IndieView with Angela Grey, author of Déjà vu

I’m a writer with paranoid schizophrenia, OCD, PTSD, and social anxiety. That is where my other YA novels came from regarding fighting mental illness stigma.

Angela Grey – 27 March 2022

The Back Flap

Eighteen-year-old recent high school graduate, Ivy Lancaster now has some negatives to add to her blonde, suede blue eyes, alabaster skin, and svelte body. She’s recently started rapid cycling through manic and depressive episodes that leave her with guilt, embarrassment, and shame. Ivy now wakes up, looks around, and doesn’t recognize evidence of what she’s been up to for the last twenty-four hours. Add to that the fact that she’s obsessed with a recent, local murder of one of her classmates.

When Ivy’s not scrolling online message boards about suicide then she’s combing the internet for all that there is about the murdered high school senior and the suspected serial killer. But Ivy knows more than everybody else, she’s awesome about tracking down the details and has her aim pointed in the right direction. Will she save everyone from another possible murder? Or will she push an innocent man too far and end up the next tragedy in town?

About the book

What is the book about?

Déjà vu is about a recently graduated, soon-to-be eighteen-year-old framing carpenter with recently diagnosed bipolar disorder that takes it upon herself to solve the murder of a previous classmate.

When did you start writing the book?

I began writing Déjà vu in early 2021 after extensive interviews with loved ones and family friends whose identities I’m not willing to disclose.

How long did it take you to write it?

The novel took me three months to complete.

Where did you get the idea from?

I have loved ones and family friends that have been diagnosed with the disorder. They shared some stories with me, and I let my imagination take it from there as to the characters and plot.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

I struggled with whether to include a first-time sex scene for the protagonist, Ivy. I chose against it and instead glossed over a couple of previous experiences she’d had so it wouldn’t be graphic and turn away some readers.

What came easily?

I’m a former architectural drafter so the carpentry descriptions slipped out rather easily. The road trip was one we’d made years ago so that evolved quickly.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

I blended both fictitious as well as borrowed characteristics into the final draft. When one of my petite daughters was eighteen years old, she was a framing carpenter that enjoyed handling roof trusses, constructing walls, and installing windows all so she could see the final construction of a house she helped build.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

I was influenced by Marya Hornbacher’s Madness: A Bipolar Life with regards to writing style and voice, and Dave Mowry’s OMG That’s Me!: Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Anxiety, Panic Attacks, and More… helped me figure out how to layout the novel. Regarding mysteries, I read through Jess Lourey’s small town Minnesota twelve book series.

Do you have a target reader?

Yes, young adults aged sixteen to eighteen years old are my target audience.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

I typically work on about three books at one time, so I don’t get bored or blocked. I like to keep moving so I research and outline one while I’m freewriting another and editing a draft that just came back from beta readers.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

I use Writer’s Blocks software to make paragraph-long notes on cards then move them around to set the story. Then the software converts the blocks to outline form which I paste into a word manuscript.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

I wait until I’m finished.

Did you hire a professional editor?

Yes, I send all my manuscripts to a former librarian turned editor.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

Yes, I listen to predominantly eighties, hard rock, or contemporary mainstream music while I write.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

I did submit to agents but only a handful responded that they had to pass at the time. And since traditional publishing is a slow, tedious process, I didn’t want to get bogged down and run the risk of not completing my writing.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

Since I wanted to get my subject matter in the hands of readers, I chose to go Indie and self-publish. For my novels, going back about four years, the process began gradually. I’d send the queries out and when the manuscript submission didn’t result in a contract, I chose to go the self-publishing route.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

I use SelfPubBookCovers premade covers and they allowed me to edit the text only.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

I sent out postcards to libraries and Indie bookstores in the region and am presently following up with phone calls.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

My advice is to read extensively and research voraciously. Other than that, is to get your butt into the chair and write five to ten pages a day. Plus take part in NaNoWriMo which is very helpful and satisfying.

About You

Where did you grow up?

Although I’m a South Dakota-born Native American (with some Scottish ancestry) and an enrolled member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, I lived in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York on and off throughout my childhood. We moved back and forth about every year which made starting new schools always challenging.

Where do you live now?

I currently reside in Eden Prairie, Minnesota which is a suburb of Minneapolis.

What would you like readers to know about you?

I’m a writer with paranoid schizophrenia, OCD, PTSD, and social anxiety. That is where my other YA novels came from regarding fighting mental illness stigma. I’m also biracial which is like straddling two cultures, neither of which I feel I firmly belong. On one hand, I’m not native enough but then I’m not entirely white either, especially in small towns. (It’s like walking between two worlds and never feeling like you’re part of a group.)

What are you working on now?

I’m presently halfway through a YA novel about two teens with depression, as well as co-occurring disorders, that get caught up in the wrong crowd with their substance abuse and must gather every ounce of strength they can to save a friend from human trafficking, which is increasing in the suburbs, without losing their own lives.

End of Interview:

For more from Angela Grey visit her website and follow her on Twitter.

Get your copy of Déjà vu from Amazon US or Amazon UK.