Author Interview: Skyla Arndt and House of Hearts Giveaway and IWSG Post

 Happy Wednesday Everyone! Today I’m excited to have Skyla Arndt here to share about her YA House of Hearts. I love murder mysteries. This one is set at a private school with a secret society. I’m looking forward to reading it. 

Here’s a blurb from Goodreads:

 

Solving her best friend's murder means infiltrating a secret society, resisting a forbidden love, and running from a vengeful ghost in this sophomore novel by the author of Together We Rot.

Violet Harper knows her best friend was murdered. Even if everyone else has labeled her death a “freak accident,” Vi is sure she’d been trying to tell her something right before she died. Cryptic messages about her friend’s elite boarding school, her whirlwind romance, and the mysterious secret society she was entangled in all point to a more sinister fate.

So, Violet does what no one else seems willing to do: She transfers to the same fancy school to dig into the society’s murky history and find out what really happened to her friend. She knows the truth might not be pretty, but what she doesn’t bargain for is the handsome boy at the center of it all—Calvin Lockwell, the brother of her prime suspect and descendant of the school’s founder. He’s obnoxious and privileged, and Violet can’t deny their haunting attraction. It soon becomes clear his family is hiding a dark secret that may not be of this world, and suddenly Violet’s following her friend’s doomed footsteps down the rabbit hole. Even as details emerge of a deadly curse plaguing the school, she can’t escape her true feelings for Calvin. But loving him may be the last thing she ever does. 

Before I get to Kate’s interview, I have my IWSG post. 

Posting: The first Wednesday is officially Insecure Writer's Support Group Day. 

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! 

The awesome co-hosts this month are: Kim Lajevardi, Nancy Gideon, Diedre Knight and me! 

Optional Question: What are your thoughts on using Al with your writing? Would you use it for research, story bible, or creating outlines/beats? 

I see Al as a tool. I wouldn’t use it to write my story or create my outline. But I would use it for research, writing a blurb, looking for comps, and other similar tasks. 

I want to shout out about an IWSG milestone. Happy 14th Anniversary! I'm so grateful for Alex and this group and all the support I receive from you all

Interview With Skyla Arndt 

Hi Skyla! Thanks so much for joining us! 

1. Tell us about yourself and how you became a writer. 

Thank you for having me! I’m so excited to finally usher House of Hearts into the world. 

I’ve wanted to be an author since the third grade… which is when I learned that “cryptid hunter” wasn’t on the job market. Instead of hunting things that go bump in the night, I pivoted to writing about them. I’ve always been a fan of horror and fantasy, so it was a natural switch for me to make! I’ve been an avid writer ever since. 

When I’m not hunched over a keyboard, you can find me binge watching horror movies and buying one too many candles for my “monster lair” office. 

2. Where did you get the idea for House of Hearts? 

It’s a bit of a weird story! This book didn’t begin as a single idea, but rather a cumulation of all the things I love. I was recovering from severe burnout after my debut and I desperately needed a project that was fun! I wasn’t sure if HoH would ever see the light of day, but at the time, I needed a secret passion project to help rediscover the love of writing. House of Hearts was the perfect escape! 

Your Writing Process 

3. It’s great that you connected with your love of writing when writing House of Hearts. What was your process of writing the first draft of House of Hearts? Did you plot it out? 

The first draft had a very loose outline. It was purely meant to be a fun side project to kickstart my creativity and so I didn’t immediately sweat the details. But after finishing that first iteration of the book, I was absolutely bursting with ideas on how to finetune it. I’ve lost count of how many revisions it’s gone through, but it’s been so fun to watch it grow and take shape with every revision. 

4. Your first book, Together We Rot, was also a mystery. What are your rules for creating clues, false leads, and suspects when writing your first book and House of Hearts? 

It helps to know how you want the book to end and to work backwards from that point! I might not have plotted much in my earliest draft of this story, but I always had a general sense of the ending that has kept somewhat consistent through the years. From there, it’s a lot of revision and editor/friend feedback. Sometimes the best clues and false leads begin as random lines that your designated editor picks up on and suggests for you to expand. Revision does wonders in all aspects! 

