Marissa chats with Alexandra Monir about her newest YA novel - BLACK CANARY: BREAKING SILENCE - the latest in the DC Icons series, as well as Alexandra's inspiring story of taking chances and going after what you want; the various ways that music can inspire our creativity and influence storytelling; how superhero tales provide an excellent gateway for talking about real-world struggles, and even family history; and why a writer should never give up on their backlist. Plus, listen to Alexandra's recording of "The Black Canary Sings," the song that inspired the book!
Books discussed in this episode can be purchased from your local independent bookstore or buy them online from the Happy Writer bookshop.org store (that benefits indie bookstores) at https://bookshop.org/shop/marissameyer
Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/
Marissa chats with Alexandra Monir about her newest YA novel - BLACK CANARY: BREAKING SILENCE - the latest in the DC Icons series, as well as Alexandra's inspiring story of taking chances and going after what you want; the various ways that music can inspire our creativity and influence storytelling; how superhero tales provide an excellent gateway for talking about real-world struggles, and even family history; and why a writer should never give up on their backlist. Plus, listen to Alexandra's recording of "The Black Canary Sings," the song that inspired the book!
Books discussed in this episode can be purchased from your local independent bookstore or buy them online from the Happy Writer bookshop.org store (that benefits indie bookstores) at https://bookshop.org/shop/marissameyer
Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/
[inaudible]
Speaker 2:Welcome to the happy writer. This is a podcast that aims to bring readers, more books, to enjoy and to help authors find more joy in their writing. I'm your host Murcia. Myra, thanks so much for joining me. We are nearing the end of another monthly contest on our Instagram account, which is at happy writer podcast. This month, we've asked you to post photos of your favorite books about writing. So maybe you have the entire collection of writing guides from James Scott Bell, or maybe you've memorized all of the plot beats in save the cat, writes a novel, whatever it is, please share it with us with the tag happy writer contest, and you will be entered to win a free book. The contest ends on February 28th for me, some of the books that I have found so helpful over and over again are the setting, the source books written by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. Uh, there's two of them, one for rural settings and one for urban settings. And I love them. I use them all the time. I've been using them so much lately as I've been working on gilded, um, and what they are, it's where the authors have made a collection of different settings. Say there's like a page for an art gallery or a tree house. And they provide lots of examples about things you might see in this space or what sensory details would be there, or like possible sources of conflict or obstacles in that space that you could use. And they're so clever. And even if I don't end up using the specific details that they write about it always helps get those creative juices flowing again, when I'm trying to bring a setting to life so super useful, I love them. Um, and that is the thing that has been making me happy this week is this is wonderful, useful resource. And of course I am so happy to be talking to today's guest. She is a professional recording artist and composer as well as the author of seven novels for young adults, including timeless and the final six, her most recent novel black Canary breaking silence is the latest in the best-selling DC icon series. It came out this past December now, please welcome Alexandra Monier.
Speaker 3:Hi, Marissa. Thank you so much for having me. I love this podcast so much.
Speaker 2:I'm so glad you enjoyed it. And thank you for being here to talk about your book with me.
Speaker 3:Oh my gosh. It's such a pleasure. And I know I was telling you before and gushing, but I just, I, I wanted to say it for your audience too, that you really are giving us a gift in this pandemic of just this show that just continually provide them inspiration and reminders of why we love writing and just your happy energy. So thank you again. Pleasure. You
Speaker 2:Warm fuzzies. It's still, you know, we're all of course our own worst critic. Um, and there are times when I listen back, like when I'm doing the editing of these podcasts and think, Oh, Marissa, why do you giggle so much? Why do you sound so cheesy?
Speaker 3:No, that's the best part. Honestly, it sounds like this is going to sound corny, but it sounds like you're smiling and it like makes me happy.
Speaker 2:Well, it's, I am pretty much huge character
Speaker 3:Resting, smiling face. I love it. Why don't we
Speaker 2:I'll start with you telling listeners about black Canary breaking silence.
