%20(1).png)
CHRISTINA: When I first started querying agents on X, then Twitter, the algorithm started showing me lots of faces in the industry. I followed several for curiosity, others for business, and some because I simply liked their content. Caroline J. Trussell is one I continue to follow for her newsy publishing content. Turns out she is an author, too, with her debut YA novel publishing next summer.
When did you first think you had a book to write, and how did you start?
CAROLINE: When I was seventeen, I wrote my first full-length book, and it’s a contemporary YA. It is available on Amazon, but I’m a bit ashamed to share it since my writing has grown exponentially since then. I remember having an idea that sort of combined Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Fault in Our Stars, and I just went for it.
CHRISTINA: I think it’s great that you just did it at such a young age, but I also recognize now how much your writing has evolved since then.
Do you listen to music while writing? Do you make up Playlists for your books?
CAROLINE: I absolutely do! I’ve really gotten into creating playlists for almost every project I work on, and I have songs that I will listen to on repeat when I’m drafting. My most recent book I’ve been working on is a dark academia thriller, so I had a playlist with a lot of instrumental and classical music and, before that, I was working on a dystopian, so I had Ellie Goulding circa Divergent type of music.
CHRISTINA: Wow! I’m always amazed when writers tell me they write while listening to music. I need quiet to hear my thoughts. I have playlists for my projects that inspire interiority or world-building in later drafts. But I do enjoy pairing authors’ playlists with their books.
How has the publishing industry changed since you started?
CAROLINE: I think there are so many ways to get published now and so many ways to connect with other writers, which is amazing. There’s everything from self-publishing to traditional publishing and X/Twitter to TikTok.
CHRISTINA: How true! There really are so many different ways writers can get their work out there. What an age to be living, right?
If you could have dinner with three people, who would be at your table—and how might that go?
CAROLINE: I think I’d love to have dinner with a few fictional characters. One would probably be Charlie Kelmeckis from The Perks of Being a Wallflower, the second would be Katniss from Hunger Games, and the third would be Tairn from Fourth Wing. I know quite a mix and one is even a dragon.
CHRISTINA: Ha! I think that dinner conversation would be a fascinating writing exercise on interiority.
What comes first: plot or characters?
CAROLINE: For me, I usually have a dream which turns into a story idea. I can most of the time clearly see the main character at the same time I see the plot, but the supporting characters come together as I flesh out the idea.
CHRISTINA: That’s fantastic. It’s not often I remember my dreams, maybe just one aspect or a feeling that inspires a scene. You’re fortunate.
What is your current project or latest release?
CAROLINE: My ‘debut’ YA dystopian, Enhanced, releases with Melange Books’ Fire & Ice YA Books July 2025, and it’s part of a duology. The second book will come out November 2025. I’m currently working on a dark academia thriller, and I’m loving doing something different—I’ve decided I may love thriller and horror and continue to write in these genres.
CHRISTINA: So exciting! I can’t wait to see the covers, too. And that’s cool that you’ve found a genre you love that challenges you to write more.
What are you reading now?
CAROLINE: I’m currently reading Belladonna and enjoying it so far. I love horror and I love YA, so I don’t think you can go wrong there. I’m also about to dive into Stephen King’s On Writing, and I’ve been wanting to read that for years, so I’m very excited to start that.
CHRISTINA: Oh yes, Stephen King’s On Writing is full of wisdom and so many quotable gems like, “Book buyers want a good story to take with them on the airplane, something that’ll first fascinate them, then pull them in, and keep them turning the pages. This happens, I think, when readers recognize the people in a book, their behaviors, their surroundings, and their talk.” Enjoy!
If you weren’t a writer, what would you be?
CAROLINE: Probably a literary agent (which I am) or a professor—which I would love to be. I really enjoy helping others with their writing and teaching the next generation of writers.
CHRISTINA: Thank you so much for taking the time for this interview. Congratulations on your duology. I’m looking forward to following your career as a writer and an agent too.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Caroline J. Trussell is an independently published author, junior literary agent with Metamorphosis Literary, and has served in a number of editorial roles throughout her career. She has previously written for multiple publications including Her Campus and Folio Weekly. Caroline graduated from the University of Central Florida with a major in Writing and Rhetoric and also attended the prestigious Columbia Publishing Course in 2021. She is a mental health and chronic illness warrior and hopes to inspire others through discussing these topics in her work.
Connect with Caroline via https://linktr.ee/Carolinejtrulit
Comments