Mara Rutherford began her writing career as a journalist but quickly discovered she far preferred fantasy to reality. Originally from California, Mara has since lived all over the world with her Marine-turned-diplomat husband. A triplet born on Leap Day, Mara holds a master”s degree in cultural studies from the University of London. When she”s not writing or chasing after her two sons, she can usually be found pushing the boundaries of her comfort zone, whether at a traditional Russian banya or an Incan archaeological site. Mara Rutherford resides in Rome, Italy.

I had the opportunity to interview Mara which you can read below.

First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourself?

Hi and thank you for having me! I’m a YA fantasy author currently living in Rome, Italy. My husband is a diplomat, so we’ve been moving around the world for the past fifteen years. We have two sons, a mini-poodle, and, for the moment, a foster tortoise hatchling named Earl Grey. In case you couldn’t tell, I love tea, travel, and finding magic in the everyday.  

What can you tell us about your project, The Demonic Inventions of Aurelie Blake? What was the inspiration for it?

The Demonic Inventions of Aurelie Blake is a YA dark-academia romantasy set in a world where invention conjures demons. Aurelie is a freshman at Wisteria University, studying by day and inventing illegally by night, conjuring demons she can easily control herself. But when she’s offered the opportunity to create something world-changing, she attracts the attention of a demon hunter named Des, whose sole purpose is to keep the citizens of Wisteria safe. Needless to say, when their paths cross, chaos ensues.

I was inspired by a quote attributed to Emily Dickinson: “Whenever a thing is done for the first time, it releases a little demon.” Such a simple source of inspiration, but the story truly came to me from there!

As a writer, what drew you to the art of storytelling, especially speculative fiction and romance?

I’ve always been a reader, particularly of speculative fiction—my favorite authors as a kid were Tolkien, Robert Jordan, and Terry Pratchett, among many others—but I initially started out writing adult fiction in my mid-twenties, when I was unemployed and literally had nothing to lose. I knew I wanted to work as a writer or in publishing, but it wasn’t until I fell in love with young adult speculative fiction in the 2010s that I decided to give fantasy a try myself. I think I’ve always been a romantic at heart, so that part came naturally. 

How would you describe your creative process?

I have a bit of an old-school creative process, but it’s been working for me for 20+ years, so I’ve stuck with it! I love drafting in particular. I squirrel away ideas in my notes app until I’m ready to start working on something new. Then I usually follow the Save the Cat! Beat Sheet and pants my way between the major plot points of a story in Word. I’m not one of those super process-heavy writers with notebooks full of scribbles and white boards covered in sticky notes. I draft chronologically with a word-count in mind and generally finish in two to three months. Then comes revising, which I have learned to accept but don’t particularly enjoy.

What are some of your favorite elements of writing? What do you consider some of the most frustrating and/or difficult? 

As I mentioned, I love drafting and find revising messy, like packing for a trip where you’re staring at all your clothes and wondering how on earth they’re going to fit inside a single suitcase. My favorite element of writing is the literal magic that happens when two or more ideas come together and the story unfolds in my mind, or when a throw-away line early in the book reveals itself to be a major turning point later on. I love that process of discovery, the flow state of drafting, escaping into a world of my own making. On the flip side, the entire publishing process is grueling. So much is out of a writer’s control once the book leaves their hands.

As an author, who or what would you say are some of your greatest creative influences and/or sources of inspiration in general?

I’m so inspired by travel, by the folklore and culture of the places we’ve lived, and of course by other writers and creatives. In terms of writers, I’m continuously inspired by Laini Taylor, whose words are pure magic. I follow a lot of artists on social media and am constantly blown away by the sheer creativity in the world. It’s inspiring and humbling at the same time. Currently, I’m inspired by walking around Rome, by the beauty in everything from the molding on the side of a building to the citrus trees in bloom mid-winter to the incredible food. 

Aside from your work, what are some things you would want readers to know about you?

I would want readers to know that first and foremost I’m a reader like them! I love books and feel so fortunate I get to immerse myself in them for a living. I’m an introvert, so self-promotion is a nightmare, but there’s nothing better than hearing from readers that they connected to something in my books. I’m an Enneagram 4, INFJ, Pisces, if you’re into that sort of thing!

What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet but that you wish you were asked (as well as the answer to that question)?

What other genres or categories would you want to write in?

Thank you for asking! I’m currently writing an adult rom-com and an adult romantic fantasy, so I’m definitely looking to break into adult fiction, just to give myself room to grow. And I’d love to try my hand at horror one of these days (just maybe when the world itself feels a little less dark).

What advice might you have to give for aspiring storytellers out there?

Just write. Don’t wait for anyone to give you permission or until you think you’re “ready.” You’ll learn by doing it (and by reading, of course!). And then keep going. Writers face a lot of rejection and waiting at every step of the process in traditional publishing. If that’s the path you’re hoping to take, you have to learn how to move forward constantly, to keep coming up with new ideas and then seeing them through. My first published novel was my ninth completed manuscript. Granted, it doesn’t take most writers that long! But in hindsight I’m grateful, because having a successful writing career entails the ability to work on multiple projects at once, on not being too wed to one story.

Are there any other projects you are working on and at liberty to speak about?

My next book, MY UNFAMILIAR, is a YA cozy romantic fantasy about a familiar matchmaker and the mage who accidentally matches to her instead of one of her creatures. It will be out in December of this year. I recently finished writing the sequel to The Demonic Inventions and will soon be revising that. And I’m just getting started on an adult romantic fantasy (like I said, you have to learn how to juggle!). 

Finally, what books/authors would you recommend to the readers of GeeksOUT? 

My most recent obsessions are THE KNIGHT AND THE MOTH by Rachel Gillig, THE RAVEN SCHOLAR by Antonia Hodgson, and THE EVERLASTING by Alix E. Harrow. And I’m a perpetual reader of Laini Taylor, Rebecca Ross, and Heather Fawcett.