Aurora: What was your inspiration behind your most recent novel?
Monica Rodden: I wanted to address the victim-blaming that survivors of sexual assault so often experience. A victim has to be perfect in a lot of ways in order to have their trauma even somewhat validated. I wanted to create a “bad” victim, one who was wearing a dress and drinking inside a frat house. I did this very intentionally to show that none of that matters; clothing choices or alcohol consumption or geographic location cannot undo a felony, no matter what the world tells you. The main character Catherine muses on the injustice of victim-blaming at the end of Monsters Among Us:
“It made her wonder if you had to be young to be believed, or if you had to have a certain number of bruises, a wide-enough blood stain in the snow. Or maybe you just had to die.”
I also wanted to explore my own battle with a chronic illness as well as draw on the theme(s) and setting of Wuthering Heights, but the toxicity of rape culture was the main focus.
What character in this novel do you most relate to and why?
I relate a lot to Catherine’s internalized misogyny. Any frightening experience I’ve had as a woman has always been clouded by these demeaning and invalidating thoughts. That guy on a bike who followed me during a run my sophomore year? Well, I was stupid to be out so late; I should have run faster to beat the sunset. Plus, I cut through some trees where he couldn’t follow me, so no big deal.
I also relate to the character of Amy, who is sick with an unknown illness (no spoilers!). As someone who also has a chronic illness, I drew on a lot of my personal experiences to shape her character.
Why do you feel novels with powerful and unique characters are so popular and have such a voice right now?
I think publishing is at a crossroads that is long overdue. Only 11% of books published from the major houses in 2018 were written non-white authors, according to this NYT article (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/12/11/opinion/culture/diversity-publishing-industry.html).
It is so important to highlight #ownvoices authors and their stories because they deserve to be heard and are a vital piece to the puzzle of the human condition. If everyone only reads white books about mostly white people, that is going to be reflected in society (and it is).
The best thing I and other (white/cis/hetero) authors can do is work on making our stories more diverse by educating ourselves through diverse media, hiring (and paying) authenticity readers to ensure accuracy in our works, and also by uplifting BIPOC authors as well as those who are LGBTQ+. So, if you like Monsters Among Us, you may also enjoy:
Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson
The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg
Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali
Please describe the content of your latest book and what can readers expect from it.
Monsters Among Us is a YA thriller centered around 18-year-old Catherine Ellers who has returned to her rainy Washington town for the holidays after her first semester at college. She has scattered memories of a night that scrape against her mind; she wants to know more but is terrified about what she might discover happened to her. She finds no solace during her holiday, however, as tragedy strikes again in the mysterious death of someone close to her, and she throws herself into this new mystery, desperate for what has eluded her since that night at college: answers.
TW for sexual assault, child death, misogyny, and suicidal ideations.
What’s next for you in the books world?
Hopefully a lot! One my goals going forward is to produce more responsibly diverse stories. I’ve completed a solid draft of my next book and have sent it off to my authenticity readers—and early responses have been awesome! Once I receive the complete feedback, I will make edits as necessary and send the manuscript to my agent and editor.
I am also outlining my third book, for which I will again hire authenticity readers. My hope is that each book will be better than the one that came before it, but from the reviews I’ve received about Monsters Among Us, my debut has been a great starting point. I’m very proud of the story.
Who is your current favorite writer? Why?
Since I lost about two days of sleep reading Grown and Allegedly back-to-back, I have to say I’m really into Tiffany D. Jackson right now. Her pacing is insane and it’s very hard to put down her stories. Also, I really enjoy her twist endings.
Any writing advice for aspiring writers?
You will probably not publish your first story idea—and that’s okay! Keep writing. Keep reading. And try for traditional publication, at least at first. It forces you to be really critical of your work. Also look outside your circle of friends and family for honest feedback.
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