Speaker 3:Yes. So black Canary is it's the fifth book in the DC icons line of novels, which, um, I feel so blessed to be a part of the first book was wonder woman war bringer by Lee Dugo. Second book was Batman by Marie Lu. Third was Catwoman by Sarah J. Moss and fourth was Superman by Matt de LA Pena. So obviously I had huge shoes that I was following in. And, um, black Canary is a superhero who is known for what she can do with her voice. It's called the Canary cry and she has this incredible ability to let out this metal shredding scream that can destroy enemies and do all kinds of amazing things. And she's a character that's been in the comic books going back all the way to the forties. And so you might have recently seen her and the birds of prey movie or also on arrow, which was on the CW up until recently for a long time. So I had the really fun task of getting to write a whole new WIA origin story for her. And I had the thought of, I was really struck by the idea that there's this female superhero whose power is her voice. And that particularly struck me because of the ways that women's voices have historically been silenced. And I really drew from my own family's background in Iran with the story as well, where so many of women's rights were taken away in the aftermath of the revolution of 79. And ultimately I kind of created the story that has been, um, really kind of called like a dystopian version of Gotham city in DC, where it takes place in a Gotham city where women's voices have literally been taken away from them. They can no longer sing. And that's just one of many rights that have been stripped from them until seventeen-year-old Dinah. Lance comes along and starts to realize just the different powers that might be lurking within her and within her family. So that's sort of my explanation without giving away too many spoilers,
Speaker 2:A great pitch, you hit so many highlights and so many things that I want to talk about,
Speaker 3:Oh, yay. Want to start
Speaker 2:Just me talking about the series. Um, Nick, you say you're working with some amazing author, some of my personal favorites. Um, and so on one hand you already have, there's gotta be some pressure coming after. Um, and on top of that, you're taking these characters and this world Gotham city and these superheroes that are so beloved that have been around for generations. So, so just kind of take me through the story. How did you get involved with this series? How did it come to be and how did you overcome
Speaker 3:What mother
Speaker 2:Taught complete amount of pressure coming into the story?
Speaker 3:So I actually, I love sort of telling the story because it's just, it's such a, I feel like it's such a like destiny kind of, um, story. And also just a reminder of how as writers, sometimes we just have to like ask for things, even if they feel kind of beyond our scope. So basically it kind of all started in 2018. I was doing a lot of touring and, um, different like comic cons and fan conventions, book festivals around my book that was out at the time, the final six, which was also Saifai and through being at events like WonderCon and con y'all West, that whole, um, fun scene. I got to meet a few editors at DC and they were just fantastic. And we got to know each other over the course of these events and because of my musical background, um, this one editor mentioned to me, she said, what do you think about, maybe you writing something about black Canary? And I was like, Oh my God, that would be incredible. And, um, I immediately had this kind of idea come to me and I started writing. And initially the idea that we were talking about it had nothing to do with DC icons. It was just a possible graphic novel. But then what was interesting is that as I started writing a pitch for a graphic novel, I had the song just like appear fully formed in my head. I was literally like writing in a public place and had to run into the bathroom and record on my phone because I heard this melody in my head. I heard these lyrics, I heard all this. And I just started feeling like, I think this might need to, I would love for it to eventually be a graphic novel, but I felt like it needed to start as a prose novel. I wanted to include lyrics. I wanted to be able to, to have, you know, 300 pages of prose. And so, um, I kind of, I knew a lot about the DCI con theories at this point, three of the books were already out and they were such a big deal. I mean, I never would've at all thought that I would be in that category. So I honestly sort of sat on the idea for a while thinking like, well, I know that there is the series out there that my idea I think would be perfect for it, but, but who's going to stay me after, after those authors who are so huge and so amazing. And, um, and so, but finally I felt like the universe kind of gave me a little nudge because I was going, I was going to, um, throw a baby shower for my brother and sister-in-law in New York and I just had this feeling. And so I emailed my agent and I said, okay, I went and I looked in the back of the books of the other DC icons novels. And I saw that they all think their editor, Chelsea eagerly. And, uh, what do you think about just sending her my pitch and telling her about me and letting her know I'm coming to New York? And he was like, okay, I'm happy to do it. Usually they don't really meet with offers, but I'm going to just send it to her and let her know. And, um, to my amazement and delight, she loved my pitch and then sent it to DC and Warner brothers who also loved it. And then I think the day before I was supposed to leave for New York, I got an email saying like, Chelsea would be happy to meet with you. And, um, we had an amazing, amazing meeting total MindMeld. And then it was about like two weeks of waiting while she had to kind of sell everyone else on making me an offer. And then it actually happened. So it was just, so I still pinch myself all the time. Cause it was definitely not something where like, you know, people came and approached me, you know, the same way that it happened for the other authors. I really kind of pitched myself for it. And it was sort of a leap and a gamble that, you know, definitely paid off because now I'm here talking to you. It's so wild.
Speaker 2:That is such a great story. I love that. And good for you for just, I think this is going to be great. It has potential. I'm going to go for it. Thank you so much.
