Lisa Tirreno

On the Cusp is a regular series I do on this blog, comprising an interview with another writer who’s about to become a debut novelist. I send them the standard list of ten questions and ask them to please pick five, and to also answer the bonus question.

This week we have Tatiana Schlote-Bonne, who I know via an online group for debut authors. Tatiana lives in Iowa and her young adult horror novel Such Lovely Skin will be out in September. You can pre-order it here.

Why this genre? Why this age group? Why these characters?

With Vivian, the main character of Such Lovely Skin, I wanted to write an actually flawed teen who makes real mistakes and suffers for it. But she’s also funny and cares deeply for her friends and family. I also wanted to write about someone who shares all my enthusiasm for video games, horror, and anime!

What’s surprised you the most during this whole pre-publication process? What have you enjoyed the most?

What’s surprised me the most: how much time I spend on Canva and making reels and TikToks to promote the book. I spend a lot more time begging people to read and preorder the book than I’d envisioned pre-book deal. I don’t dislike it, but the promotional stuff does take a lot of effort and energy, and really, I just want to write more books!

What I’ve enjoyed most: how supportive and friendly the writing community has been. I’ve been able to secure some dream blurbs for my debut, and I’ve made friends with several other authors who I now chat with regularly and share my writing with. It’s really a great community and I wouldn’t be an author if it weren’t for the support I’ve received and friends I’ve made along the way.  

Was it a long road to get here? Do you have drawers full of previous manuscripts?

No, I think my journey was fairly short. Such Lovely Skin was the second novel I wrote, and I drafted and sold it within a year. I’ve written five books total: two manuscripts are in the drawer and have not sold, but maybe will in some iteration one day. The more manuscripts I write, the easier they become. I learn from the mistakes of the previous ones and my grasp of storytelling and the kinds of stories I like to tell only strengthens.

What’s next?

Prepping for Such Lovely Skin’s release on September 17—so, lots of screaming about it and begging for preorders. Writing more horror novels! I’m working on something that I can hopefully talk about soon. Also, lots of weightlifting and coaching. This fall, I’m teaching professional writing for pre-med students at the University of Iowa.

Most writers on their path to publication think about giving up at some point. Was there anything that made you feel this way? What kept you going?

I’ve never seriously considered giving up. The piles of frustrating rejections have made me think about how it would be easier to give up on writing, but it’s never been a serious consideration. I genuinely enjoy writing and the act of having a writing routine. When I’m not actively working on a story, I feel directionless and bored.

Now that some early reviews of Such Lovely Skin have started coming in and it’s resonating with horror fans, I feel even more driven to keep going because I want to write for the horror people!  

Bonus question: Is there anything else you wanted a chance to talk about?

If you can afford it, please preorder books you’re excited about! I didn’t realize until I became an author myself how important preorders are for an author’s career. I’m still in my poor era, but I try to preorder as many books as I can from authors I’m excited about, especially new authors! And when my book budget runs out, I checkout books from the library! So please request books from the library and go to the library!

And please leave ratings and reviews on retail websites and Goodreads/Storygraph—it boosts visibility and helps other readers find those hidden gems that might otherwise go unnoticed!