Author Thea Verdone - The Writer Story
Never Leave, Never Lie is an MM modern gothic romance
If you are in mood of some gothic romance with lovers to enemies to lovers vibes, you have to pick up Never Leave, Never Lie by Thea Verdone.
For anyone who doesn’t know Thea, here’s the official bio-
Thea writes romantic stories about imperfect people haunted by inner demons and dark histories. Whether it's a crumbling gothic mansion, the ocean at night, or the isolated art studio of a suspected murderess, her settings are as alive as any other character. She writes her books from a desk that faces a forest in the Pacific Northwest, which is all she’s ever wanted.
Here’s the writer story with the brilliant author Thea Verdone…
Why did you start writing? What inspired you?
I’ve been writing since I was a kid so I can’t pinpoint what exactly started it. Books were an escape for me and I read voraciously, so maybe that was it.
When was the first time you felt that writing is something you want to do professionally?
When I joined the school newspaper in high school.
Could you share your writing/publishing journey with us?
A few years ago I started writing with the intent to self publish. My critique group encouraged me to query Never Leave, Never Lie and I thought, sure, it was worth a try.
I set a goal of trying for 12 months, and around month 11, I was done. I queried about 97 agents, if I recall correctly, and only had three partial requests. I wrote dozens (literally dozens) of different queries and labored over the synopsis and participated in pitch fests.
In the meantime, my own mental health had deteriorated and I had to go up on my antidepressants. But I don’t regret doing it. I made dear friends and learned a lot, and the pitch fests were really good practice for marketing my book on social media.
I decided to switch back to self-pub in November or December 2023, and it’s seriously been the best decision ever! (For me, anyway.) It’s so surreal and rewarding to have strangers gushing to me about my book, to say they felt seen by the mental health rep. Even if this book flops, I feel like I’ve already achieved my dreams.
Introducing Thea’s Newest Book
Tell us about your book - NEVER LEAVE NEVER LIE?
Never Leave, Never Lie is an MM modern gothic romance featuring a brooding pianist with synesthesia and the historic home restorer who thinks he can fix him. Here’s a brief blurb:
Savant pianist Alek needs a guarantee that his lover, historic home restorer Ian, will never leave, but the only thing Ian wants is the one thing Alek can never give him—the truth about his past. Because Alek is lying about everything, starting with his name, and when Ian learns the truth, their house of cards will collapse.
Tropes: lovers to enemies to lovers, hurt/comfort, established relationship in crisis, dark academia/gothic vibes, villain redeemed
You can read the full blurb, first chapter, and content warnings here: https://theaverdone.com/nlnl
It releases 3/27/2024 and is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and will be on Kindle Unlimited.
It sounds so interesting. When did you first get the idea? What connected you to this idea that made you think it could be a book?
Alek as a character came to me first. I was listening to NPR and the man interviewed had such a quiet, dignified sort of rage as he answered, and Alek popped into my head. In the end, Alek doesn’t really share that quality. I think Alek’s rage is like that saying, “Depression is anger turned inward.” Alek is angry, but mostly with himself.
Once I had Alek, I started the story with a few questions. What if I could redeem an irredeemable character? What if I could write a romance with a relationship that is ruined, seemingly beyond repair, and fix it with therapy? What if I could write a pathological liar with abandonment issues and make readers like him?
Did you do any research before you started writing or did you do it as you went along?
Both. I learned to play the piano as I wrote it. Because Alek has synesthesia, I read a bunch of synesthesia research articles and personal accounts, and also a book about synesthetic composer Alexander Scriabin. Then there was all the random historical house research I needed to build the setting.
What’s your process to write the book?
I like to write and edit as I go… which people advise against, I suppose, but it works for me. I do frequently have to go back and change things as I learn more about where my story is going, but by the time I’ve finished, my manuscript is pretty polished.
What do you want readers to take away from this book?
Nothing is ever too broken to be fixed. Everyone deserves love. Depression can be defeated.
What is your writing routine, if you have one?
I plan scenes before I go to bed at night, then write in the early morning before my family wakes up. In the shower, I go over the scenes I just wrote, and often get additional ideas. In the afternoons, I edit what I wrote or write some more.
Do you plot? Or discover while writing?
I have a loose plot but I don’t adhere to it if my characters are telling me to go a different way. I love writing a story that surprises me.
What software do you use for writing?
Scrivener.
What advice do you have for other writers?
Make friends. Be kind always and hype each other up. Participate in critique groups and swap beta-reading manuscripts with other writers. Fun fact: that’s how Anima and I met! By doing this, I’ve surrounded myself with a lot of positive people and I’ve learned so much to improve my writing.
What is your favorite book that you’d recommend to anyone and everyone? Why?
Tana French is my all time favorite author. I love how she blends literary prose with detective mystery. The settings are always atmospheric, the character voice and study compelling, and I love how she weaves a list of vivid, yet sometimes seemingly unimportant details that often lead to solving the crime.
My favorite craft book is Self Editing For Fiction Writers by Brown & King. I read it at least once a year and recommend it to everyone.
Where do we find you? Please plug your link, socials etc.
https://theaverdone.com
https://www.instagram.com/theaverdone/
https://twitter.com/TheaVerdone
You can buy Never Leave, Never Lie at https://books2read.com/nlnl
Thank you Thea for showing us a bit of your writer story and hopefully will get to chat with you again.