Speaker 3:And, and it was such a good reminder too, I think for other authors. And I tell my friends this all the time that like sometimes we sell ourselves short or assume that like, because I wasn't, you know, yet a number one New York times bestseller like the other authors and the icon series, I just assumed like, Oh, they probably won't be able to like, get the, okay to hire me to do this because of that. But when I met with Chelsea, like she didn't even care about that. She was just like, I love what you wrote. I love your vision for this. And, um, Chelsea ended up going on to become a literary agent. Um, she's now at greenhouse literary. So if any of you, um, authors who aren't repped are looking to find a new rep are listening, definitely check her out. Cause she's amazing. Um, and I was lucky enough to then have a new editor that I was assigned to on the project to as fantastic Sasha and Rica. And she also just totally believed in, and I just never got any sense from the people at the publishing house or GC or Warner brothers that they saw me as like second tier in any way. But I think going into it, I sort of thought that might be the case, cause I wasn't yet like a household name or anything. And so I just think it's, it's a good thing for us authors to remember is that it really is the words on the page. Um, it's not so much about necessarily like how much you've sold compared to whoever is ruling the charts or whatever. It's really about the words on the page.
Speaker 2:No. And that's, I mean, I think that that gives great credit to your publisher and to DC that it's, it's not just, we need a big names that we can sell. Lots of books, like cared about finding the right author for this story and you know, someone who is enthusiastic and who was going to bring this character to life. And like you mentioned, like with your music background, I just can't imagine anybody else could have written this book. It's it's all like you were so connected with the character.
Speaker 3:I was, Oh my gosh. I really didn't feel at all like a work for hire thing. I really felt as connected to it as if I had like created Gotham city myself, which I wish I did. Awesome.
Speaker 2:Were you a fan of black Canary? Like how, what is your connection with, with black Canary specifically?
Speaker 3:So I definitely was, um, she was always my favorite of the birds of prey and on arrow as well. Like I would light up when, you know, Katie Cassidy as, as Laura Lance came on, I definitely was, but I got to know her so much better through writing this project because I really did a deep dive into the history of the character and looking at these, you know, old comic books from the forties and on. And so I realized how little I knew of her once I started researching and for so long, I think too, she's unlike the other books in the DCI cons line that came before, she wasn't necessarily, um, you know, uh, someone that everyone had heard of. And a lot of times people would say to me like, Oh wait, who's black Canary. And I would say, Oh, well, you know, have you seen like Aero or for example, you know, you know, and birds of prey Harley Quinn, and then they'd be like, Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. And so I really, with, I wanted that, I relished the challenge of kind of turning her from a lot of people's perception as like the sidekick or the romantic sidekick to arrow and, and really making her like a star in her own. Right.
Speaker 2:Yeah. And it's, I love, you know, kind of the history and that she really is one of the very first female superheroes. Right. And it's so great that you're kind of, you know, being able to pull her into the spotlight now because she clearly deserves it.
Speaker 3:Oh, I think so too. And that's one of the things I love so much about DC is how ahead of the curve. They were like at a time in history when women were very much portrayed as being like these like demure, you know, like the forties and fifties. And they had these characters like wonder woman and black Canarian cattleman who are out there kicking butt. So that was another reason I was really proud to get to work with them. Definitely.
Speaker 2:So I want to talk about the music elements. Um, so you, you are a singer, you're a songwriter. I love that you actually wrote the song in the book. Um, and did that kind of was one of the initial things to inspire it. I think that is so cool.
Speaker 3:Yeah. It's, it's so funny that that song was probably, yeah. One of the first pieces of writing I even did on, on this book back when I thought, you know, when I didn't even know if anyone would ever see the light of day, I have the song. Um, so yeah, I started my career actually as a teen pop singer. And, um, if you are of a certain age, like, you know, late twenties, early thirties and up you'll know some of these people, I feel like sometimes when I tell younger audiences they're like who, but, uh, but I opened for, I was on tour, like opening for people like Oh town and, um, different boy bands. So that was my life when I was a teenager, it was super fun. Um, and it was definitely an amazing experience when I was younger. But what's funny is I had like so many, almost like I was in development with three different major labels. And it was at the time when, um, right when like downloading was kind of ruining everything for the music industry. And there was so much turnover, like one person would take me under their wing at Epic records or guessing records, and then suddenly that person would be gone. And it was very much like, you know, when you feel like you're orphaned except at a publishing house, except in the case of record labels, they don't have to like, keep you make it just be like, bye. And so, um, I had a lot of almost, and I'm really grateful that I ended the whole time that that was happening. I was always reading and writing and I just sort of, because I was already represented for music. That's how, when I had my first idea for a timeless, I was able to go to my agency and say, Hey, is there anyone in like, books that I could talk to about this? Um, so it, it allowed me to kind of, um, it's funny, I paid a ton of dues and music and that sort of allowed me to, I guess you could say have kind of a shortcut in terms of things like querying. Um, but I paid my dues on the music side for sure. Um, but anyway, so I'm really grateful that I'm able to still do music, but in the way that it really supports storytelling, which I found, I love so much more like writing books and getting to live in a world for longer than three minutes. And with this book, it, it was just, it was sort of the perfect kind of storm where I was able to tell a big story and live with these characters, but there were also three different points in the book where I felt were ripe for music. And so I wrote songs in there and I had a chance record one of them with my producer, for my pop music days. So that was super fun. Cool, and such a unique
Speaker 2:Way to be able to combine these two talents and these kind of two sides of who you are and what you love to do. Um, I will say that you provided me with that song, the recorded version of that song. I am going to try to figure out how to insert it at the end of this podcast. So stay listening until after my little outro guys, and hopefully there will be a song, if not, I'm just going to edit all of this out.
