Author Chat with Marc Klein (The In Between), Plus Giveaway! ~ (US Only)

YABC:  What gave you the inspiration to write this book?

Many years ago, an ex-girlfriend of mine died in a tragic accident. The grief was overwhelming. But in the days subsequent to her death, I believe she tried to reach out to me. I thought maybe it was just my imagination — that my grief was conjuring these strange experiences. But then I began to read up on ADC’s (after death communication) and discovered how common they really are. That began a years-long journey to find a way to explore this topic in the context of a love story. Also, as a teenager, I absolutely loved the movie “Ghost.” There hadn’t been a supernatural romance like that in so many years, and it just felt like the world was ready for a good cry.

YABC: Who is your favorite character in the book?

When I was in high school, my creative writing teacher told me that every character you create is a different part of your personality. Even the villains are a part of you! That said, Tessa is the heroine of my story and she’s the character I spent the most time with. She’s a girl who takes life’s biggest risk: she opens her heart to love, which also means accepting eventual loss. She’s so courageous — I have great admiration for her.

YABC: Which came first, the title or the novel?

The novel. Early on, my working title was “More Than This” because the Roxy Music song of the same name plays a critical part of the story. Also, that title seemed appropriate for a story about the afterlife. But then, an early reader of the manuscript saw that I used the term “The In Between” in the prose, and suggested that title instead. I liked it better and it stuck. 

YABC: What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?

When I was writing the book, my favorite chapter was a very intimate one. It’s the chapter in Tessa’s darkroom, when she apologizes to her stepmom Vickie and they embrace. I began to cry when I wrote that chapter. I’m not exactly sure why. I suspect it’s because that moment crystalizes what the book is really about: the necessity of opening one’s heart to love.

YABC:  Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?

That you never — and I mean never — master the craft of writing. Each story has it’s own requirements, it’s own unique problems. There’s just no way to overcome that. The big difference between now and then is that now I understand the struggle is part of the process. You just have to grin and bear it — and trust that the hard work will get you where you want to go.

YABC: What’s a book you’ve recently read and loved?

I’ve been reading a ton of Gothic Romance lately. One that stood out was Wilkie Collins “The Woman in White.” It’s an incredibly complex mystery (almost too complex!) but somehow it all holds together.  

YABC:    What is the main message or lesson you would like your reader to remember from this book?

That our traumas haunts us, just like ghosts do. And that we must accept and embrace these traumas as part of who we are. Only then can we enjoy the endless possibilities of life.

YABC:      What would you say is your superpower?

I’m a pretty modest person, I don’t like to brag. But I’ve always found it much easier to write female characters than male ones. Many of my male writer friends have problems depicting women, and often call me to ask if there’s a secret sauce. I wish there was one. I guess I just find females more interesting and more emotionally complex than men. Even as a kid, all my favorite literary characters (Anne of Green Gables, Jane Eyre, etc.) were girls or women.

YABC:     Is there an organization or cause that is close to your heart?

As a writer, I’m a huge advocate for free speech. In fact, I would call myself a fee speech radical. As an artist, and an American, I’m very concerned about the censorious nature of the current cultural climate. FIRE (The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education) defends free speech on American campuses, where it’s essential that students and teachers can express themselves, free from intimidation.

YABC:   What advice do you have for new writers?  

Read as much as you can. Find the writers — and genres — you like the most and deconstruct them. Why do they work? How does the writer unfold their story? And then, just keep writing until you can’t take it anymore — and then write some more.