IR Interview: Hannah Nicole Maehrer For "Accomplice To The Villain" [Entangled]

4 months ago

Author Hannah Nicole Maehrer talks to The Inside Reel about structure, pace, humor and irony within the workplace in regards to her new novel: "Accomplice To The Villain" from Entangled Publishing.

Transcript

00:00you know when we talk about like books in a series obviously as the author you have to

00:24think about the character especially a character like Evie to how she might progress over this

00:31time but then you have to see her effect on others could you talk about looking at that from

00:36obviously from assistant but now to accomplice and you're probably writing if you haven't finished

00:41the fourth book yet could you talk about sort of that transgress that transgression or that

00:46transmutation if you will yeah yeah I think and it's it's natural that she kind of progresses

00:51that way because she's the villain's assistant but she's also a very bright optimistic person

00:54which is not somebody you would normally picture working for an evil grumpy villain so I think

01:00maintaining that part of herself while also excelling at her job is something that I think nobody

01:05anticipated and I get the question a lot is Evie going to be grumpier or meaner in this book and

01:11I always respond no she can be evil and still be smiling and making some jokes and laughing that's

01:16actually scarier I think when you're smiling and laughing but she's definitely coming into her

01:21own confidence why she's a a tried and true people pleaser and it's been really fun watching

01:25her kind of shed that coat and just start focusing on uh what she wants and and going after it

01:31but it's also about like the consequences of actions obviously with Tristan even with Kingsley

01:37even all these there's these little things that come about can you talk about those details the

01:42details that you really love about her that really have jumped out as you've sort of um evolved her

01:48yeah I think that she she's a person that blurts out everything she's thinking and in book one it was

01:53definitely a tool for a lot of comedic scenes um but it became something that she actually utilizes

01:59and it becomes like kind of her superpower that she's so direct in everything she says she's not

02:03afraid to say the quiet part out loud uh she's not afraid to to uh read the villain to filth

02:09um and that's something he needs he needs somebody that's not afraid to to to bring him down to size

02:14a little bit uh and watching her get more and more direct and more and more confident with each book

02:18is so it's so invigorating for me as the person writing her um because I feel like I'm on this

02:23journey with her so with each book she gets stronger and more strong of mind and it's it's really amazing

02:29to see well it's funny because the apprentice becomes the master and I in a certain way that's the sort

02:35of trajectory I see but it's also the idea of you know how she has to look at what her how basically

02:44there's so many different avenues she could take it's basically about the road not taken what wrote

02:49this is like true of any office it's like where do you make those decisions that allow you to follow

02:54your ambition yeah you talk about that thematic within the books meaning like her her journey like

03:00through becoming the villain's apprentice versus the accomplice yes exactly yeah yeah I think that

03:05she she gets more bold in her decisions whereas in book one she kind of is questioning I shouldn't

03:10be doing this or I shouldn't do that I don't want to take agency here and she was very much acting like

03:15the villain's assistant like she's like this is my job I'm very aware of what my job is um but when

03:19she becomes the villain's apprentice she kind of gains a like a pep in her step the same way that uh

03:24something someone telling you you're doing a good job basically gives you that motivation to like

03:29do even better or do even more so that was kind of her call to be like this is what I want to do I want

03:34to be good at this um it's not just a job to help my family survive any longer it's it's now something

03:40I'm actually passionate about and something I actually want to to be good enough at that I can

03:44keep getting promoted um an accomplice is was a lot of fun because it's kind of a book that almost

03:50equalizes her to the villain uh which was interesting to see and watch him kind of learn

03:54to respect her as an equal rather than just as someone working for him well it's interesting because

03:59families always expect more versus what you think you're capable of can you sort of talk about

04:04sort of that dynamic because even they can't see what happens inside the office but they have to

04:09understand what happens inside the office yes yeah I think that Evie's family plays a big role into her

04:15as a person um it's something we see in all three of the books um especially in regards to her little

04:19sister she always wants to set a good example for her little sister but I think she kind of comes to

04:23terms with the fact that the example she's been setting for her sister is that you're only of value

04:27if you're doing things for other people and I think that that's a realization she kind of comes

04:32to slowly and and realizes that she's almost been doing her little sister a disservice by doing that

04:36so in taking agency and in becoming better and better at her job she's also showing her sister

04:42that you can take your own avenue in life you don't have to do what everybody expects of you

04:46all the time and you can you can focus on the things that make that you want and that drive you

04:51you

05:04you

05:08you

IR Interview: Hannah Nicole Maehrer For "Accomplice To The Villain" [Entangled]

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