Megan Collins
Author Interview - Megan Collins
Author of The Family Plot
THE FAMILY PLOT is about a family whose lives have revolved around true crime. The children were homeschooled with a curriculum that included stories of famous murders, and each child was named after a well-known victim. Now adults, the siblings gather after a decade apart to bury their patriarch, but horrifying secrets are revealed at the discovery of another body already in his grave: that of their brother, who disappeared ten years ago.
Author Interview - Megan Collins
Author I draw inspiration from: Gillian Flynn, Marisha Pessl, and Tana French are masters of dark, literary suspense, and in terms of exquisite writing on a sentence by sentence level, no one beats Toni Morrison.
Author Interview - Megan Collins | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book: Ideally, I'd love to be in a comfy chair with an expansive water view. If that's not an option (and it's usually not), my couch works just fine!
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with: Camila Dunne from DAISY JONES AND THE SIX by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Her journey in that book is so beautiful and empowering and unexpected, and even though she's not real, she instantly became a role model for me. (She'd also have a pretty calming presence in that elevator, I think.) If I can choose another: Oskar Schell, the narrator of EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE by Jonathan Safran Foer. Reading that book, it's impossible not to fall in love with Oskar and his beautiful, hilarious, and endearing way of viewing the world. I have a feeling he'd find a way to crack me up, even while I was freaking out about being trapped in an elevator.
Author Interview - Megan Collins | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author: I caught the writing bug when I wrote my first short story at six years old called "The Bad Cats." (As you might imagine, it was about some bad cats.) I remember feeling so mystified by the fact that I could create characters (aka cats) and problems (badly behaving cats), and that what had once been blank pieces of paper was now the pages of a story. I declared right then, "I'm going to be an author when I grow up," and it turns out, little six-year-old Megan knew what she was talking about!
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook: I love them all for different reasons! Audiobooks are perfect for commuting, long trips, or just doing the dishes. I love that they allow you to still experience a book even when you can't physically hold one. Ebooks are great for the portability factor, and I also find that I'm able to read faster with ebooks. Hardcovers are solid and dependable and look beautiful on shelves, and paperbacks are comfortable to hold and cozy to curl up with.
The last book I read: MALIBU RISING by Taylor Jenkins Reid. It's the latest from this author and another absolute gem, with beautifully complex characters, fascinating and complicated relationships, and themes that the author conveys so powerfully. Plus, you can't beat the setting: a mansion on a cliff with an exquisite ocean view.
Author Interview - Megan Collins | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer: When I'm brainstorming plots and characters, I'll sometimes use pen and paper, but most of the time, my ideas move and change too quickly for that. I need the immediacy of a computer for writing, so I can add and delete and add and delete in real time with my thoughts.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with: Alex Claremont-Diaz from RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE by Casey McQuiston. He's smart, funny, loyal, and if I didn't already love him from the first chapter, the turkey scene would have sealed the deal for me. (Seriously, if you haven't read this book, it's worth it for the turkey scene alone.)
Author Interview - Megan Collins | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a: I was a teacher for twelve years, so I guess I'd say teacher. Then again, I taught creative writing specifically, so if I wasn't an author, does that mean I wouldn't have an interest in writing either? If that's the case, then my other job -- editor of a literary journal -- would also be out the window. To be honest, I can't imagine a life where I'm not a writer, because every interest and skill I have stems from a love of language and literature. Is professional puppy petter a job?
Favorite decade in fashion history: As someone with literally no sense of fashion (most days, I wear yoga pants and a T-shirt), I don't feel like I'm even qualified to answer this question.
Place I’d most like to travel: I'd love to go to Greece, or back to one of the two countries I've already visited (Ireland and Italy), but honestly, after being cooped up during the pandemic for so long, just visiting my go-to summer destination of Cape Cod feels like a dream. Basically, just park me somewhere in front of the ocean.
My signature drink: Give me a deliciously malty red ale or a glass of crisp white wine, and I'm good to go.
Favorite artist: One thing I love to do is visit local art fairs and discover new artists, so while my favorites may not be huge names in the art world, they're meaningful to me. For example, I love Tania Palermo's photography and Kelly Ferguson's colored pencil portraits. As for artists that ARE household names, I've always been drawn to Andrew Wyeth's work. His paintings can be, at once, both serene and unsettling. I love the line he walks between light and darkness.
Number one on my bucket list: Buy a beach house! It's long been a dream of mine to live somewhere with a water view. I can't get over the romantic idea of writing in front of the ocean (or a lake or pond, I'm not picky) every day. And the house doesn't have to be big; a tiny cabin or cottage would be fine. It just has to be free of spiders.
Anything else you'd like to add: Thanks so much for this great Q&A! I had a blast answering these questions.
Find more from the author:
Instagram: @megancollinswriter
Twitter: @ImMeganCollins
Facebook: @megancollinswriter
Author Bio: Megan Collins is the author of THE FAMILY PLOT, BEHIND THE RED DOOR, and THE WINTER SISTER. She has taught creative writing for many years at both the high school and college level and is the managing editor of 3Elements Literary Review. She lives in Connecticut.
