None Shall Sleep written by Ellie Marney and published by Little, Brown an Co. released on September 1, 2020. The GoodReads website describes the book as, “The Silence of the Lambs meets Sadie in this riveting psychological thriller about two teenagers teaming up with the FBI to track down juvenile serial killers.” and has already received a 4.19 out of 5 rating from the site. With a synopsis like that, and the outstanding narration talents of the one and only, Jake Abel, added to this thrilling combination, the novel proves to be a riveting and suspenseful experience. This story grabs the reader from the very first lines and refuses to let go, taking them on an incredible journey that will leave them breathless! Other narration talents to the audiobook include: Christine Lakin, Maxwell Hamilton, and Zach Villa. (Check out a snippet from Mr. Abel’s Twitter.)
This is by no means Ms. Marney’s first novel in the young adult crime genre. Her thrilling Every and Circus Hearts series are both every bit as captivating as None Shall Sleep, and her other titles are just as compelling. Ellie’s writing style and attention to detail fully immerse the reader in these incredible worlds she has created. With her astounding talents evident in every page, it is no wonder why her books are popular. Recently, Nerd Alert News received the privilege of getting to chat with Marney about “None Shall Sleep” and writing. She even offers some heartfelt advice to aspiring writers!
TiShea Wilson: First off, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us, and congratulations on the release of None Shall Sleep! That being said, let’s dive right in! What was your original inspiration for the story? Was the Silence of the Lambs feel always part of the plan?
Ellie Marney: It’s lovely to be here! And now you mention it – yes, the primary inspiration for the book was Mindhunter by John Douglas (yep, from the Netflix series!), and Douglas also inspired Thomas Harris, who wrote The Silence of the Lambs, and also Jonathon Demme, who directed the Silence movie with Jodie Foster…So it all flows back from the same source, in a way!
I first read Mindhunter in my twenties, and I was immediately fascinated by both serial killer psychopathology and the psychology of the detectives who investigated these crimes and developed the Behavioral Science Unit. I wondered for years how I might use those ideas for a YA book, and then I thought ‘well, the BSU was really innovative in that first decade, so what if they did something wacky like hiring two teenagers to speak to teenage serial offenders…and what if one of those juvenile offenders was a very charming and manipulative sociopath, offering them insights into an active case…’ and that’s how None Shall Sleep got started.
TW: None Shall Sleep is an incredible novel and just seems to grab you from start to finish, refusing to let go. The audiobook is just as captivating! With a full cast that brings a life to the story that quite literally leaves you hanging on to the edge of your seat. What was the process of choosing the cast like for you? Was there an “aha!” moment when you knew you had found the right person for the role?
EM: The audiobook is amazing, isn’t it? I’ve had it on in my car lately, and I have to confess I’ve circled the block a couple of times just to keep listening! Jake Abel (Luke in Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, Adam in Supernatural, and the voice of Edward Cullen in the Midnight Sun audio) is quite incredible as my teen sociopath Simon Gutmunsson!
I would love to be able to say I chose those voices for the audiobook, but I’m afraid I had no idea that None Shall Sleep was being created for audio at all! One day I just looked online and Jake Abel was tweeting about it (which was pretty wild!). But I feel incredibly lucky that the book was given such an awesome cast. I’d like to give a particular shout-out to Christine Lakin (Al in Step By Step) who took on the mammoth job of narrating the bulk of the book, and brought my lead character, Emma Lewis, to life in such a wonderful, emotionally-honest way.
TW: None Shall Sleep was written from the perspective of various characters in the novel. From Emma navigating through her own PTSD to the mind of the Butcher, each character is seamlessly developed into the world and situations they encounter. What were some of the things you did to get in the mindset to write each one?
EM: Ha – thank you for saying the POV-switches were seamless! That was actually a bit of work, figuring out who would be the best person to narrate each chapter, so I’m glad it paid off. Much of the book is written from Emma’s perspective, and honestly I had no trouble getting into the mindset of Emma – she is an actual delight to write. I found it a little trickier writing as Travis Bell, Emma’s partner: he’s a Texan, and I’ve never been to that state, so I had to talk to a few friends about what Travis’s experiences might have been while growing up (and I relied a little more on my editor, who’s from Texas!).
The hardest perspective to write from was the Butcher. He is so incredibly creepy, and his mindset is so alien to mine… I actually put off writing a lot of those chapters until I’d nearly finished the book, because I didn’t enjoy living in the Butcher’s head at all.
