INTERVIEW WITH NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR, TOSCA LEE

Tosca Lee is the is the recipient of three International Book Awards, Killer Nashville’s Silver Falchion, ECPA Book of the Year in Fiction, and the Nebraska Book Award. Her work has finaled for the High Plains Book Award, the Library of Virginia Reader’s Choice Award, two Christy Awards, and a second ECPA Book of the Year. The Line Between was a Goodreads Choice Awards semifinalist for Best Mystery/Thriller of 2019. In addition to the New York Times, her books have appeared on the IndieBound bestseller list, and Library Journal’s “Best Of” lists..

INTERVIEW

Tell us about your recent release.

I recently re-released all new fourth editions of my first and second books, which originally published 17 and 16 years ago: Demon: A Memoir and Havah: The Story of Eve. I’m so excited to have these books back out in readers’ hands—with new extras and gorgeous new cover art!

What was your inspiration for these books?

Demon was my first published novel. It came to me out of the blue one day as I drove the stretch of Nebraska road that leads to my acreage. I’d found myself wondering what it would be like to be angelic and fallen. Would I go around tempting people to covet, lust, envy... just for kicks? It seemed too shallow a motivation for any complex, spiritual creature. There had to be more to it.

Suddenly, I realized that being angelic and fallen must be very similar to being human and fallen – except for one major difference: the provision of a messiah.

I immediately wondered what it must feel like to be damned for a single, failing moment – and worse, to watch humans luxuriate in and take for granted the grace made available to them from a doting God. And I thought: why wouldn’t an angelic creature resent a human recipient of God’s grace? And why wouldn’t a demon want to prove that creature unworthy again and again as a result? Now I knew what it must feel like to be an angelic outsider looking in with jealous eyes and razored heart.

I re-read the story of God’s love affair with humans through this new lens and Demon: A Memoir was born.

That was about 25 years ago. The book was finished in six weeks but took six years after that to finally sell. Originally published in 2007, and again in 2010 and 2015 by subsequent publishers, Demon—a Christy award and Clive Staple Award nominee—is out with new extras and available in every format including its first-ever hardcover.

During those years that I was trying to get my first agent and then that my agent spent submitting it (it was literally every publisher in the Christian market until a new editor at an imprint that had formerly rejected me under the old editor), I began to make notes for a story about Eve. I wanted to give this first woman a voice. I wanted to walk in her footsteps and see this story with new eyes. I’m so happy to have this book back in readers’ hands in all formats and available in hardcover for the first time as well.

What is your favorite part of the writing process?

Editing. I know—I’m a weirdo. I just really like picking at things and (hopefully) making them incrementally better.

Your least favorite?

Drafting. Pull my fingernails out with pliers, why don’t you.

Tell us three things about yourself that might surprise your readers.

I didn’t originally want to be a writer—my life plan growing up was to become a classical ballerina and I spent the early part of my life working toward that goal.

I used to be a night owl and wrote all my books into the wee hours. Then menopause happened.

I cannot bake bread to save my life.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I know this is not the answer I’m probably supposed to give, but I really like binging TV shows. I am, at heart, a couch potato.

What are you working on now?

A medieval thriller about the European witch hunts!

Anything else you’d like to share?

Just my gratitude. I’m so grateful to get to write stories and entertain readers, to take them back in time—or into the future. I’m so grateful for your time and trust, and the investment you make in reading one of my books. Thank you.


Where can your readers learn more about you?

On my website at https://toscalee.com. You’ll find a signup form for my newsletter and my social media links (where my dog Timber is more popular than I am) there as well.

You can buy Demon: A Memoir here and Havah: The Story of Eve here.

Leave a comment, along with your email address, for a chance to win a copy of either Demon: A Memoir, or Havah: The Story of Eve. Tosca is giving away two print books and ten eBooks! (Print books U.S. only)