The DMS was lucky enough to interview Jessica Vitalis. We reviewed her book Unsinkable Cayenne, which will be released on October 29th. It was great to share our thoughts about it and hear yours! We're excited to learn a little more about her story. So, without further ado... take it away, Jessica!
What inspired you to write Unsinkable Cayenne?
Unsinkable Cayenne actually started out as a short story I wrote for an anthology about first kisses (I don’t remember my own first kiss, but I played with the idea of what might have happened if I’d had the courage to pursue a crush I had in middle school); although the anthology never came to fruition, my editor saw the short story and said she’d love to see it as a novel. Although the kiss was cut from the final draft, the story is still very much about first crushes and fitting in.
How long did it take you to write Unsinkable Cayenne?
It usually takes me about a month to write my first drafts…I think this one may have taken a bit longer because I was up to my eyeballs in Coyote Queen edits while I was drafting. In any case, I realized that first draft was too much like Coyote Queen, so I threw almost all of it out and started over. I believe the time it took me to write the second draft until I had to send it to my editor was about four months, and then we continued to edit for about a year before the book had to go to print.
What was your research process like for Unsinkable Cayenne? Was there any aspect of your research that was the most interesting?
Unsinkable Cayenne was the most research-intensive of any of my books. Because the book is inspired by a crush from my childhood, I really wanted to keep it set in 1985; in order to pull that off, I knew I’d need a solid historical anchor. Luckily, my first Google search revealed that the Titanic wreckage was discovered in 1985; even more importantly, the social strata on board the Titanic fit perfectly with the themes I wanted to explore in my book, namely how socioeconomics impact the middle school experience. One of the most interesting things I learned while researching the Titanic (besides the fact that the third class was not intentionally locked below deck as many of us believed) is that there were only two bathtubs on board the ship for the approximately 700 third-class passengers!
Since my main character, Cayenne, is a birder, I also had to do quite a bit of research on birds for this story; I ended up making a list of bird facts that I thought were interesting, and then whenever I felt like the book was falling a bit flat, I went back to my list to see if there were any bird facts I could incorporate. (Did you know there’s a bird that can fly for months without ever touching land?!)
What is your writing process like? Do you listen to music? Write in a special place? Edit as you go or write and then edit?
My writing practice can best be defined as sporadic. I’ll often spend months at a time glued to my desk writing for several hours a day, but then when I burn out I never hesitate to step away from my desk and tend to all the other areas of my life I’ve been neglecting. I’m not at all picky about my writing environment—as long as I have a laptop, I’m good to go! At home I usually write at my desk, on the couch, or on the porch. I don’t play music as I write, but I often listen to classical music while brainstorming on my morning walks.
What are some of your favorite books from childhood? Were there any specific authors who inspired you?
My family was very transient, so my access to books was limited to what I could find in second-hand bookstores or, on occasion, libraries. I read anything and everything I could get my hands on, but I don’t recall having any favorites (though I do remember going through a choose your own adventure phase!)
If you could live during any time period in history, when would it be? Why?
On a purely practical basis, I don’t think I’d want to live in any era other than this one; although we’ve got plenty of problems, life now (particularly for women) is so much easier than it has been at any other point in human development. For the sake of a little fun, I will say that it would be incredibly interesting to live as a wealthy person in a heavily romanticized version of the renaissance; I’d love to listen in on some of the intellectual conversations that occurred during that period.
If you could befriend a character from your book, who would you befriend? Why?
As an adult I’d hands-down want to befriend Fud from Coyote Queen if for no other reason than so that I could give her a giant hug (I also really like her spunk)! Fleurine from The Rabbit’s Gift would also be interesting because as the daughter of the Grand Lumiere (the head of the country), she’s in a position to wield tremendous power and shape the future of her country (I’d like to think I could help guide her to make good choices for the sake of her people.)
Unsinkable Cayenne actually started out as a short story I wrote for an anthology about first kisses (I don’t remember my own first kiss, but I played with the idea of what might have happened if I’d had the courage to pursue a crush I had in middle school); although the anthology never came to fruition, my editor saw the short story and said she’d love to see it as a novel. Although the kiss was cut from the final draft, the story is still very much about first crushes and fitting in.
How long did it take you to write Unsinkable Cayenne?