Speaker 3:Sounds good. So how do you feel
Speaker 2:All that being a songwriter and kind of having this additional knowledge of music, has that influenced you as a writer at all?
Speaker 3:You know, I think it's interesting. I think it makes me this is going to sound really random, but I feel like it makes me very aware of pacing in a strange way, because I grew up with this kind of thing instilled in me that you're telling stories and kind of these short bursts. And obviously with books, you want to really live in it and have payoff and all of that. You don't want to rush through all the high points, but I think it did kind of instill in me this, this feeling of pacing and, and that's what a lot of my books I think have in common is that they move pretty quickly and I'm just very conscious of keeping it moving. And I honestly think that comes from my music background and, and how I was sort of trained in composing to, um, you want to have your character or your song and in a different place than it began, but you also want to remove as much filler as, as needed. And so I think that sort of had an interesting effect in my books. And then I also think too, it just really put me in touch with, with songwriting. You have to be so vulnerable and so personal and really in touch with your emotions. And so that's something I, I feel like was helpful for me as well, getting inside the head of these characters. I also think that being most active as a songwriter when I was in my teens and early twenties, has, I feel like there's a part of me. That's still kind of stuck there. So it really works for, yes, I know. I know. And there are times when I'm like, wait, I'm not like 16. Like how do I have a kid now? Right. It's so weird. I know. Do you ever catch yourself, like if you're watching a teen drama or something, do you ever catch yourself identifying with the mom and then freak out?
Speaker 2:Um, I find myself identifying with the moms in my stories and my writing a lot, which is weird. Cause obviously I'm writing from the teenager's point of view, but yeah, personally like an instant karma. Um, and you get more family dynamics in that book than in a lot of my previous books. Like the mom is doing what moms do and like having to care for this young kid. And also she has teenagers and I was like, yeah, I feel you, lady you're trying to struggle is real. So do you, do you listen to music when you're writing or do you have a playlist that inspires your books?
Speaker 3:Oh yes. Yes. The playlist, I feel like that's always the most. Um, it's kind of like the most informative part of when I start a project is I create a playlist around whatever I'm writing and I could spend so much time just like making that list before I get started, but I need to have, I just need to have the right music and right mood. And I'm always really fascinated. It's so interesting how everyone's process is so different because for me, when I hear people say like, they can't write with any music at all, I'm like, Oh my God, how do you do it? Because for me, I have to have, it's very specific. I have to have music and it's always has to be in my headphones. So it can't just be ambient. It has to be in my headphones and it's music and I select the playlist. And it just, that is what fuels me. Like if I'm writing a particularly action for this book, I listened to a lot of Rameen Djawadi is game of Thrones and music when I was writing particular like actually battle scenes. Um, and then with the more emotional stuff I listened to, my favorite musicians is Aria Avara who's from Cape their day. She's this amazing African singer. And I actually give her a shout out in, in the book. I don't mention her name, but I mentioned, um, someone from Cape Verde when talking about the, before the times when women could sing. So yeah, it's very eclectic. What I listened to. It's not, it's not like one specific genre. It really kind of it's dictated by what scene or mood I'm writing or you listen to music when you write. I'm so curious.
Speaker 2:I don't usually, um, I also will build a playlist for each book. Um, I'll listen to that, like when I'm driving or when I'm working out or, you know, just when those moments, when I need new idea generation and need to, you know, get inspired. Um, but when I'm actually writing, I usually prefer silence. Or if I'm writing like a fight scene that I might put on, um, like a video game music,
Speaker 3:Ooh. Video game music is so good too. Yeah. Yeah. But I'm realizing it's so funny. I'm realizing I'm kind of unusual and that I listen to music when I write, it seems like most people don't.
