With her upcoming release of The Game from the new print Underlined, Linsey Miller brings us a taut high school murder mystery. We recently got the chance to ask Linsey about her writing process, her inspiration to write a murder mystery, and if she thinks she’d win during a game of Assassins.
Hi Linsey! Thank you for taking the time for this interview! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and The Game?
Of course! Thank you for talking with me. The Game is my fourth book but first thriller. I love assassins—the career (well, exploring it in fiction at least) and the game. I used to get in trouble for reading thrillers under my desk in school, and now I write them (and fantasies, too)! I love writing about nerds, friendships, and the morality of murder, and some of my favorite books growing up were crime novels I “borrowed” from my mother’s library haul.
Where did the inspiration to write a murder mystery come from?
Some of the first books I read as a teen were murder mysteries, so I’ve always wanted to write one. I played Assassins in college. The tension and ambition tied to the game felt like a natural fit for a mystery.
The Game is very different from your previous novels. Were there any challenges with the genre switch?
There were. I think I struggled a bit more with dialogue for The Game because it’s kids that you could theoretically run into. In fantasy worlds, there’s a bit of leeway. With The Game, I didn’t want to break the immersion by having Lia, Gem, or Devon sound outdated or unrealistic.
One of the aspects that really hit home in The Game was the pressures put on high school students. How did your high school experience play into creating the atmosphere of Lincoln High?
I remember high school as four years spent trying to develop my place in a world that wouldn’t last once graduation was over. Lia’s outlook and insecurities, her friendship with Gem, and her drive to be someone are pretty similar to my own experiences. The scholarships mentioned in The Game are real; I got to attend college because of one.
Parental and societal pressures are something that vary between families and schools, but I think that existential dread of “what do I do now that I’m an adult” is something that binds us all together around the age of eighteen. We spend years reducing ourselves to scores on a report card and having most adults tie our worth to class ranks and test scores only to suddenly be saddled with financial terror regardless of whether we succeeded in their eyes or not.
I really wanted to reflect that obsession, ambition, and fear in Lia because I feel like it’s an easy part to hyperbolize or disregard when writing about high school, but it’s still important even if it feels dramatic as an adult.
My high school years might not have been as deadly as Lia’s, but I think the mood of her high school experience is the same as mine.
What do you think your Assassins experience would be like if you played?
It would be short! I know this because my college played every year, and no matter how many grand plans I made, I always got tagged out between classes on day two or three. The occasional sprint from the lab to the cafeteria was always fun, though.
What has your creative process been like in this very weird year?
Weird and non-existent. I’ve found it particularly hard to write the connective tissue for my work. I’ve got lines and concepts, scenes and character arcs, but I can’t seem to focus long enough to make them into something. Major changes can really disrupt thought processes, and there’s a lot happening this year. Sticking to a schedule has really helped.
What does an average day of writing look like for you and do you have any items or rituals that are crucial to your writing process?
I usually try to write 9-5 or at least work on writing-related things during that time. I think my only rituals are probably drinking coffee and listening to the same song while I work. I cycle through songs until I find one that fits the mood of what I’m working on and then listen to it on repeat. It’s weird but it works for me.
In the past, I’ve often worked after going on a walk or walking to a café. Since that’s not possible now, working in different areas of my house and not just at my desk has been helpful.
Are there other genres that you’d like to explore in future projects?
Yes! I would love to write an adult fantasy and mystery novels. I have a bunch of little folders full of concepts, characters, and lines for them, and I hope I can find the time to truly work on them soon.
What have been your favorite reads of 2020 so far?
All of them? Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim, Forest of Souls by Lori M. Lee, The Silence of Bones by June Hur, The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow, A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown, Ink in the Blood by Kim Smejkal, You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson, Witches of Ash and Ruin by E. Latimer, and Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender.
Can you tell us about what you are working on next or any upcoming projects you can hint about?
I have a new standalone YA fantasy coming out in June 2021. While it’s not related to any of my other books, I think it follows in the thematic footsteps of Mask of Shadows and Belle Révolte. It’s dark, magical, and thrilling, and it’s something I had wanted to write for a long time.
It follows a young woman caught in the machinations of a bloodthirsty queen, her dangerously oblivious son, and a magical door that demands blood sacrifices in order to keep monsters at bay. I love it. I can’t wait to be able to share more about it with everyone.
