Chelsea Iversen: Follow Your Instincts

Chelsea Iversen has been reading and writing stories since before she knew what verbs were. She loves tea and trees and travel and reads her runes at every full moon. Chelsea lives with her husband, son, and dog in Colorado. Follow her on Instagram.

Photo by Ryan Howard

In this interview, Chelsea discusses the question she asks herself when writing a character-driven story, and her new historical fantasy novel, The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt, her hope for readers, and more.

Name: Chelsea Iversen
Literary agent: Nicole Cunningham, The Book Group
Book title: The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Release date: December 3, 2024
Genre/category: Historical fantasy
Previous titles: The Witches at the End of the World
Elevator pitch: Alone and a little too peculiar for Victorian society, Harriet Hunt is forced to uncover a sinister plot involving her father’s disappearance while keeping her wild, magical garden from running rampant. Everything she holds dear—from the thorny roses she tends to her very freedom itself—is at stake, and Harriet must unearth her past, discover the secrets of her garden, and finally embrace the wild magic inside of her to save herself.

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What prompted you to write this book?

One day, a specific scene involving a garden that was a little bit magic and a little bit dangerous popped into my head, and I couldn’t get it out. I loved the idea of powerful plants. Also, I wanted to see what would happen when a beautiful, typically serene place, like a flower garden, became sinister, wild, and uncontrolled. Almost like a character itself. Of course, I had to actually create a story around this garden and this one scene, but once I knew where this scene was going to take place—the suburbs of Victorian London—the real work began.

How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?

It’s been a year and a half from idea to publication. I just checked back at some old scribbles that I wrote in summer of 2022, which, incredibly, do have a lot of the same tone as the final version does. But most is just gibberish. For instance, I originally thought this book was going to be set during the French Revolution, which is funny to me now because I remember struggling to hold onto that setting so much, even though I knew it wasn’t right. Once I let go and situated Harriet’s little life and her beautiful garden in the social and industrial confines of Victorian England, things just clicked.

Then, during the editing process, things changed a little more. Most stayed the same—the beginning, the end, the garden—but some of the motivations became stronger. I had to dig deep in places to understand why my characters would do certain things, and that meant that some plot points had to change. But the editing process helped me see that it was shaping up into a real book, and I didn’t think it was half bad.

Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?

This is my sophomore novel, which is notorious for being a tough one, and I thought I was ready for the challenge. Not me, I thought. I’ll beat the stereotype! Nope. It was so tough. I felt a lot of pressure—from myself alone—to produce something perfect on the first try. At the beginning, I was frozen, afraid of making all the important decisions about setting and character and plot in case they might be wrong. This fear kept me from just starting to write. I oscillated for months instead of just putting pen to paper, and what ended up happening was I just drafted feverishly until my deadline because I had no more time to stop and think. And then, I had a human baby three days later, which wasn’t exactly unexpected, but the timing was a bit of a surprise. So, I had edits to do and a newborn to care for, which meant I had to ask for help—an ongoing personal challenge of mine. Thankfully, my family (and dark chocolate) stepped up with enthusiasm, and I crushed my edits, despite the inner fug of hormones and sleepless nights.

So, yes, this book behind the scenes was slightly chaotic, which is why it’s so amazing that it ended up how it did. I read somewhere that it doesn’t matter whether your words were perfect from the very first time you wrote them, or you’ve been through multiple revisions over months and months. It’s a writer’s job to always make them look effortless on the page. I don’t know if I’ve achieved effortlessness, but I’m working on it with every book. Hopefully I’m getting closer!

Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?

I don’t know if other writers are like this, but my original idea—that little scene I envision in my head that eventually leads to a novel—is never, ever the same as the final product. I think that surprised me when writing this book. I kept clinging to that original idea, thinking that in order to stay true to myself, I had to stick with the first thing I thought of. I can see that scene, even now, so clearly—almost cinematically. But while I kept the tone and some of the basic mechanics of that scene intact, it’s not at all the same. All this is to say that it surprised me to learn that letting go and allowing a story to evolve is just as important as coming up with that first bud of an idea.

What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

I hope they enjoy it, first and foremost. I also hope they feel for Harriet and recognize that there’s hidden power in the wild and unconventional…and I hope they’re inspired to go outside and smell the roses! Nature is magical.

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

With just two books published, I’m hardly an expert, but from what I’ve learned, follow your instincts. If you have decisions to make (and sometimes it feels like writing is 95 percent decision-making), go with the choice that makes you feel the most excited. Don’t hold too tightly to what you think you should write. Go, instead, toward what feels right. You’re a writer, but more importantly, you’re a reader, so you probably have an instinct for story. Trust it.

And if you’re not sure what your instincts are telling you, ask yourself, What does my protagonist have to do next? Emphasis on have to. Again, not an expert, but in my writing process, asking myself this question is a great way to write a character-driven story—which, all stories are driven by characters, aren’t they? So, who knows, it might work for you too.