Speaker 2:Yeah. It'd be interesting to see a poll. Cause I've, I've definitely heard both ways. Um, like I love going out into the world when we used to be able to go to cafe and like that ambient noise didn't bother me at all. I loved that, um, at home, in my office then I usually have it quiet. Um, but my husband, yeah. He'll come into my office when I'm working and it freaks them out, but it's so quiet in here. He's like, how can you stand it? Not having any milk,
Speaker 3:But it does seem like, yeah. The, that the quiet is more common. I think that would be interesting. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Now that I'm thinking about it, he, my husband is also a musician. He's a guitar player. And now I wonder if having more of a tie to music, like kind of makes you crave that sound more, I dunno.
Speaker 3:Probably is. I would think so. Like you just, yeah, it, it's kind of like, I think when you're used to it, it just sort of fuels you and it feels almost like weird when, when there is silence.
Speaker 2:No, that makes sense. I'm like your brain is used to firing you have that stimulation. Totally interesting. Now I want to like study this. How do we create a study around? No, we should do a poll though. I'm curious. Yeah. I'll uh, I'll see if I can get something up on Instagram. Um, yeah, I'm just curious. Um, okay. What else do I want to talk about? Let's talk about feminism and the, I mean, that's a huge part of this story. Um, this idea that we're in a Gotham city, in which the women have been literally silenced, you know, their ability to sing has been taken away. They've had all of these rights stripped away. Um, this very oppressive regime has been put in place. And it's one of those things where the, the line between fiction and reality starts to blur. Um, and I just think it's so such a horrifying thought that this could happen, um, knowing of course, that it has happened in countries around the world. So talk to me about, about that and kind of what you were hoping to convey in this story.
Speaker 3:Definitely. Well, I will say, yeah, I mean, you're so right. It sounds, I think when we imagine it and our world, it sounds farfetched, but the reason why it felt, but you're absolutely right, that it, that it isn't as much as we would like to think. It's far-fetched it does happen in other countries. And the reason it felt so real and urgent to me is because, um, as I mentioned before, my family is Iranian and my grandmother Monier evacuee Lee. She was Iran foremost opera singer before the revolution. She, she was just this huge star. It's amazing. I mean, she's got her Wikipedia page with all the photos of her and her operas. And, um, she still has so many fans to this day. Um, and she was constantly out there performing, but also she had this huge passion for uplifting the next generation of singers, particularly girls and opening up opportunities for them. Like she opened the first co-ed school of classical singing and just did so much in the country. But then when the revolution happened, it was just like crazy, just like overnight with the regime change. Suddenly women were not allowed to sing publicly anymore. Um, and that's on top of, you know, plenty of other, really, really difficult and just completely unfair restrictions. But especially for my grandmother, someone whose whole life's work was singing, like just imagine that just being taken away and the school she founded was closed. The opera company that she founded was shuttered. I mean, just everything. Um, and so I was very much raised with this really tragic story and my background and what makes it even more tragic is that my grandmother, a few years after the, they escaped Iran, she was killed in a car accident. And this was all before I was born. So I was born in the United States years after all this. And I was given Monira as my middle name, which I ended up making my pen name to kind of continue her legacy since she didn't get to finish what she began. Um, so I was raised with this very kind of stark awareness of what my family had escaped from and, and what, and, and the fact that it wasn't always like that. And then suddenly it became that. I think that's, what's particularly scary so I can get very sensitive when I see in the news different choices being taken away from women, different rights being threatened, because I know that that is what happened in Iran. Like it's, it can start small with regards to the treatment of women and then suddenly, you know, your whole life has changed. And so I felt like I wanted to explore that in a book. And a lot of people had told me for years now that you should write something about your family and your grandmother and stuff. And I think it's, it's just so interesting that it was the most American of stories and opportunities getting to write a DC superhero comic character
Speaker 2:Finally made me feel
Speaker 3:Ready to talk about it. And I think I just, maybe I needed that distance or something, or to put it in a dystopian different universe that allowed me to get like more real and raw. I think maybe if I was just telling it's like the story as it was, would maybe be too depressing. But in this case I was able to, I was able to kind of, I like to say, you know, write the ending that I would have wanted my grandmother to have. And I was able to tell the story that is very much could be seen as like a warning and it's dark and scary, but at the same time, there is a lot of hope in there. So I think, yeah, by getting to tell this story and the DC lens, it allowed me to yeah. Make it a lot more hopeful. Well, I, of course I do hope things get better in Iran too, but I mean, even to this day, you can still get severely punished for singing in public. If you're a woman like today in 2021
