Alexis Henderson: This Book Was a Lesson in Letting Go
Alexis Henderson is the author of Goodreads Choice Awards finalists The Year of the Witching and House of Hunger. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her hanging out with her cats or nursing a hot cup of tea. Follow her on X (Twitter) and Instagram.
Alexis Henderson
Photo by Marissa Siebert, Hazel Eyes 2019
In this interview, Alexis discusses how setting her story in her home city helped unlock her creative to finish her new fantasy novel, An Academy for Liars, how her main character scared her at times, and more.
Name: Alexis Henderson
Literary agent: Jenny Bent
Book title: An Academy for Liars
Publisher: Berkley/Ace at Penguin Random House
Release date: September 17, 2024
Genre/category: Fantasy
Previous titles: House of Hunger and The Year of the Witching
Elevator pitch: Lennon, a troubled young woman whose life is falling apart, becomes a student at Drayton, a college of dark magic hidden in a secret pocket of Savannah, Georgia. At Drayton, Lennon learns to master the power of persuasion, the ability to wield one’s will like a weapon, using it to control others and, in rare cases, matter itself.
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What prompted you to write this book?
I think I needed a container for my darker emotions—a place to put my grief, fear, anger, and ambition, and all of the thorny parts of myself that I’m tempted to keep hidden away. An Academy for Liars gave me a safe place to express all of that. I’ve also always wanted to set a book in Savannah, Georgia, where I grew up. I love and miss that city so much.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
It took me more than five years to get from first draft to publication and the story changed so much during that time. It’s a totally different book now. In my original draft, the characters were shadows of themselves, the plotlines were tangled and inscrutable, the world was completely different, and I was really, really confused. The story came into focus when I realized that it needed to be set in the city I grew up in—Savannah, Georgia. As soon as I made that change, I unlocked something creatively and the book just flowed out of me. It was equal parts exhausting and exhilarating.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
This book was a lesson in letting go, I think. Through the publication of this novel, I’ve realized that if I want to write the stories I’m most passionate about, and become the kind of author I want to be, I have to stop being so afraid of disappointing people, and trust (or hope) that the book will find the people I wrote it for. As for surprises, I’m a bit of a prepare-for-the-worst-and-hope-for-the-best kind of person. So, I’m always pleasantly surprised and immensely grateful when people actually like my books. It always feels surreal, but in the best way.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
Lennon, my main character, kept surprising me. This was my first time writing a novel from the point of view of a character who actually scared me at times. She is capricious, amoral, and occasionally vicious. I found it almost impossible to fully plot this story because I could never really predict what she would or wouldn’t do until I was actively writing a scene.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I hope that readers will find what I found within the pages of this story, a place to see their own darkness reflected.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Try to finish what you start. Everything changed for me—creatively and career-wise—when I made a point to give my projects the endings I felt they deserved when I first started writing them.
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