Name: Megan Paasch What you Write: YA magical realism Agent: Natascha Morris Why BookEnds?
I love the BookEnds team atmosphere and how transparent and helpful they are with their blog posts and YouTube videos. You can tell how much everyone at BookEnds loves what they do, and that they truly want you to succeed. And Natascha really understands what I’m trying to say with the book I queried her with. I knew right away that she was going to be fantastic to work with.
What genres do you write? Read?
Most of what I write leans toward real world based fantasy. Urban fantasy, contemporary fantasy, magical realism, paranormal—all of it. I like exploring that “what if” feeling that magic could be lurking just under the surface of our everyday lives, and if you pay close enough attention, you just might be able to tap into it. As for reading, I enjoy fantasy, science fiction, historical, contemporary, mystery, the classics . . . everything, basically.
Plotter or pantster?
I used to be a pantster, but I’ve converted to plotterdom. I don’t always adhere to my outlines, but I find I’m less likely to get stuck or have plot holes that need filling if I have some idea of where I’m going ahead of time.
Synopses, love them or hate ‘em?
Ugh, I hate ‘em. BUT . . . I see the value in them. It also depends on what I’m using the synopsis for. Trying to condense a novel I’ve already written into a synopsis is difficult and frustrating for me, because it’s hard to know what parts to leave out. I want to include everything! But I think they’re handy during the plotting stage, even if the story ends up veering away from the original plan. They’re a great way to check pacing and to see if the plot is actually going to make sense as a whole.
Do you have a writing playlist or a vision board? If so, what’s on them?
I typically need quiet when I write. But I do make a playlist for each book and will listen to it while driving and washing dishes and other mundane tasks. The music helps set the mood of the story in my head, and helps me picture scenes and work through plot issues. The playlist for my last book had a lot of 90’s alternative rock on it—Cranberries, Nirvana, Candlebox, and Veruca Salt are just a few examples. Sometimes, I’ll make a secret Pinterest Board as well with character dream casts and scenery to keep me inspired.
Drink of choice when writing? When not writing?
Coffee, tea, mango-flavored Bubly seltzer, and water. Both when writing and when not.
Day or Night writer?
I used to be a night writer, but it seems like lately, my brain is too mushy by the end of the day and I just want to zone out. These days, I tend to do my best writing and focusing from mid-morning to early afternoon.
Twitter or Instagram? Or Facebook? Where can we find you?
I don’t have a Facebook account anymore, but you can find me on both Twitter and Instagram as @meganpaasch. I also have an art Instagram account where I play around with pencils and ink, which is @art_paaschionate.
If you could meet any author, living or dead, who would you want to meet and why?This is a tough one. There are so many authors I’d love to meet! But if I had to pick just one, I think I’d choose Lucy Maud Montgomery. Her Anne series was my first literary obsession growing up and has had a huge influence on me over the years
Name: Megan Paasch
What you Write: YA magical realism
Agent: Natascha Morris
Why BookEnds?
I love the BookEnds team atmosphere and how transparent and helpful they are with their blog posts and YouTube videos. You can tell how much everyone at BookEnds loves what they do, and that they truly want you to succeed. And Natascha really understands what I’m trying to say with the book I queried her with. I knew right away that she was going to be fantastic to work with.
What genres do you write? Read?
Most of what I write leans toward real world based fantasy. Urban fantasy, contemporary fantasy, magical realism, paranormal—all of it. I like exploring that “what if” feeling that magic could be lurking just under the surface of our everyday lives, and if you pay close enough attention, you just might be able to tap into it. As for reading, I enjoy fantasy, science fiction, historical, contemporary, mystery, the classics . . . everything, basically.
Plotter or pantster?
I used to be a pantster, but I’ve converted to plotterdom. I don’t always adhere to my outlines, but I find I’m less likely to get stuck or have plot holes that need filling if I have some idea of where I’m going ahead of time.
Synopses, love them or hate ‘em?
Ugh, I hate ‘em. BUT . . . I see the value in them. It also depends on what I’m using the synopsis for. Trying to condense a novel I’ve already written into a synopsis is difficult and frustrating for me, because it’s hard to know what parts to leave out. I want to include everything! But I think they’re handy during the plotting stage, even if the story ends up veering away from the original plan. They’re a great way to check pacing and to see if the plot is actually going to make sense as a whole.
Do you have a writing playlist or a vision board? If so, what’s on them?
I typically need quiet when I write. But I do make a playlist for each book and will listen to it while driving and washing dishes and other mundane tasks. The music helps set the mood of the story in my head, and helps me picture scenes and work through plot issues. The playlist for my last book had a lot of 90’s alternative rock on it—Cranberries, Nirvana, Candlebox, and Veruca Salt are just a few examples. Sometimes, I’ll make a secret Pinterest Board as well with character dream casts and scenery to keep me inspired.
Drink of choice when writing? When not writing?
Coffee, tea, mango-flavored Bubly seltzer, and water. Both when writing and when not.
Day or Night writer?
I used to be a night writer, but it seems like lately, my brain is too mushy by the end of the day and I just want to zone out. These days, I tend to do my best writing and focusing from mid-morning to early afternoon.
Twitter or Instagram? Or Facebook? Where can we find you?
I don’t have a Facebook account anymore, but you can find me on both Twitter and Instagram as @meganpaasch. I also have an art Instagram account where I play around with pencils and ink, which is @art_paaschionate.
If you could meet any author, living or dead, who would you want to meet and why?This is a tough one. There are so many authors I’d love to meet! But if I had to pick just one, I think I’d choose Lucy Maud Montgomery. Her Anne series was my first literary obsession growing up and has had a huge influence on me over the years
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