she is someone who is just really battling with you know, some of the things that she's done wrong in her past, but also really wanting to be good to do the right thing to make everyone happy. But she ultimately, and obviously inevitably is fall short of that. So it's about a girl with the best intentions, who has to learn the hard way that. Good intentions don't always mean a good outcome, and I think one of the things I would like readers to consider or understand after they finish the book is just that, you know, sometimes sitting with the consequences of our own actions can be scarier than any physical monster. And I think it's because, you know, you can outrun a monster, but you can't outrun yourself. And in a lot of ways that makes personal things scarier. But I think it also can make it easier because when you decide that you're ready to confront whatever's troubling you. You don't have to run out into the woods and fight a demon. You just have to look in the mirror. Right? And I think that's a big part of Simone's journey through the book. She's got this like physical entity that she's negotiating with and like battling and doing all this, but really it's about her own personal demons and how she can confront those. Mm. I love that that metaphor of finding or you can outrun a monster, but you have to sit with yourself in these situations. And I feel I'm only about halfway down with the book and where I am so far it is I don't know, it's like the scariest things that Simone is running from is for past and not necessarily a deal that she's made with some kind of other worldly entity. So I think that's very relatable for teens to read. And just the stage of development that they're in. And, it's definitely a story that will keep you on your, the edge of your seat. Trying to, like, I'm already in my head trying to piece together the mystery is like, okay, how would I go about this? And trying to see into the future. So it is a great. Book and I feel like it's very in line with the book that I was introduced to you. Needy Little Things and I've seen that book everywhere and I was so excited when we had the liberated young adult book club about it. And that one is about missing black girls kind of in the background and how the media portrays missing black people in general versus white people with more privilege. so I wanted to ask you too, how does social justice kind of influence your writing or even your work with students? Yeah, I think, you know. Especially like needy little things, right? There was a big plot point and theme that was very obvious about the, the message to trying to get across there. But more than that, I think it influences my characters and how I choose to develop them because all of these, like social issues are human issues, right? So if you can make it so that we care about the person and understand the person behind the problems. Like that's, that opens the door to solving the problems, right? That's like step one and I think. I love when authors do a really great job of that to the point where like, you don't necessarily have to like the character, right? There's a difference between liking and caring and understanding. So if the author is able to set up the world and the backstory of the characters in a way where I understand why they're making the decisions they're making, even if I wouldn't personally make them that's what really invests me in the story, you know? And, and I love that when I can like hate a character, but I gotta keep turning the pages right. And obviously I love it when I love the characters too, but I think that really just comes from. Just making sure you're creating this dimensional person who has motives and reasons and we can kind of understand kind of what shaped them into who they are. Or even if you don't have all of those pieces, I think that kind of mystery of like, why are they behaving this way and getting enough problems along the way that kind of keeps you turning the pages is really what invest you. So yeah, I think it just, it starts with with caring about the characters and then you care what happens to them and that's gonna step one to solving a lot of problems. Yes, and that's why I really love books because you have this instance where you don't have to like a person to understand them and have that compassion for them and recognize like, okay, I have some clarity around the things that they're doing and why they do the things that they do. Because that's just how real life is. Mm-hmm. in the society we live in today, it's a lot of I don't know anything about this group of people. I don't know these people. Therefore, I do not care about them. I can't bring myself to understand where they're coming from because I can't bring myself to care about them. So that's why I love the power of books and being able tackle some of these issues because you are put in that character shoes. So, yeah. So. Writing about these different topics and working with teens and doing all this in your free time, how do you stay grounded in this work as an author? Yeah, I think you know, I am, I guess it kind of relates to the character thing. Like I am one person with a unique set of experiences, right? And, sometimes, like knowing that certain voices are limited in storytelling and what's available out there. Like, and I have this great opportunity that to be able to tell and share my stories, it can come sometimes come with this sort of sense of responsibility. Like I, I gotta get it right, which can be really heavy. And when I kind of start spiraling like that, I have to remind myself that there is no such thing as like right or wrong for a personal experience. So I try to just. S be honest about the story that I want to tell, and inevitably someone is either going to relate to it, it's a mirror for them, or it's going to broaden someone else's horizon. So when I kind of keep that perspective about it, just realizing that by telling my own. Story sharing my voice and molding it into these different, like, hopefully fun and engaging reads will help someone else feel seen or expose someone to a perspective they haven't considered. That makes it fun. So just, that's joyful work. Just conversations, broadening horizons. So when I just kind of like. Think about that. I'm just telling the little stories. It doesn't have to be a big, huge undertaking. I'm not trying to save the world. I'm just trying to relate to people as individuals through words. I know this came up during our event, but what is your students' reactions to your books? Do they read your books? Do you ever have people approach you be like, oh my gosh, I, I read your book. How, how is that part of things? Yeah, my student reactions are some of my favorite things. They will come and fuss at me. I had one student with regret. She came and she had like, tabs just all filled in and was like, Ms. D. we gotta talk. And she's like, let's sit and let's chat. She had voice notes and everything, which is just, you know, that really can't be beat. I have a couple of copies that I'll keep in my room and, you know, one of my students was like begging to