The high-stakes fashion scene of a reimagined nineteenth century Europe takes center stage in this YA debut perfect for fans of The Belles and The Luxe.
It’s all about to change for Autumn Krause! Her debut novel, A Dress For The Wicked, is an upcoming YA historical that is set to release on August 6th 2019! We had the opportunity to chat Autumn about her novel, how it came to be all the way from inspiration to publication, and even book recommendations! Be sure to add A Dress For The Wicked to your Goodreads!
Hi Autumn! Tell us a little about yourself!
I’m a California girl all the way! If I’m ever in a landlocked state, I get nervous—I’m like, “there is no access to the waterway…how will I escape if war breaks out?” Basically I subsist on In-N-Out, sunshine, and the high I get from seeing a celebrity once every ten years.
Currently, I write novels and features for home tour magazines and other publications and take care of my little fairy baby who is almost two. It’s quite the balance—half the time it’s looming deadlines, the other half its singing Moana to my enthralled audience of one. You’ll most often find me wearing a black lace dress and boots.
Your debut novel, A Dress For The Wicked, is set to release on August 6th. Can you tell us a little more about it?
Yes! It’s set in a fictional country that’s most like Victorian England. So think Dickensian, only without the orphans. The country is known for its fashion and people come from all over to be styled at the Fashion House. Every few years, there’s a competition and the winner gets an apprenticeship at the Fashion House. Emmy, the main character, dreams of becoming a designer. She gets the chance to compete but finds herself completely unprepared for the Fashion House’s dark world of intrigue, politics, and backstabbing.
Where did your inspiration for A Dress For The Wicked come from?
While I was getting my master’s degree, I got a job as a bridal stylist in a Beverly Hills bridal salon. I’d worked in bridal before but I’d never experienced anything like it. The gowns were pure luxury and while some of the brides were nice, others were demanding and outrageous. I always wanted to write a story about a girl working in fashion but that’s where the story really came alive.
How long have you been working on this novel?
I wrote the first chapter my senior year of college and then wrote the rest incrementally throughout my master’s program and finished it about a month or so after graduating. So, if you’re doing the math, it took a long time!
Were there any aspects that you found challenging to write, such as a character or scene?
I always knew the premise and the ending but then I had no idea how to get from one to the other. I felt lost in a wasteland of storyline, characters, and scenes with the finale glowing far off in the distance. I had to cobble them all together to get there and, in the process, really learned with it takes to write a novel. Spoiler alert: it’s as easy as it might seem!
What was the road to becoming a published author like?
It was hard! Not only is there a lot of rejection built into the process, but there’s a lot of waiting, whether it’s for a response from an editor or notes from your agent. I am impatient and I like to control things (haha, probably the least two attributes suited for this industry). So I’ve grown a lot and learned a lot and, eventually, everything worked out just right.
What’s your writing process?
I work from home and care for my daughter full-time so novel writing happens in between those two things. When it does happen, it’s furious and intense because I must make the most of the time so when I sit down to write, there’s like a siren in my head and a drill sergeant shouting GO, GO GO!!!! My favourite place to work is a coffee shop. Bring on all the hot coffee and white noise!
Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
Only you can write your novel so don’t give up. If you do, we’ll never get to read it and that would be very sad indeed.
What’s next for you?
I have lots of exciting things coming up! Nothing I can talk about publicly yet but if you follow my Instagram, @autumnsarahstory, you’ll be the first to know (and you’ll see lots of posts about the following: writing, motherhood, marriage, fashion, books, existential crises…my Instagram is basically a front row seat to the musings of my mind). You can also find me at autumnkrause.com.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for us?
Of course! THE LIBRARY OF LOST THINGS by Laura Taylor Namey and THE QUIET YOU CARRY by Nikki Barthelmess. And also because these books changed my life: BROTHERS KARAMAZOV, JANE EYRE, and LES MISERABLES.
