Q&A: Tobias Madden, Author of Wrong Answers Only

Briefly tell us about your book.
Wrong Answers Only is about a gay teen overachiever who gets sent to live on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean with his estranged uncle after a series of panic attacks stop him from commencing his biomedicine degree at university. The story is full of family secrets, best friend drama, boy troubles, beautiful European locales, cruise ship politics, and so much more!

Can you tell us a bit about your writing process?
I’m a planner, so I spend a considerable amount of time working on the plot and the characters and the world before I start writing. No matter how detailed my planning is, though, things will always change during the drafting process. I also edit a lot as I go, revising each chapter before I move onto the next one. It’s slow, but it works. I’ve used this process for all my books so far, so I’ll probably keep using it until it stops working!

What are you reading right now?
I’m reading Babylon’s Ashes, the sixth book in The Expanse series by James SA Corey. It’s hands-down my favourite sci-series of all-time. I’m super into sci-fi at the moment. I think it’s because I could never write it, so I’m able to fully immerse myself in the story without thinking about the writing itself or comparing elements of the story to my own books. It’s pure escapism for me, which I think is essential for a writer sometimes. Plus, The Expanse is mind-blowing, and a total joy to read.

What advice would you give to aspiring Kids/YA authors?
Finish it! Whatever you’re working on, whether it’s a manuscript, a short story, a character study—just finish it. You’ll learn so much more from seeing one project through to the end than starting (and potentially abandoning) ten different projects.

Did you always plan to be an author? What led you to where you are today?
I spent most of my life as a performer (working in musical theatre), so writing is still relatively new to me. I think my years on stage have greatly informed my writing style and given me a solid understanding of how certain story elements work, particularly pacing and character and dialogue. I feel like I’ve ended up where I was always meant to be, but my writing would not be the same if I hadn’t been a performer first!

Do you write about people you know? Or yourself?
There’s a bit of myself in all my characters (even the not-so-nice ones), and certainly pieces of people I know and love (or hate) in lots of them, too. I’ve never taken a person from real life and transplanted them into one of my stories, as that doesn’t feel authentic to me, but there are some clear influences in certain relationships in all my books. For example, I have some truly incredible female friends, and you’ll find that my protagonists will always have wonderful girls and women in their lives.

Does the creative process get easier for you with each book?
In some ways, yes. I trust my process more, I have more faith in my abilities, and my skills have improved with each book that I’ve written. But in other ways, it seems to get harder. I think creative burnout is a big part of that at the moment, but there are also different pressures that come with being a more established author. What I will say is that each book feels completely different and presents different challenges to the last. It’s a constant learning experience, which I love.

Buy a copy of Wrong Answers Only here.