5. Those are great tips. Share a bit about your main character, Violet, and three things you really like about her. 

Violet is a scholarship student who enrolls in the prestigious Hart Academy—not to pad her college application, but to investigate her friend’s mysterious death and get revenge on those responsible. 

Three things I love about Violet:

●      She will go to the ends of the earth for those she cares about. She might have a tough outer shell, but she truly does care about her family and friends on the inside and will do anything to protect them.

●      She’s hardworking! Not many students would climb their way up the academic ladder to secure a scholarship for a boarding school their senior year.

●      She’s flawed. We’re not all perfect in life and Violet is no exception. From keeping secrets from her friends to navigating jealousy and grief, I hope young readers can find themselves on the page and realize that no one is perfect at any age, let alone in their teen years. 

Your Journey to Publication 

6. Your agent is Claire Friedman. How did she become your agent? 

Claire is the absolute best! I was introduced to her through the agent showcase of a mentorship program. Unfortunately, “Pitch Wars” is no longer an active program, but at the time it helped un-agented writers edit their manuscripts and then submit their work in a query showcase for agents to read. 

7. It’s too bad that writers can’t take advantage of “Pitch Wars” anymore. Was going on submission for House of Hearts a different experience for you than when you got your first publishing contract for Together We Rot? How was it different? 

Yes! Together We Rot went through a typical submission process. Claire sent the book around to multiple editors before it finally found a home with my wonderful editor, Maggie, at Penguin! My original offer was for one book and it included an option clause which let Maggie get the first look on my second book. Luckily when House of Hearts was tidied up and ready to read, she offered on it immediately. 

Promoting Your Book 

8. How are you planning to promote House of Hearts? Has your approach to marketing changed since you were a debut author? 

It’s tough for trad pub authors to promote their own books. We only move the needle so far on our own (as much as I’m sure we would all love to do more!). One mindset change I’ve had from my debut is to try to approach promotion as an extra bonus and not a main source of stress. It should be fun to scream about your book—not another source of burnout. 

As far as fun “marketing-adjacent” activities, I’ll be traveling to Salem the week of my release and spending time at the Salem Literary Festival and also having a masquerade themed book party! 

9. What are you working on now? 

I have an adult thriller called GOOD TASTE that was recently announced! It’s about a conwoman who meets her boyfriend’s rich family for the first time on their private Antarctic cruise ship, but quickly realizes that these foodies may be hungry for more than generational wealth—and she will be next on the menu, unless she can find an unexpected ally. 

My other project is still under wraps at the moment, but I can share that it’s a gothic romantasy. Fingers crossed I can share more in the future! 

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Skyla. You can find Skyla at https://www.instagram.com/arndtskyla/

https://arndtskyla.com/ 

Giveaway Details 

Skyla’s publisher is generously offering a hardback of House of Hearts for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by September 16th. If I do not have your email (I can no longer get it from your Google Profile), you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address. 

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or other social media sites and/or follow me on Twitter or Bluesky or follow Skyla on her social media sites, mention this in the comments, and I'll give you an extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. This book giveaway is U.S. 

Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops 

Monday, September 8th I have an interview with author J.A. Dauber and a giveaway of his MG Press 1 for Invasion 

Wednesday, September 10th I have an agent spotlight interview with Ashlee MacCallum and a query critique giveaway 

Monday, September 15th I have an interview with author Christine Virnig and a giveaway of her MG Phantom Academy 

Tuesday, September 16th I’m participating in the Falling Into Leaves Giveaway Hop 

Monday, September 22nd I have an interview with author Anita Fitch Pazner and a giveaway of her MG  Words Matter: The Story of Hans and Sophie Scholl and The White Rose Resistance 

Monday, September 29th I have an interview with author Tracy Badau and a giveaway of her MG Ghoul Summer 

Wednesday, October 1st I’m participating in the Scaredy Cat Giveaway Hop and have an interview with author Julie Berry with a giveaway of her YA If Looks Could Kill and my IWSG post 

Monday, October 6th I have an agent spotlight interview with Renee Runge and a query critique giveaway 

Monday, October 13th I have an interview with author Lynne Kelly and a giveaway of her MG Three Blue Hearts 

I hope to see you on Monday!