Debut Author Interview: Sacha Wunsch and Lies My Memory Told Me Giveaway and the IWSG Post

Happy Wednesday Everyone! Today I’m excited to have debut author Sacha Wunsch here to share about her YA psychological thriller Lies My Memory Told Me. It has such an interesting premise that makes me excited to read it.

In addition, Sacha is a founder of a new literary development company, As You Wish Literary. You can read about it in my interview with her in June. 

Here’s a blurb of Lies My Memory Told Me from Goodreads:

From the thrilling voice of Sacha Wunsch comes a heart-stopping psychological mystery in a world where memories can be shared—and one girl can’t trust any of them.

Enhanced Memory changed everything. By sharing someone else’s memory, you can experience anything and everything with no risk at all: learn any skill instantly, travel the world from home, and safeguard all your most treasured secrets forever. Nova’s parents invented this technology, and it’s slowly taking over their lives. Nova doesn’t mind—mostly. She knows Enhanced Memory is a gift.

But Kade says Nova doesn’t know the costs of this technology that’s taken the world by storm. Kade runs a secret vlog cataloging real experiences, is always on the move, and is strangely afraid of Nova—even though she feels more comfortable with him than she ever has with anyone. Suddenly there are things Nova can’t stop noticing: the way her parents don’t meet her eyes anymore, the questions no one wants her to ask, and the relentless feeling that there’s something she’s forgotten…

IWSG POST

Before I get to my interview with Sacha, 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!

My awesome co-hosts for the October 6 posting of the IWSG are Jemima Pitt, J Lenni Dorner, Cathrina Constantine, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, and Mary Aalgaard!

Optional Question: In your writing, where do you draw the line, with either topics or language?

Well, I don’t ever want to write erotica, so that’s a line I’ve drawn. Because I write middle grade and young adult, I do have to be more careful with the language I use and the topics I present, especially for middle grade. Right now, I’m writing a young adult fantasy with some mob leanings. I’m okay with presenting more sensitive issues and using more adult language. I’m not going into graphic details though when I present things in the story.

What lines do you draw in your writing?

Interview With Sacha Wunsch

Hi Sacha! Thanks so much for joining us!

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

Hi Natalie, thanks so much for having me! It’s funny, I never dreamed I’d be a writer when I was a kid like a lot of authors do. I was a bit of a late bloomer when it came to writing. I was working an office job and there wasn’t enough work for me to fill the day with and wanted something I could do while I was bored sitting in front of a computer at work – and writing novels seemed to fit the bill!

2. I never imagined writing novels as a kid either. So funny that you started writing when you were bored at work. Where did you get the idea for Lies My Memory Told Me?

It was actually a happy chance encounter during a conversation with a friend. She was talking about how a relationship with another friend had deteriorated to the point where they had decided to part ways. My friend had this beautiful thought - that we all have these collections of memories in little, imaginary boxes.  She pictured herself as a little ballerina in one of these jewelry boxes of memories, which her former friend would take out every now and then and remember all the fond memories they shared. I loved that image so much – and the ballerina even made it into the book! 

3. What was your world building process for building your world and the new technology that Nova’s parents created?

New technologies come out and hit the scene so quickly nowadays, and it’s much the same in the world of Lies My Memory Told Me. There’s so much focus on both the benefits and potential dangers of technology, things like social media, screen time, appropriate content, etc. and I really wanted to explore that paradox and what it might look like in the not-so-distant future. With that in mind, I thought about how that could play out and how the tech could feel futuristic and yet accessible at the same time.  

4. How did you plot out your story and keep the tension building in it? What tips do you have for other writers who want to write a psychological thriller?

To keep the tension high, it was important to always stay close to what Nova was feeling as the events of the story unfolded. There had to be a sense of her finding things out at the same time as the reader – the idea being that Nova would be wondering about certain aspects of the story at the same time as the reader might be asking those same questions. She was very much as in the dark as anyone else coming to the book. In order to build the tension throughout the story, Nova had to be close to the tech (her parents invented it), and she had to have access to contrasting points of view on it, which other characters brought in. This gave Nova the opportunity to struggle with the opposing ideals, and in turn, struggle with intense emotional turmoil.  