Speaker 2:Baffling it's absolutely.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah,
Speaker 2:No, I mean, once again, it just seems like fate that you, you were to do this project. Um, yeah, I think, yeah,
Speaker 3:So definitely. Yeah. And I, I think too, like, I, I just, there's something about right. Superhero stories or scifi. I think they let you talk about these harder topics in ways that are just easier to digest. And, and it's just more hopeful because you can see the way out as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, I agree. 100% and I know that's come up a handful of times on this podcast, but there's definitely something about writing in these genres and fantasy and sci-fi and superhero stories. It does, it allows you to take real life things, but because it's, it's Steph it's distanced exactly enough that you can kind of play with it and you can, you know, dig into it. But in, in, you know, the safety of fiction really well. And I remember years ago reading an article, um, and I, I, I'm going to guess it was in Iran in bed. I'm not 100% sure what country it came from. Um, but at the interview with a young girl, uh, who had escaped from whatever country she was from, but she was talking about how they weren't allowed to dance as children. And, and I just remember, um, that really stuck with me and this idea that, you know, children, it's so natural, it's so instinctive to dance to seem to be musical and move your body and be creative. And the idea that, that someone would try to stifle that is just heartbreaking. I know
Speaker 3:Exactly. And I mean, and that's, what's so crazy is that there are a number of countries in our world that still operate that way. And I just, I can't even, I can't,
Speaker 2:I believe it. I know, I know 20, 21 really. Yeah,
Speaker 3:Exactly, exactly. And so, you know, that's why I just, I feel this, I don't know, I feel this like kind of urgency to, to kind of talk about this stuff in whatever way I can, because I just think the more, we don't take certain things for granted or rights for granted. And remember that we have to still kind of always keep, um, you know, keep fighting for them, keep honoring our rights, even as something as simple as like, you know, the fact that we can vote, like there are women who died for us to get the right to vote. So people who just don't care or sit home, I'm like, how can you do that? Like, I mean, people worked so hard to get us this opportunity. So I just, I feel strongly about that. But one thing I really also want to say, whenever I talk about feminism is, um, I feel like sometimes people, you like get the wrong idea with that word. And they think like when it first came out that I was writing a book that was going to be a feminist retelling of black Canary, of course you can imagine I heard from some, some people that were like, Oh, so she's going to be like men hating. And I'm like, are you kidding? No way. Like, I love men, black Canary loves men. It's the idea is just that we're equal, that's it. And, um, so that, and I really worked hard in this book to make, make it very clear that like, you know, some of the best characters in the book, like they are allies of the movement and of feminism, and there are some really awful characters that are women. So, I mean, it's, it's not, it's not like a boys versus girls thing at all. It's, it's literally just like a societal thing and, um, and an equality thing. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Fairness, equality, justice, seeing that much. Right. I know. Right. No, and I'm glad you pointed that out because I mean, I even, I have had like a tumultuous relationship with the word feminism or feminist, because it is tied into so many negative stereotypes and, and these connotations. Um, so I think it's a good reminder that that's not what it's about.
Speaker 3:Yeah. I don't know how the word got like taken. I feel like the word got taken hostage and like, it just got turned into the thing that it's really, it's just like the most like basic like equal, that's it not better than equal thing rights, same opportunities, right?
Speaker 2:No. And that's, it's also a really powerful reminder of the, the power of books and stories. And I mean, this book, black Canary, it is a fun, you know, exciting romp of a book. There's just action nonstop. You're, you're constantly swinging us back and forth with different things being thrown at this character. And I mean, just like, it's a really fun story. And you can also to be able to weave in this very real, you know, idea of, of rights and, and social. I don't even know what I'm trying to say. Social forward movement. Um, it is a reminder that books just have that power to bring awareness and to, to open these doors.
Speaker 3:Oh my gosh. Well, thank you so much seriously, coming from the writer of renegades, like, I feel like I need to like go back and write down what you said and like frame it so that any day I'm ha anytime I'm having self doubt, I'll like, listen back to what you said. So thank you forever in this podcast.
Speaker 2:Hey, Alexandra, we're now going to wrap this up with our happy writer bonus
Speaker 3:Round. Yay.
Speaker 2:First up, what book makes you happy?