TW: You have an impressive list of titles in the young adult crime genre from the Circus Hearts series to the Every series and your latest release, None Shall Sleep. What was it that drew you to this specific genre and what is your favorite aspect of writing it?
EM: I’m so glad you asked this question – crime is just such a fascinating genre to me! I think every genre has an essential question, so SF’s question seems to be ‘What does it mean to be human?’ and fantasy seems to focus on ‘What would our society and culture and lives be like if our world was different in just a few key ways…’ Crime’s central question seems to be ‘What leads people to make bad choices? Why do some people do horrifying things?’ and the big question: ‘What is the human face of good and evil?’ I think I find that question the most interesting one of all. It’s what attracts me to the genre, and what I think YA readers also find interesting about it. When you’re a teenager, you’re figuring out your path in life, and so there’s a natural curiosity about where peoples’ (good and bad) choices take them.
My favorite aspect of writing crime is probably criminal profiling and forensic details – I’ve always had a strange obsession with autopsy and forensics (I am a little weird like that, heh). Silent Witness, CSI, Criminal Minds, Mindhunter, Hannibal, Waking the Dead…if there’s a crime show out there, I’m probably into it!
TW: Most authors have a few traditions or activities they do that help them get in a creative mood to write or begin a project. Can you give us a peek behind the curtain into some of the things you do to get into your zone?
EM: Well I have to have a playlist in my car that I listen to a million times (ask my kids how much they love my playlist from 1982! Hint: they’re sick to death of it) to get me in the mood for writing. A playlist is really useful for a long project like a book, because it’s a kind of mnemonic strategy: it reminds you of what tone and mood you’re going for, and helps to sustain you through the many months of work. So even though I don’t listen to music while I’m actually writing, I really rely on my playlist to help keep my eye on the prize over the course of the time I spend on the book.
When I’m writing, I tend to…not be real fussy? I like to have a comfortable chair (because back pain is distracting!) and it’s good to have at least two hours of uninterrupted time to work. But other than that…well, I have four teenage boys in my house (hi kids!) so I’m pretty workman-like about writing: there’s always a lot going on, and a lot of noise around, and I can’t be too precious about my writing process, I just have to sit myself down and put my noise-cancelling headphones on and do the work.
TW: Many of your fans have already devoured None Shall Sleep and are eager to find out what is next. Can you give us an insight into any future projects you have in the works?
EM: It’s amazing to hear that people are reading and liking the book! I’m so excited to see it go out into the world, wow. As far as future projects, yes, I’ve sold another book and at the moment it’s scheduled for release next year. I can’t say too much (because we haven’t announced anything yet!) but I can say the new book is set about 40 years before None Shall Sleep, and if you like plucky girl gangs, and Enigma machines, and murder mysteries…then this story might be your jam!
Aside from that, I would really love to write a sequel to None Shall Sleep. I mean, I already have a few chapters of a potential sequel written, so I guess it’s totally up to readers now – if the book is popular, I might get the green light to explore the world of None Shall Sleep further, which would make me incredibly happy. I guess we’ll see. All my fingers are crossed!
TW: There are so many aspiring writers out there—some of which being Nerd Alert News’ very own readers and staff writers. What advice would you give to them about writing a work and getting it published?
EM: Oh man, it’s so hard when you’re writing, because there’s advice everywhere about how to ‘do it right’ – it’s so confusing! Write every day…don’t write every day…show don’t tell…never use adverbs… All that stuff can really start to mess with your head. Honestly, I think every project and every writer is different, and there are no hard and fast rules. I think you should write the way that works for you. Sure, it’s good to study the writing process – I still read books on writing craft, and I’m always learning something new (I just finished reading Save the Cat Writes A Novel – it’s really great!). But truthfully, it’s about finding the best way to get the words down for you, and incorporating advice along the way if it suits you.
My only real suggestion is – read. Read across your category, and in your genre. Read books that take you out of your comfort zone, and books by writers doing creatively-interesting things. Reading is really important so you know what’s out there, but it’s also a great way to learn. I learn so much from reading other peoples’ books.
And write what you love! Writing is a lot of work, often for little reward, so I always recommend that people write the thing they love, that they would like to read themselves. Life’s too short to write something you only feel ‘meh’ about.
Thanks so much for having me to visit – good luck with your writing and happy reading!
Nerd Alert News would like to extend our immense gratitude to Ms. Ellie Marney. Thank you for taking the time to chat with us. We greatly appreciate it.
You can pick up or download “None Shall Sleep” on Amazon/Audible/Kindle, Barnes&Nobel, and GoodReads.
Written by: TiShea Wilson
