📚 A Bookish Chat with 'The Willing' Author Lindsay Lees #Interview

Lindsay Lees is originally from Los Angeles and holds dual citizenship in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, and while growing up and later in college, she split her time between the two countries. Lindsay earned a B.A. in 2008 from Manchester Metropolitan University, and next an M.F.A.in Creative Writing from California College of the Arts.

The Willing is Lindsay’s debut novel. She currently lives a quiet Southern life with her husband and a houseful of pets.

Visit her website or connect with her at FACEBOOK and GOODREADS.

Welcome to The Writer's Life! Now that your book has been published, we’d love to find out more about the process. Can we begin by having you take us at the beginning? When did you come up with the idea to write your book?

I was inspired to write this book in 2012. It was a series of thoughts and ideas that I wasn’t sure how to combine. Then I discovered NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and used it as motivation to produce a first draft. The challenge was to write fifty thousand words in thirty days and took place in November. The deadline forced me to produce a rough version of the story but helped to structure the story and develop my characters.

Who is your publisher and how did you find them or did you self-publish?

I decided to self-publish after several attempts at finding a publishing house were unsuccessful.

Is there anything that surprised you about getting your first book published?

There were a lot of surprises along the way. I’d say the biggest surprise was in 2015 when I was accepted into the Master’s program at California College of the Arts and pursuing my work as part of my thesis.

Do you believe a book cover plays an important role in the selling process?

The book cover was the fun part of the whole publishing process. It not only provides an illustrative representation of what you’ve written but it potentially allows for collaboration with other artists to be included in the publication. The cover is a window into the story and can provide a concise glimpse to draw readers in.

How hard was it to write a book like this and do you have any tips that you could pass on which would make the journey easier for other writers?

It was extremely challenging and a test of endurance to write this book. It took its toll in many ways, not only mentally but emotionally. It’s been a true journey and one that I could have given up on multiple times. I wrote it because otherwise the story was going to live in my head forever. Taking up my thoughts and demanding my attention. The only way to alleviate that was to write it out. Once it’s written down it can no longer take up headspace. I’m not sure that writing a novel or making art that means something is supposed to be easy. It’s meant to test you and push you to your limits. Writing involves a lot of hard work called thinking. No matter how long it may take you to make sense of what you’re trying to say, the main advice is don’t give up. Always come back to your writing especially if the ideas won’t leave you alone.

What other books are you working on and when will they be published?

My time is currently spent focusing on different kinds of projects, more personal life-oriented goals. I wrote a novel prior to publishing The Willing but never went through with publication. It may or may not be published, but it definitely improved my ability to write overall and that is just as satisfying for me.

What’s one fact about your book that would surprise people?

Readers may love it or hate it but either way they’re going to feel something.

Finally, what message are you trying to get across with your book?

The Willing deals with a lot of challenging and somewhat controversial themes. It examines the role of feminism and some of its more negative aspects. Ass well as the impact of sexual slavery on the subconscious and how prolonged abuse could influence rational thought. There are several messages that can be garnered from the text but really the novel is designed to make you think and to question the path that we’re on as a society. Examining what we choose to be blind to and where we conform to fit in.

Thank you again for this interview! Do you have any final words?

I hope my novel generates some interesting thoughts and ideas for the reader. Above all I want readers to enjoy the experience even if it may not turn out how they expect. Thank you and God bless!

Title: THE WILLING
Author: Lindsay Lees
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 299
Genre: Dystopian

BOOK BLURB:

In less than a year, fifteen-year-old Gypsy Capone will be considered a woman in Ovoidia, a “utopian” city-state where every woman can be approached for immediate sex by any man, where curving architecture adds weird whimsy, sporks are the only cutlery, and true intimacy between the genders is a sign of suspect subversion. After all, if a woman just plays along, she’ll also do her job and have children, with the reward of a fine home in the “Communities,” where she and the other “Mamas” live together in harmony with everything they need. Right?

The irony: Diam and Isis, the two leaders of Ovoidia, are themselves females. Fun, yes! And just below the surface, perversely sinister. They personally execute these precise sacrifices by women to establish their “happy,” absurdly totalitarian utopia, and are backed up by their chosen army of male “crusaders,” enforcing a crime-free, fully controlled society.

Men are relegated to work in the “City” where they may “enjoy”—right there on the street if they wish—any woman they want and are welcome to satisfy their sexual and emotional needs at establishments called Gaje Clubs where only the most “gifted” among women are chosen to work.

Not surprisingly, in Ovoidia women have evolved until they feel nothing of sexual pleasure. But in Gypsy’s deepest heart, she realizes her own dark secret: she is the exception. Next she discovers to her horror that her secret, if known, could result in the ultimate punishment—genital mutilation.

To save her body and even her soul, Gypsy chooses a dangerous path—to single-handedly confront this scary and absurd world. She has the support of her allegiant sister Sadie and Miles Devine, a rogue, secretly gay crusader, and also “Doctor,” a morally questionable physician to help her. But none of them fathom the levels of paradox, incongruity, and twisted evil they will soon face, and the ride becomes something even Gypsy could have never imaged.

PRAISE

“The Willing is stunning in its brutality as well as its sensitivity! Absolute must read. We all have a piece of Gypsy in us. We must consider our potential future as women now with eyes wide open.”–Amazon Reviewer

“The Willing is an unusually deep commentary on a malignant dysfunction in our society, dressed in fishnet utopian stockings. While the premise and its sensual details push the boundaries of belief, a community that is ostensibly focused on the greater good but is governed by fear and hypocrisy fits perfectly in the dystopian genre. Gypsy’s character is flawed and immature in many ways, but her shield-like honesty is refreshing among a sea of conformists. A rather feminist piece filled with satire on the state of equality, The Willing is weighty and serious in its message, and sad in its reflection of how women are treated in our modern world. For a change from the norm, Lindsay Lees provides a gripping story that will have you thinking deeply about the importance of the relationships in your life.”–Jennifer Jackson from IndiesToday.com