WiDo Publishing: What kind of writer are you ie. where do you get your
ideas? What is your inspiration? Do you find any recurring themes in your
writing?
M. Gray: I like to pick up stuff everywhere I go, which I think is
pretty important for a writer. The other day at church this guy was speaking so
loudly that he was finding acoustics in the room no one else could and I
thought that was a great way to describe his sound—so I wrote it for one of my
characters. Or today, I met up with a few girls to play basketball, but when
our gym was full of tables and chairs, they insisted on running lines outside.
Okay, talk about athletic enthusiasts. Naturally, I now have a character who
lives to do cartwheels and aerials. Weird people help me make interesting
characters.
As for themes, I absolutely have recurring themes.
I didn’t set out to do it, but both novels I’ve written explore agency vs.
force and securing our own identities. These are both things I’ve struggled
with throughout my life, so I suppose it’s natural for it to show up in my
writing.
When did you start writing? How long have you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve only been writing seriously for the past two years.
I’ve always loved writing, was one of those crazy kids who yearned for essay
questions, but was stupid and didn’t major in English or creative writing. Ah,
if I lived again…
What are your passions and hobbies?
I’m so boring! I love to read and write. Watch good
movies. I live for suspenseful stories with a fantastical twist. I’m actually
beginning to scare myself. I can’t wait for parties to end so I can just go
home to enter my realm of fantasy.
What do you feel your strengths and weaknesses are as a writer?
My greatest strength? Dialogue. I’ve always gotten
compliments on it. I’m an auditory learner and I think that helps with
constructing my characters’ lines. The Ethos was actually really fun for
writing dialogue. The Ethos, Logos, and Pathos bloodlines easily differentiated
the way people speak. Basil, for instance, quotes literature in every day
conversation. Niobe sounds like a computer, but she’s hot at the same time.
Greatest weakness? Setting. I always have to put it
in last, and it’s always with great effort. But I’m getting better at it. At
the LDS Storymakers Conference Bootcamp, my setting lines were actually my
critics’ favorite parts in my current work in progress.
Who is your favorite protagonist and who is your favorite villain in
"The Ethos"?
"The Ethos" is told in first person by Olivia, a
college student obsessed with charitable causes. She’s such a fun protagonist
because she empathizes with everyone she meets—even if they kidnap her or force
her to use her gifts in ways she’s not sure she likes. I actually wish I was
more like Olivia. I got a call from Red Cross the other day asking me to donate
blood. I wanted to hang up—I was trying to write—but took the time to set up an
appointment. I kept thinking, “What would Olivia do?” I told my husband and he
thought I was crazy.
Cleon is my favorite villain. He’s so disgusting
and is actually based on someone I know. When my brother read “The Ethos” in
an earlier draft, he actually said Cleon reminded him of the train conductor in
The Matrix which I took to be a great compliment. Cleon twists logic in
ways I wish I could do on the top of my head. And he’s so gropey. His teeth
really bother me, too.
What are your favorite books?
For prose, I love Carrie Ryan in the Forest of Hands
and Teeth. I also eat up anything written by Stephenie Meyer and Suzanne
Collins. I have huge respect for Marcus Zusak, especially his The Book Thief
and I am the Messenger. Recently, I was extremely impressed by Dan
Wells’ I am Not a Serial Killer and am currently reading the first book
in David Farland’s The Runelord series, which is pretty amazing. I heard
The Breach by Patrick Lee is also a great book and plan on reading that
soon. Right now, I’m drawn to a lot of dystopian and paranormal stuff; it’s
what I write.
Why did you decide to submit your manuscript to WiDo?
I liked WiDo’s mission statement on their web site. They
want books that are “readable but not formulaic, entertaining without being
fluff, uplifting without being preachy, literary but not obtuse, realistic
without being graphic, above all, books that tell a darn good story.” I thought
it was so perfect. These are exactly the types of books I like to write. They
also seemed open to working with new writers, so I sent them my manuscript.
Bio: M. Gray writes fiction because there’s nothing in the
world she likes to do better. Acquaintances should fear meeting her as she’ll
pull out their eccentricities and shape shift them into the characters in her
books. Mary lives in the outskirts of Washington, D.C. with her geek-husband
and two adorable kids.