read it and his name is Corey, which happens to be the name of a character and they call her regret. So he was like, obviously this is me. And I was like, I didn't know you when I wrote this. But he took it home and he was meant to just borrow it. That book came back. So beat up, tore up, but he read it and I was like, this copy is yours now. But that, that's my favorite thing. And I occasionally. Like I had a couple of launch events for they call her regret, where like some former students showed up. And my favorite is, especially when I see students that I taught a long time ago before I ever had a book deal who I, you know, I told them, I write, I told them about my dreams and to know that they've kind of followed along and have been able to see that. It took me a while because it was like 20 11, 20 12 when I first, decided I wanted to try to write books. So it took a while for me to actually, before I actually ended up with one on the shelf when needy Little things came out in 2025. So, yeah, it's just, it just feels very full circle when I see those former students and makes me happy.'cause, you know, the, the kids I teach are who I write these books for, so when they get excited about it, it's really special. I bet it is. I can't imagine just the joy about like as an author, it's like, oh my gosh, like somebody's reading my book. But like just seeing people who had, even though in the most indirect way, like apart, shaping the book, saying that they read it and they love it, and that that has gotta be like so heartwarming. It's. So do you have any upcoming projects coming down the pipeline that you wanna share with folks, even though I know you're probably exhausted with a debut novel first and then another novel right after? Yeah. are you taking a break or do you have anything upcoming in the works? Yeah, it was a lot because there, those books came out pretty much with one year in between. But the paperback of Needy Little Things is coming out in December and it has a brand new cover and a brand new bonus chapter from a different point of view, a different character's point of view. So I'm really excited for people to read that. It's up for pre-order now, so that comes out at the end of December. And then I am looking forward to drafting something new off deadline for once because drafting regret with the pressure of a deadline was like, I got through it, but there were a lot of tears and a lot of like, struggle. But so yeah. I don't have anything lined up officially yet, so I'm excited to kind of use the summer to draft something new. Definitely more speculative mysteries and thrillers up my sleeve, but yeah. Hmm, and I'm so excited for the bonus chapter for needy little Things because we'll. Of the questions that came up during the Liberated Young Adult Book Club was, is there gonna be a sequel? So, will that bonus chapter kind of, satiate that, that need for a sequel? so I think for anyone who wanted just a little bit more at the end of needy little things, we'll get some answers that they, that they wanted. Okay. I love a good bonus chapter, so I'm definitely gonna be linking the preorder link for needy little things, paperback in the show notes, so I'm so excited for that. Has there been anything you've been reading lately that's been exciting to you? Yeah. Alexis Henderson's book, when I was Death came out last month. I actually read it early, but I read it was just like continuing to be on my mind. So, that book, the plot grabbed me. It's about a group of teen girls who work for death himself. Like that was enough for me. I'm like, okay, we gotta see what this is about. But it actually ended up being way more emotional, like the characters. And I think like we have already talked about, like the characters are what really pulled me into that story. It was way more complex emotionally than I was anticipating. I was like crying, but it was also like suspenseful and dark and just a really great time. I really enjoyed that book. It's been stuck with me for months. Yeah. Yes, and I read a long time ago, the year of the witching, and I've been meaning to read more of her books lately. So I'm excited for Yeah. it, I loved how she wrote the year of the Witching and when I was deaf kind of reminds me of, I mean, it's very different. But along the similar vein of Al Adam Vera's book they both die at the end with the death cast plot in the background. And I'm just I'm just so fascinated by the, how authors contextualize and conceptualize mortals interacting with death. So That's my favorite. That's my favorite kind of thing. Yes. So my last question for you today is what advice would you offer listeners who wanna make a positive impact in their communities? I think my advice would be to start small and personal. I think so much is going on in the world that is so big and feels so impossible that you can quickly get into just a loop of despair and like, feeling like your efforts don't matter. So I think just zoom in one, like get to know yourself well, understand like what your personal strengths are what energizes you and excites you. What really makes you shine And just share a little bit of that light with people that you know in real life. Because I think when our communities and the people around us feel supported and safe and like they have like a network that is it. That is gonna have healthy people that are ready to try to tackle bigger issues together. But when people feel isolated and alone and stressed and just trying to get through, just trying to survive, it's really hard to, to also then try to save everyone else. Right? So, I think the best way to get to a place where we can do that is to just make sure our neighbors and our friends and our family are taken care of, and that our, we personally, ourselves are, are cared for. Yeah, because we are part of the community too, so we have to make sure we're okay too. Ah, thank you so much for this Channelle. Where can people find you and keep up with your work? Yeah, on social media, I am most active on Instagram at El Desmo, E-L-L-E-D-E-S-A-M-O-U-R-S. And that is also my handle on TikTok. I post there like once every two months or something. But I am on TikTok and my website, Channelle desmo dot. Yes, and I'll make sure to link all of those in the show notes so we can keep up with everything including the upcoming release of the paperback version. Of needy little things as well as the newest book. They call her regret. I'm like so excited to finish it. I'm like upset that I couldn't finish it right before this interview. But you know, the holidays. Yep. Yes. But thank you again Channelle and thank you listeners for being a part of the Liberation is Lit Lit Podcast. If you have stories you wanna share, wanna suggest any topics or just wanna connect with us, you can find us on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok at Liberation is Lit or visit our website. Liberation is lit.com. If you enjoyed the episode, please consider leaving a review. And remember, your voice matters and together through the lens of stories, we're gonna make a difference in the world. Until next time.