Interview: Sara A. Mueller ("THE BONE ORCHARD" out now)

I recently had the pleasure of emailing with Sara A. Mueller, whose debut novel The Bone Orchard will be out this coming Tuesday (3/22/22) from Tor! Sara also has a reading coming up (virtually) with Powells Books here in Portland.

After a long break from Interviews, I found I was most curious about what kinds of advice debut authors receive and how they were able to use it (or not) in their practice. To no one’s surprise, I was also curious to talk to Sara about her many hobbies and how it was time to decide to focus on the novel.

Book Summary

The Bone Orchard was inspired by the seeds of a former idea from Mueller’s roleplaying game (a brothel being used as an information gathering organization to topple an evil reign); the resilience and courage of women who have had to survive and endure abuse; and the social structures of the late 19th century, Mueller has cultivated a beautiful novel echoing the struggles of reconciliation within oneself. It is a deep dive examination of trauma, identity and sacrifice amidst a backdrop of cut-throat politics and sex. The story follows Charm, a witch, a prisoner, a whore, a madam. She is the last of a line of conquered necromantic workers and the emperor’s favorite concubine, confined within the yard of regrown bone trees at Orchard House, and the secrets of their marrow. When she is charged by the dying emperor in solving which of his sons committed his murder, the future of the empire lays in her hands. If she succeeds, she will finally have her freedom. However, the whispers of her own past won’t leave her alone, and she is faced with the ultimate dilemma: justice for the empire or pursue her own revenge.

You can pre-order The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller now from Powells.

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Interview:

M: As a debut author releasing during the (unfortunately) ongoing pandemic, how has the process been different than you were prepared for, or maybe thought it was going to be?

I didn't ever imagine that I'd be doing book events online and in cool clothes and my slippers! I'd imagined a lot more travel than I'm going to do, certainly, which is sad because I love to travel and I love to meet people in real life. The good news is I have so many terrific friends who're excited for me, and I've had wonderful support from my publisher on every level.

M: What did you learn about your writing process that you would change for your next novel?

The Bone Orchard taught me to give myself space to reconsider and rewrite as I go. Like most people, I grew up with writing classes that emphasized outlining and numbered drafts and after X number of drafts the piece is done. Bone Orchard was having none of that. It taught me that I, personally, do much better when I go back and layer in and tweak as I go along. Whether that works for others, I have no idea. I only know that it's a technique I'll be applying until I find something that works better!

M: Was there a piece of advice that you heard but didn’t understand until you got more experience writing? For me, as an example: I never really understood the value of writing everyday, even if it was a small amount, until I started to do it in practice and worked that creative mental muscle.

"When you think you have writer's block, back up two chapters and have your characters do something else." It turns out to be really good advice! Even though I'm still heading for the same goal, I had to learn to be willing to tear out big chunks and reroute in ways that served the story better.

M: As someone who creates in a few different mediums, I always feel a kinship for folks who do a lot of different jobs. What was the point where you were like, “alright, time to get to this novel I’ve been thinking about?”

In my student-teaching days, I had some kids who were very excited that a teacher was reading SFF. They gave me stacks of book recommendations, and I got increasingly frustrated with how women were being presented in the SFF novels that were popular at the time. Someone who was probably tired of me complaining said 'if you're that mad, write a better one'. So that's what I set out to do. That one wasn't The Bone Orchard, but it was my first finished novel manuscript. Someday I'll dust it off and fix it.

You can preorder The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller now from Powells.

Thank you to Tor for sending me an advanced copy of The Bone Orchard and for coordinating this interview!