The next person I’m interviewing is writer M. Lavon, who wrote Winter’s Divide, a science fiction novel about a global pandemic (because she’s maybe also a psychic?).

Tell us about yourself! What would you like readers to know about you?

M. Lavon: Personally—I have just spent almost 4 months homeschooling my super active school age boys while still working full time (grateful for the luxury, but please don’t ask me about common core math). I am married to a man who accepts my ever-evolving artistic passions with devoted patience. I love crafts, including decorating theme cakes, painting, writing, and creating. Professionally—I am a communications professional who loves to help others tell their story. I manage executive level communications, employee engagement, and operations for a tech company. I have a master’s in communications from the University of Washington. And I recently released a book about a pandemic, during a pandemic, called Winter’s Divide. 

Due to the active pandemic situation, I had to forgo much of my scheduled release activities. However, it has given me an opportunity to connect with new people online and have some great conversations about the book. 

In Winter’s Divide, I really wanted to capture the hardship that people would face during a pandemic and the greater impact an event like that would have on our community. I layered in several social undertones that are so prevalent within our society today and described how they would be magnified by a catastrophic event. I like to tell my readers, Winter’s Divide is gritty and raw, but full of real emotion, it may be heavy for sensitive readers. 

I have been asked a lot about how does writing a book about a pandemic change your lens on our current climate. When I set out to write Winter’s Divide, I knew our current situation was probable. The data and the research were all there, it was a foregone conclusion that a global pandemic was a possibility. Did I think it was going to happen? Honestly, I could not have predicted the timing. I have been truly shocked at the devastation and heart-broken for those that have lost their loved ones or who have had their lives changed forever during this time. 

The other question I get ask often is about the eerie coincidence and similarities between the book and what is happening now, and I can reassure you in no way could I predict what has transpired. I can tell you, if I could, I would definitely have chosen a different release period. 

Alexis: I sympathize! My book, Sapience, has several short stories that refer to a worldwide plague, including one story call “Quarantine.” It’s been such a difficult year for everyone, and so many people are unemployed and struggling right now. It’s not surprising it’s hard to sell books. I just hope things start get better soon (knock on wood).

What book or books have most influenced you as a writer?

M. Lavon: I am an avid reader. I really like books that inspire emotion. I love to laugh out loud, cry like a baby, fume in anger, and wallow in despair. And I love a book to not let me go, pulling me in and keeping me hostage until the whimpers of the morning breaks into day. There are so many books that have given me those moments and I can’t help but want that for what I write. The first time I cried as a reader, was when I read the Bridge to Terabithia as a kid. I don’t think I every got over that moment and what it felt like to be caught up in it all.

Alexis: I loved Bridge to Terabithia! It wrecked me as a kid—it definitely packs a big emotional punch.

Who is your favorite character in your book? What do you like about them? (or, which character do you hate most and why)

M. Lavon: Hard one! As a writer, you blend what you find interesting into your characters, and you value that “something special” in each of them. It is like asking a parent who’s their favorite child. With that said, I relate the most with Cate, because of her integrity and commitment to her people. However, there is a character that is a break-out from book one going into book two, that I admire the most. She is so strong, such a natural leader, and she really writes herself. 

What are you doing to de-stress during the pandemic? Is there any coping mechanism you’d recommend (or NOT recommend)?

M. Lavon: I am a writer to the core. I have been writing a lot. I have about a 10k word count per week, which keeps me going. I also have a little garden that helps. Shamefully though, I am a horrible Gardner, but I seem to be able to keep the kale, lettuce, and tomatoes alive. Other than that, my life is pure chaos on a regular basis.  

Alexis: I wish I could do more writing! I think it’s just too distracting with a toddler and a six year old at home. But I have been writing in a journal at least a little, and I’m trying to do some writing everyday. I also love gardening.

What do you like to do other than read or write? Do you have any interesting hobbies?

M. Lavon: I am a hobby addict and probably need some sort of professional help. I have been a painter for the majority of my life and spent a short period in fine arts school. I even painted a mural on the front of a local bar when I was younger, which is still there. I am also a hobby cake decorator; you can see my stuff on Instagram @ LaVon Studio Cakes. I most recently took up knitting, you may or may not find a knitting Easter Egg in Winter’s Divide. I am a craft master. It is really kind of ridiculous, actually.

Alexis: I used to knit and crochet quite a bit as well, and then for a while I did nalbinding and tablet weaving, because my husband was really into Viking reenactment. Lately I’ve been sewing face masks.

What TV shows/Movies do you like to watch or stream? 

M. Lavon: I am a binge watcher; I prefer my shows stacked up and ready to consume. I will go and watch an entire series in a couple of days, then not watch TV for weeks. A few on my must watch list are: Handmaid’s Tale, Blacklist, Lost in Space, and Expanse. I do like a good DIY show or a home show. I also have a weird fascination with real estate and architecture shows.  

What advice do you have for other writers or people just getting started in writing?

M. Lavon: Start to build your community BEFORE you come out with your book. Especially, if you are writing under an alias. Have a following ready and waiting in anticipation for the first release. It is so important. There is an appetite for getting the first look before the book is released, reviewers like to see it before its published, so get your list ready. If you go Indie/Self-published, be committed to what that means, because many agents or traditional publishers will not take on a book that has been released already. And If you go traditional, be prepared for the “long wait”, the process is grueling even if your manuscript is amazing. 

How do you choose what books you want to read?

M. Lavon: I have such a crazy book list; it is all about my mood. Sometimes it is all non-fiction science books. I spent an entire year dedicated to quantum physics, astrophysics, artificial intelligence, and the history of computing. Another it was environmental science and arcologies. But I can swing the other way and get lost in a space opera or something like Crazy Rich Asians. My favorite genre is dystopian fiction though.

If you write scifi, what technology or innovations or scientific discoveries have inspired your work?

M. Lavon: I am fascinated by the internet of things and artificial intelligence. That connected ecosystem is really interesting to me. The ghostly predicative nature happening on someone’s behalf, anticipating someone’s every need, without expressing it. There is something creepy and curious in that. Like “how did you know I really wanted a cupcake, to buy a pair of open toed roman sandals, and it’s time to take the dog to the groomer…um… thanks.”

I just started writing a new young adult series that is staged in an archaeology and I explore that connected world, it has been a lot of fun.

Find out more about M. Lavon!

Social Media: Twitter, Goodreads, and Amazon

Check out her book, Winter’s Divide!

Winter’s Divide Blurb: 

The end of the world didn’t happen with one single event or happen without warning. No, it happened a little at a time, in plain sight, with everyone watching and doing nothing to stop it. 

As the pandemic that threatens to end human civilization makes landfall in the United States, Cate Winter’s life is turned upside down. After she and her sons fall ill with the mysterious virus, her husband, Tom, disappears. Weeks later, when Cate wakes up from a coma, she is alone—and the world has been torn apart. One-third of the human population across the globe is dead and domestic militants and vigilantes are forcing the government into a civil war. And soon Cate begins to uncover secrets, secrets that have shattered her image of a picture-perfect life and entered her into the most heart-wrenching fight for survival. Can Cate uncover the truth—in time to save the survivors?