It usually takes me about a month to write my first drafts…I think this one may have taken a bit longer because I was up to my eyeballs in Coyote Queen edits while I was drafting. In any case, I realized that first draft was too much like Coyote Queen, so I threw almost all of it out and started over. I believe the time it took me to write the second draft until I had to send it to my editor was about four months, and then we continued to edit for about a year before the book had to go to print.
What was your research process like for Unsinkable Cayenne? Was there any aspect of your research that was the most interesting?
Unsinkable Cayenne was the most research-intensive of any of my books. Because the book is inspired by a crush from my childhood, I really wanted to keep it set in 1985; in order to pull that off, I knew I’d need a solid historical anchor. Luckily, my first Google search revealed that the Titanic wreckage was discovered in 1985; even more importantly, the social strata on board the Titanic fit perfectly with the themes I wanted to explore in my book, namely how socioeconomics impact the middle school experience. One of the most interesting things I learned while researching the Titanic (besides the fact that the third class was not intentionally locked below deck as many of us believed) is that there were only two bathtubs on board the ship for the approximately 700 third-class passengers!
Since my main character, Cayenne, is a birder, I also had to do quite a bit of research on birds for this story; I ended up making a list of bird facts that I thought were interesting, and then whenever I felt like the book was falling a bit flat, I went back to my list to see if there were any bird facts I could incorporate. (Did you know there’s a bird that can fly for months without ever touching land?!)
What is your writing process like? Do you listen to music? Write in a special place? Edit as you go or write and then edit?
My writing practice can best be defined as sporadic. I’ll often spend months at a time glued to my desk writing for several hours a day, but then when I burn out I never hesitate to step away from my desk and tend to all the other areas of my life I’ve been neglecting. I’m not at all picky about my writing environment—as long as I have a laptop, I’m good to go! At home I usually write at my desk, on the couch, or on the porch. I don’t play music as I write, but I often listen to classical music while brainstorming on my morning walks.
What are some of your favorite books from childhood? Were there any specific authors who inspired you?
My family was very transient, so my access to books was limited to what I could find in second-hand bookstores or, on occasion, libraries. I read anything and everything I could get my hands on, but I don’t recall having any favorites (though I do remember going through a choose your own adventure phase!)
If you could live during any time period in history, when would it be? Why?
On a purely practical basis, I don’t think I’d want to live in any era other than this one; although we’ve got plenty of problems, life now (particularly for women) is so much easier than it has been at any other point in human development. For the sake of a little fun, I will say that it would be incredibly interesting to live as a wealthy person in a heavily romanticized version of the renaissance; I’d love to listen in on some of the intellectual conversations that occurred during that period.
If you could befriend a character from your book, who would you befriend? Why?
As an adult I’d hands-down want to befriend Fud from Coyote Queen if for no other reason than so that I could give her a giant hug (I also really like her spunk)! Fleurine from The Rabbit’s Gift would also be interesting because as the daughter of the Grand Lumiere (the head of the country), she’s in a position to wield tremendous power and shape the future of her country (I’d like to think I could help guide her to make good choices for the sake of her people.)
Is there anything you’ve learned along your path to publication that you would like to share with new writers?
It took me six books written across thirteen years to land my first book deal; I’ve now published four books in four years and become an award-winning author. All this to say: never give up on your dreams! On a more practical level, I’d encourage writers to try to identify their weakness and focus on improving in that area (I know! It’s way more fun to focus on your strengths! But trust me, focusing on your weaknesses will pay off.)
It took me six books written across thirteen years to land my first book deal; I’ve now published four books in four years and become an award-winning author. All this to say: never give up on your dreams! On a more practical level, I’d encourage writers to try to identify their weakness and focus on improving in that area (I know! It’s way more fun to focus on your strengths! But trust me, focusing on your weaknesses will pay off.)
Thank you for asking; my books are available everywhere books are sold! If your readers order Unsinkable Cayenne before October 29th, they can fill out a form on my website to claim a preorder gift and enter in the grand prize drawing. (Links to order signed copies of Unsinkable Cayenne are also available on my website.)
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Want to connect with Jessica? Check out her social media sites:
Website: http://jessicavitalis.com
Instagram: @jessicavauthor https://www.instagram.com/jessicavauthor/
Facebook: @jessicavauthor https://www.facebook.com/jessicavauthor/
Twitter: @jessicavitalis https://twitter.com/jessicavitalis
Bluesky: @jessicavitalis https://bsky.app/profile/jessicavitalis.bsky.social
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