5. That’s great advice on building up the tension. You’ve also written romantic comedy stories for adults. How has the process of writing for teens been different than writing for adults?

I actually started out writing for teens, and then my first adult rom-coms kind of morphed out of that, so I don’t find the process all that different, to be honest. Although now that I’m a stepmom of four, there’s a lot more thought about how difficult it is to be a teenager these days. There’s a lot of pressure that comes with growing up in the age of social media, so that was really at the forefront of my mind as I Lies My Memory Told Me. 

6. Yes, I bet you’re getting a good perspective on teenagers now that you’re raising four. What was a challenge you faced in writing Lies My Memory Told Me and how did you overcome it?

My biggest challenge was in finding Nova’s story. It took a while to discover who she needed to be in relation to the plot. In the first drafts, Nova’s parents weren’t as integral to the technology as they became in the final version. The first “world” of the novel was more far reaching – particularly the world of the tech. In the final version, the book became much more Nova’s – as in it was much more about how it affected Nova than how it affected the world in general.

7. What was your road to publication like?

It was quite a long and winding road, actually. I originally sold a different book to my publisher way back in January of 2019, which was supposed to be released last year. Unfortunately due to market conditions and a variety of factors that were no fault of my publishers or my own, that book never made it to the shelves. But my publisher, Inkyard Press, was amazing and allowed me to fulfill my contract with a new book, and that’s the one we’re talking about today!  

8. That’s great that your publisher allowed you to debut with another book. What have you been doing pre-release to promote your book and connect with readers, librarians, and teachers?

I’m actually a pretty strong believer that a writer is best served by doing what they do best – writing. The world we live in now can be difficult for someone who doesn’t necessarily love to be in the spotlight. Social media really puts pressure on us to put ourselves out there and to “be your brand”. And you can certainly see this very idea in my book!

It's actually been really difficult for me as an introvert to struggle with how much to put myself out there. It definitely doesn’t come naturally to me. That said, I am lucky enough to have an amazing publicist at Inkyard who helps source interviews, etc. Beyond that, I’m announcing events and celebrating online when a good review comes in.

9. I’m an introvert too, so it’s good to know that I don’t have to put too much pressure on myself if I ever get published. How are you planning to celebrate the release of your book and to market it?

The marketing has been going on for a while now, and so I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing with that. As far as celebrating I honestly don’t have any plans, I’m not all that sentimental, I suppose – I’m just hoping the day goes smoothly. J

10. What are you working on now?

I’ve got several projects on the go at the moment, but the one most closely related to Lies My Memory Told Me is a young adult novel with multiple timelines, tentatively titled LIFELINE. I was lucky enough to be awarded a Canada Council for the Arts grant for the project, which I am incredibly grateful for.

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Sacha. You can find Sacha at:

Instagram - @sachawunsch

Twitter - @sachawunsch

Giveaway Details

Sacha has generously offered a hardback of Lies My Memory Told Me 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 October 23rd. If your e-mail is not on 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 your blog and/or follow me on Twitter, 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 giveaway is U.S. and Canada.

Upcoming Interviews and Giveaways

Monday, October 11th I have an agent spotlight interview with Kristin Ostby and a query critique giveaway

Wednesday, October 13th I’m hosting Angela Ackerman to celebrate the release of the Conflict Thesaurus

Saturday, October 16th I’m participating in the Cheeky Pumpkin Giveaway Hop

Monday, October 18th I’ve got an agent/author guest post by Melissa Nasson and Alex Perry and a query critique and MG contemporary Pighearted giveaway

Monday, October 25th I have an agent spotlight interview with Ginger Clark and a query critique giveaway

Hope to see you on Monday!