Speaker 3:Okay. So there's this book called twenties girl by the author. Sophie Consella have you, by any chance read it. I have not. I've read some of her earlier work work. Yeah. So this one, I don't know if it's as if it's as known as, as like the shopaholic books or other ones, but this one is just like, if you are looking to laugh and just have like light fun, this book is so great. It's literally about this girl who she ends up getting visited by her, her great aunt's ghost, but it's like her ghost when she's a flapper like twenties girl, literally. And it's just so funny, it's a comedy, but it's also a ghost story, but also a mystery. And there's a love story in there. And it's just fantastic. It's one of those books that like, you'll be in a restaurant laughing and making a scene while reading, which I feel like is pretty rare. And, um, it's definitely one of those books that I, any time I need to feel happy, like I'll just put aside what I'm doing and, and read that because it's just so much fun. It's, it's like the definition of happy, light fun, but also with the great mystery in there.
Speaker 2:I love it. That sounds 100% like my kind of book. It's so good. Who is your personal favorite superhero? And you can't say black Canary.
Speaker 3:Oh my gosh. That's so hard. Okay. Well I, okay. This might be a cliche answer, but I have to say wonder woman, because I mean, black Canary is first but wonder woman for me. I just think she's such a game changer in terms of a, what she can do, but also just what she means to like pop culture and just introducing the idea of, of women getting to be able to be superheroes. And I also love the whole Island where she comes from and all the mythology and everything. I think that's a very fair answer. What is your personal mantra? Ooh, personal mantra. Um, I think, I think what I would probably say is there's this line from, this is going to sound a little cheesy, but there's this line from the musical Mary Poppins. Um, and it's anything can happen if you let it. And I feel like that's for sure, my kind of life mantra. And even just that example I gave of how I went after this book deal and everything. And to get this project, it was just very much like, uh, like, you know, anything could happen, like just go for it. You can make anything happen. And so that's what I try to tell myself. Um, if I have a big dream or something that seems out of reach.
Speaker 2:So at the start of this episode, I talked about how we're having a contest right now. I'm asking people to share their favorite writing books.
Speaker 3:Do you favorite writing book? So I love on writing by Stephen King. Um, do you like that one?
Speaker 2:Do, um, the, his metaphor about the boys in the basement is one that really sticks with me.
Speaker 3:Yeah. I just think it's such a great read and it's so cool to get, to get inside his head like that and his whole journey. And then more recently a book that I've loved writing book that is a mutual friend of ours is Jessica Brody's saved. The cat writes a novel. I totally recommend I was so excited for her when she came out with that, because I knew she was always talking about save the cat and teaching the classes and everything. And, and, but then before there was the book format, I was always just sort of seeing it as a screenwriting thing. And then she came out with that total game changer. Agreed that highly recommend that book
Speaker 2:Advice would you give to help someone be a happier writer?
Speaker 3:I would say really just focus on the actual part that you can control, which is the writing and falling in love with your characters and the world that you're building. And really as much as you can just ignore the outside noise of, you know, who's getting what deal who's selling, how many copies who's getting this much attention from their publisher, because I've just found that those are the things that seem to contribute to the most unhappy writers is that comparison game and feeling like it's a race when it's just not at all. It's really about, it's really about the journey and everyone has their own ups and downs and some people's time comes sooner and some people's time comes later, but as long as you keep at it, your time will come. So I would just say really, just focusing on the things that you can control the writing and putting aside the rest is the best way to be a happy writer, but I sometimes need to be reminded of that too. So I'll go back and listen to this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, I agree. 100% and I know comparison comes up a lot between us writers and it really is. I mean, it can just suck the joy out of everything, the entire process at the same time. I know we all struggle with it. Like, I don't think there's any money you can be like, Oh, I never get jealous of us.
Speaker 3:Yeah. I think that's also just, it's, it's kind of to a little bit like unique to our industry, I think, and that there's so much like, you know, there's only so many spots on this list or, you know, the publisher only has so much marketing money to spread around or so there's just, there's this constant thing out there of like less versus more. But I think it's just so important to not pay attention to that because there's so many people that just, like I mentioned, like so many people that have been around forever and then suddenly they have their big breakthrough and then there are other people that come out with a big bang right away. And like, it's just totally fine. I don't think it matters which way it ends up just as long as you keep working and doing work that you love. But I know, especially when you start out, like, especially being a debut, you kind of, if you're not hitting those milestones, you feel like, I dunno, failure or something, but it's just, I promise you, it's not true.
Speaker 2:Right. And the only thing you can really control is the next book and, and your own writing. Um, and yeah, the rest of it, it is what it is. But, but to hold on to that joy, don't let it go.
Speaker 3:Yes. Oh, and can I give another piece of, uh, recommendation? So you're done. No, you reminded me with writing the next book. So one thing that I also like to share too, is, is to never like sell short or give up on your backlist because I had something really interesting happened where, um, I came out with a, like a romantic thriller murder mystery back. It was the week of it came out the week after the 2016 election. So you can imagine, like, that was not a time where I wanted to be promoting anything or
Speaker 2:Came out on election day that year.
