An Interview with Marissa Adams

Hi everyone! My good friend, Marissa Adams, is releasing her first book, Wetherholt, tomorrow and I’m so excited!!

When Lissie Dairton heads to New York City to visit her aunt and uncle, her only regret
is that her older sister Nett can’t come along. Her remedy is to write witty and insightful
letters keeping Nett informed of her adventures in the big city—from dealing with their
beastly aunt and refusing advances from a ghastly suitor to attending plays with
heiresses and falling in love with a dashing Mr. Elwood.

From afar, Nett replies with her usual practicality as she tries to keep her flightier sister’s
feet on the ground. But soon, Nett is swept up in her own adventure as she meets the
brother of Lissie’s prospective beau. Levelheaded, caring, and sensible, the elder
Elwood brother seems like the answer to all her dreams. But what at first seems like
happiness becomes confusion as Nett’s almost-suitor begins acting stiff and distant.

Lissie remains convinced that she and her sister will marry the Elwood brothers, but
Nett is uncertain. With family disapproval and the seeming disinterest from the elder
brother, how can there possibly be a satisfactory end for everyone?

I got the chance to interview Marissa and ask her a few questions!

1. What was your inspiration for writing Wetherholt? 

Jane Austen! My love for balls, carriages, and fancy dresses comes from reading her books and watching various film/miniseries adaptations of them. I wanted to include things like trains in Wetherholt, so I shoved the year later, and, upon my editor’s suggestion, relocated the story to America to better fit with what society was like back then. I would love to go to a ball and mingle with society back then, and writing about it gives me a taste of that!   

2. What was your favorite part of the writing process? 

The writing itself, haha! I’m a pantser when I write (no planning whatsoever) so I never knew what might be coming next for the story until I was writing it. And it was always very interesting when I created situations or problems because I had to figure out how to solve them as I was writing. I never knew when new characters might pop in either! 

3. Do you have a favorite character in your book? 

I have two! I love Nett and Lissie’s cousin Brooks Crossing and I also love their dad, Phillip Dairton. Brooks is such a fun character to write for with all of his ridiculousness. If I knew him in real life, I think he’d make me laugh a lot! Mr. Dairton gains a spot in my heart for how protective he is of his girls, how polished and charming he is in his letters, and the fact that he’s the only character that I distinctly hear his voice in my head when I read his letters.

4. Do you have a certain time of day that you like to write? Are you more of a person who writes during the day or do you prefer writing at night? 

I’d say late morning or afternoon. I love taking my laptop to my club chair, listening to rain sounds, and pound away on my keyboard.

5.  What came first for you when first deciding to write Wetherholt, the plot or the characters? Do you have an idea for the plot and then create characters after that or did you build your book around your characters? 

It actually all unfolded at the same time. Since I tend to write as a pantser, the characters and plot helped create each other. I will say that the characters probably helped create the plot a bit more, because the characters were getting fleshed out as I wrote, while the plot kept twisting this way and that. I never wanted the plot to feel static or stuck. That’s partially why people kept moving from place to place so their environment and the people they were around were constantly changing.

6. What are you hoping that readers will get out of your book? 

Entertainment, I suppose! When I read, I love laughing and feeling like I’m transported to another place. In addition to that, I hope I inspire others to keep writing whatever story it is that they’ve been working on. I hope that I succeeded in both of those for my readers!

I cannot wait to get to read Wetherholt! Go check out Marissa’s website, marissaadamsbooks.com and follow her on Instagram @marissaadamsbooks and on facebook.com/marissaadamsbooks to keep up with her!

I hope you all are having a great week!

-Hannah

Marissa Adams grew up in the beautifully rainy Pacific Northwest. She has been creating stories since before she knew how to write her letters. Most of her days are split between spending time with her family and friends, reading, playing video games, and hanging out with Ivy, the most adorable Havanese on earth. Wetherholt is Marissa’s first novel.