We chat with debut author Molly O’Neill about Greenteeth, which is a tale of fae, folklore, and found family, narrated by a charismatic lake-dwelling monster with a voice unlike any other, perfect for fans of T. Kingfisher. PLUS we have the first chapter for you to take a peek at at the end of the interview!
Hi, Molly! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Sure! I’m a geologist and fantasy author and I live in Sydney, Australia. I moved out here from the UK in 2019 and completely fell in love with the place. I’ve been here ever since. When I’m not writing or working I love to spend time on the beach or playing board games with friends.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I have loved to read since I was very young, always getting in trouble for reading under my desk in school – but I didn’t start writing until four years ago. I used to think that although I loved reading I could never write because I had no ideas for stories, but I found if you just start trying to be creative then the ideas will flow.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – CS Lewis
- The one that made you want to become an author: All of them, but more so was meeting other aspiring authors and being inspired by them.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: currently it’s House of Open Wounds – Adrian Tchaikovsky
Your debut novel, Greenteeth, is out February 25th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Friendship! Adventure! Monsters! A Dog!
What can readers expect?
A classic fantasy quest with bite – narrated by a grumpy lake monster who joins forces with a witch and a goblin to defeat an ancient evil.
Where did the inspiration for Greenteeth come from?
I had the image of Jenny Greenteeth in my head and I wondered how, living in a lake, she would ever meet anyone to send her off into a story. Then I imagined a witch being thrown into that lake and what might have happened to her and the ideas came from there.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I loved all my characters but writing the bickering between Jenny and Brackus, the goblin pedlar, was so much fun. I was also really happy when my editor and I decided a middle section needed extending and I got to go back and put more Wales in. I love Wales, it’s such a beautiful place, and it was great to remotely travel through it with my characters.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
I hit a six week writing slump after chapter eighteen or so because I’d gotten things snarled up and wasn’t sure how to fix them. I went back a few chapters and rewrote from there. I think now that if you’re struggling to get words out, or finding writing them dull then it is probably a struggle or dull to read, so in a way it’s a good sign that you need to course correct.
This is your debut novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
I had written one full novel before and queried it to no effect whilst I was writing Greenteeth. I finished the new book in September 2022, forced my parents and a friend to read it and then started querying again. My wonderful agent came back to me within a day or two of me cold-emailing him to ask for more pages and by the end of the week he had finished the book and set up a call. We worked on the book together for a few months and then Orbit asked for an exclusive look. When I found out they had made an offer I was literally speechless – I called my brother but couldn’t get any coherent words out, just kept saying ‘wow’ down the phone!
My editor and I then did another round or two of revisions, and we locked in the manuscript in September 2023. It’s honestly been a really fantastic process, I feel much more secure and confident in my creativity and it’s great to work with such incredible professional editors. The cover alone
What’s next for you?
I am in final edits of a new book that should be coming out next year; and I’m also trying to decide which other idea to write next!
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up in 2025?
So many! The Devils from Joe Abercrombie, Once Was Willem by MR Carey and Six Wild Crowns byy Holly Race are my fantasy must haves. I want to read more Tchaikovsky, his Tyrant Philosopher books are blowing my mind and I can’t wait to dive into his backlist. We are also finally getting CSE Cooney’s latest book: Saint Death’s Herald, so I’m desperate to get my hands on that!
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