Hollie spoke to best-selling author and store favourite, Mona Awad about her latest novel, Rouge.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
Usually my own fixations and obsessions. In the case of Rouge, it was skincare and beauty, and an addiction to beauty videos on YouTube. I couldn't help but see the great potential for horror there. I'd also always wanted to work with the fairy tale of Snow White, which is the ultimate fairy tale about beauty and its shadow side.
So….Tom Cruise?
Or is he? Appearances can be deceiving, Bunny :)
Has your skincare routine changed since writing Rouge?
It was really byzantine when I first became obsessed with skincare and I experimented quite a bit with different products. I was also very easily enchanted and seduced. Now I have some trusted products I rely on and I'm slightly more dubious of claims. But I'll always love a mist and to be honest, I'm still a bit of a sucker.
What’s next in skincare?
God knows. But I'll probably be trying it.
How do you structure the layout of a story? Do you write with an outcome in mind?
Usually I'll do a kind of rough blueprint of the first part of the book and then I'll start writing. The ending usually comes to me as I'm writing the beginning. I don't hold myself to it, I tend to just follow the story, but in each case it's where the book has wanted to land.
There are aspects of your novels that read like a dream. Are any parts of your books inspired from a dream you’ve had?
I'm glad to hear that. I think that's often the feel that I'm going for and the subject matter or the character's mental state is what dictates it. Beauty is, after all, a kind of dream. I also really like to immerse the reader in the character's mind, and in our minds we're always dreaming.
What author or book is a recent discovery for you?
Not terribly recent, but I really loved Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. I thought the narration was so wonderful--this heady mix of enchantment and dread.
What is your favourite snack to enjoy while writing?
Usually it's just coffee or green tea for me but I have a friend who sends me little knick knacks that are in conversation with whatever book I'm working on, sort of to cheer me on. For Rouge, she bought me these beautiful rose gummies. I did enjoy those during breaks.