Speaker 3:I didn't realize it came out on election day. Oh my God. Um, wow. Well, thank God. I'm so glad that, that yours, at least, I dunno, maybe coming out before the results was probably better in that, but yeah. So I, I felt like that book kind of died on the vine, but then what was interesting was that, so I sort of put it aside and was like, Oh, that's a bummer. I love that book so much. But then what was really interesting was that after final six came out and introduced me to new and different readers, um, suddenly that book started to sell and just sell and sell. And it's not like it's, um, you know, it's not like it's become like this huge, gigantic phenomenon, but what has been really interesting is that it's become one of my best selling books and, and it happened like two years after it came out. And, um, I'm always surprised when I see like royalty statements. I'm like, wait, I even emailed the publisher being like, did an influencer find out about this? Like, how is it suddenly? And that was, that book was called the girl in the picture. And I still don't quite understand it, but I just, somehow there was some kind of like magical thing that like two years after it came out, it found an audience and continues to. So I just that's, that goes back to your point about the best thing you can do is write your next book. Cause I'm guessing that wouldn't have happened if I had just like given up at that point. Um, it was definitely the subsequent books that cause people to go back and find that one.
Speaker 2:Yeah. No, I'm so glad you told that story because it is, it can feel like, you know, all of these books in the past, and then you go into a bookstore and Oh, they don't have this one that I wrote anymore. Or, you know, this has kind of gotten forgotten and that's sad because you'd love all of your books and you just want them all to continue to succeed forever. And it is a great reminder that, that thankfully this day and age, with the internet and print on demand and all things like they never really go away. They always have a chance to find their readers.
Speaker 3:Yeah. And that book in particular, um, you know, my other three, most recent books are, you know, thankfully all in all the BNN across the country, but that is the one book that isn't cause it's, you know, old and it's from 2016, but there have been plenty of weeks for that book has outsold books that are in all the Barnes and Nobles and it's just from online. Yeah. So it's so random. But I do think it's really, I try to tell myself that too, like, um, you know, especially having two books that came out in 2020, of course, like, you know, we're not touring, we're not doing all the things that we normally do to, to support books. So it can feel like, Oh God, you know, in publishing a lot of times it feels like everything lives or dies on that first week, first month. And that experience with girl in the picture sort of taught me that you, you can totally end up finding your audience randomly like two years later. So don't, don't discount your past books. And also, as you mentioned, like it's so about just continuing to move forward because so many authors like Jojo Moyes and Liane Moriarty on the adult side, their backlist took off after like book five or book seven or something like that.
Speaker 2:Yep. All right. Lastly, where can people find you?
Speaker 3:Okay. So I am on pretty much, uh, the, the top three social medias are, are, I guess they're not really top three anymore. Are they? I didn't realize maybe, maybe Tik TOK is the new thing
Speaker 2:I might have have thrown somebody. I'm not sure who though.
Speaker 3:Yeah. Um, now I do have different screen names for all three because, uh, I clearly wasn't thinking, um, I first created my accounts, but on Twitter, I'm at timeless Alex. So you can probably guess I created my Twitter profile when I came out with my debut and, um, Facebook is Alexandra Monier author. And then Instagram is the simple one at Alexandra. Monier
Speaker 2:Awesome. Alexandra, thanks so much for joining me today. I'm just so much fun to talk to you. Thank you.
Speaker 3:This was such a joy for me. Thank you for having me on your show. It's just, I love it so much.
Speaker 2:Uh, readers stay tuned to hear, uh, Alexandra's recording of the black Canary sings after ending UCO. I maybe I'll put before the ukulele. I don't know how that works. They go together. Here's be sure to check out black Canary breaking silence, which is out now. Of course, we always encourage you to support your local indie bookstore if you can. But if you don't have a local indie, you can also check out our affiliate store at bookshop.org/shop/marissa Meyer. If you're enjoying these conversations, I would really appreciate it. If you subscribe and please leave us a review on Google or Apple podcasts, you can follow us on Instagram at Marissa Meyer author and at happy writer podcast until next time stay healthy and cozy in your bunkers and whatever life throws at you today. I do hope that now you're feeling a little bit happier.
Speaker 4:No staying when our world's gone wrong. There was no time for silence. When they steal some ladies let's stand up and signed up to be heard, begins to conversations. They stripped down, they made decisions. Relinquish the tides. God, I words in our song, light the cities. Hey ladies, we're taking back. There's no man, to one where you can move up to the high. Hey ladies coming out the[inaudible] when he Rose these dreams,[inaudible]
Speaker 1:[inaudible].