Tess Carletta is an author of cosy fantasy novels with some of the sweetest characters and most idyllic setting. She has introduced me to what is now easily my favourite genre, and I am so thankful to her for that.

You can find out more about these two book of hers below on her website or instagram. Do have a look! They are favourites of mine!

You can find my interview with the lovely Tess below the images.

The Interview

Anna: First question is both an easy and hard one but I wanted to try ease into the interview.
What was it that drew you to writing and eventually to publishing your writing?

Tess: I’ve always been a writer! My parents had a 1997 Windows PC that I began writing stories on as soon as I could spell. Eventually, I got my own computer and spent many of my teenage and young adult years writing fanfiction. I met several lifelong friends exchanging fanfic with other writers, but in 2017, I felt I’d gotten good enough to publish my original writing. Spoiler alert: I hadn’t, but I still spent the next five years working endlessly on trying to get my first YA fantasy novel up to snuff. After struggling and struggling, I decided I’d try writing something on a smaller scale with characters and places that were closer to home. That’s what Kit & Basie was—a writing exercise that turned into my very first book!

Anna: It’s so cool that you started with fanfic, it was the same for me! I love that Kit & Basie started off as a simple writing exercise too.
What was it that kept you with that world and those characters for long enough to expand upon their story?

Tess: Part of it was my inability to shut up! It was supposed to be a short story, but the first draft of K&B ended up being novella length. After reading it, my beta readers and I agreed that there was so much *potential* for it to be a great full-length book. It just wasn’t there yet. So, I read the manuscript over and noted any areas that felt like they needed more development. I ended up doubling the book’s length that way, and it felt much more complete afterwards. But that’s the technical reason. Really, I loved getting to know the characters more and spend some time in the beautiful world they live in.

Anna: That expansion of the story over time is wonderful.
What caught your attention with cosy fantasy for this one? It has very quickly become my one of my favourite genres after reading K&B.

Tess: Thank you! I had to really trust the process.
Because I wanted to write about a setting I recognize, small town Pennsylvania, Kit & Basie *had* to be cozy fantasy. The alternative was writing something a little closer to the reality, which would have included a lot of themes of homophobia, poverty, drug abuse, and racism (among others). I simply didn’t have the heart for that. So instead, I wrote only the good parts of small town PA. The community and the folks who care, the idyllic landscapes, and the smidgen of magic that seems to live in places that are very old. I wasn’t overly familiar with cozy fantasy until I had written it myself, but now it’s a staple on my shelf.

Anna: I love that – bringing your favourite parts of a real place together for your setting. Especially with the addition of the subtle magics. Long Lily is very idyllic!
I loved learning more about your characters as I read, especially with the dual POV. Did you have a favourite character to write? Main or side?

Tess: I think I go back and forth on my favorite character! Sometimes I like writing Basie’s messy  way of loving and impulsiveness more. Other times, I’m in the mood for Kit’s patience and his little quirks. Lately, I’ve been having a fun time writing a character in my fantasy WIP named Senna. He’s a fun one to write because he suffers from anxiety that hinders his ability to speak, so it’s interesting to balance his short, clipped dialogue and richness of his internal world.

Anna: I love that, it’s the same for me while reading too, so it really shines through in your writing! Ooh, that sounds interesting to write, that contrast would be so cool!
I know you said that Kit & Basie was something that was gradually developed, but in general do you find that you do more planning when you write? Or do you just let the words and story take you where it takes you?

Tess: I am a massive planner! My current outline is thirty pages long! That said, some of the best scenes in Kit & Basie were unplanned. I came about those by reading my first draft and trying to uncover what was missing. Some of those things were superficial (like the bedsharing trope — I *love* the bedsharing trope) and other things were more big picture, like the subplot about Kit’s books. I don’t think the book would be quite as strong without the elements I added at the last minute.

Anna: Such a great mix! I love that while you have a detailed plan there were elements that were added in later. (The book subplot healed my soul!)
As an indie author, was there something in particular that drew you to this avenue rather than the trad-pub route?

Tess: (I’m so glad to hear it!) 
I think what drew me towards indie publishing was how drained a lot of my querying peers seemed. It’s a lot of effort to query a book and find an agent, with no guarantee that you’ll ever be published. I knew that Kit & Basie would resonate with readers and was still a book worth publishing, even though it wasn’t exactly what the traditional market was looking for. K&B’s first draft was 30k, which is much too short for most publishers. Even now, in its final form, I don’t know if trad publishers would ever want it! It is, as my readers have been saying, 95% vibes and 5% plot!
I also wanted to be in control, too. I wanted to be able to commission my best friend to do the cover art and have a final say in all the book’s decision. In trad, the publishers tend to make a lot of those decisions.

Anna: I had those same thoughts when choosing between the two – I love having the final say. Please tell me something you find difficult about self publishing, also something else you love about it.

Tess: It’s so empowering to have the final say! 
One of the hardest things for me is budgeting and funding different things. In self-publishing, what you’re able to do is really limited by what you’re able to fund. You have to prioritize between different types of editing, cover artists, and other services to bring a book together. For those of us just starting out, it can be hard to make those choices!

Anna: I agree wholeheartedly, but I feel it does make it all so much more satisfying I feel. 
I love how there are so many possibilities for expansion with this world with all your beautiful characters. Tell us a little about Patchwork and how it came to be. I am over half way through it and loving being back in Long Lily!

Tess: Yes, when I’m able to hold the final product in my hands and see what I accomplished, it’s amazing!
Patchwork was entirely unplanned! Sorta. I wanted to write a short story to include in the K&B Kickstarter, and my only idea was that Orion should cause Kit and Basie to fight. It spiraled out of control and became very plot heavy! But it worked out because I never would’ve gotten the best ideas for Book 2 without it.

Anna: It really is the most wonderful feeling! 🥹
That makes me so happy! Also book 2!!
I just have two more questions, this one is something I love to ask authors. If your books were adapted into any other form of media what would you choose? Would you want that at all?

Tess: Oh, that’s such a good question! I would love to see Tales from Long Lily as a mini series. I think it would be delightful to have each character’s book be its own 90 minute episode. The visual format of a mini series would lend itself to all the interwoven stories. You’d start episode 1 not knowing anyone in town, but you’d finish knowing them all as real friends. I hope the books end up having that effect too! I do think an adaptation would genuinely be fun to explore, so long as the team in charge of producing it could maintain the original cozy magic.

Anna: Mygosh yes! That would be so sweet, and I would watch it on repeat. That set up would be so cool!
This last one may sound strange, but is there a question you wished was asked about your writing more? (No matter how strange!) If yes, what’s the question and its answer. If no, do you have anything you’d like to add about your writing process or your books?
Thank you so much for doing this interview with me! It has been wonderful!

Tess: I can’t think of anything you didn’t ask! The last piece of advice I’d give to aspiring indies is to try to find a good of folks you can build a community with. I have so many “seasoned indie” friends that have taught me so much. Without their guidance and support, I wouldn’t have been able to hit the ground running as hard as I did. Thank you for having me for this interview! What a lovely time it’s been!

Anna: Some great advice – a community of writers and authors is the best thing an indie author can have.
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed it! Thank you again for participating!

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I will be continuing this series with a host of wonderful indie authors. I can’t wait to share these interviews with you all!