Episode 295: Writing an Unlikable but Sympathetic Protagonist — Interview with Claire Waller

by Gabriela Pereira
published in Podcast

Hey there word nerds! Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Claire Waller.

Claire is a secondary school teacher who works with teenagers with mental health issues. She has had two adult horror novels (Predator X, Nine Eyes) published by Australian indie publisher, Severed Press. FUGLY is her first YA novel.

Claire lives with her husband, two daughters, a cat called Hiccup, and various dinosaurs. Her interests include drawing, baking, palaeontology, horror, and roleplaying.

In this episode Claire and I discuss:

  • The very personal inspiration for Fugly
  • The toxic love of cruelty online
  • Writing a character that behaves in a problematic way
  • Expectations for negative female characters verses male ones
  • Bringing personal experience to a fictional character

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

About Claire Waller

Claire Waller is a secondary school teacher who works with teenagers with mental health issues. She has had two adult horror novels (Predator X, Nine Eyes) published by Australian indie publisher, Severed Press. FUGLY is her first YA novel.

Claire lives with her husband, two daughters, a cat called Hiccup, and various dinosaurs. Her interests include drawing, baking, palaeontology, horror, and roleplaying. Connect with her on Twitter

Fugly

A wrenchingly honest, thought-provoking exploration of a girl judged and dismissed by society who must break the cycle of shaming that traps her in her real life and comforts her in her online one.

In real life, eighteen-year-old Beth is overweight, shy, and geeky. She’s been bullied all her life, and her only refuge is food. Online, though, she’s a vicious troll who targets the beautiful, vain, oversharing It Girls of the internet. When she meets Tori, a fellow troll, she becomes her online girlfriend-slash-partner-in-crime.

But then Tori picks a target who’s a little too close to home for Beth. Unsettled, Beth decides to quit their online bullying partnership. The only problem is, Tori is not willing to let her go.

If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link, where if you choose to purchase via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 295

(Right-click to download.)

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Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

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