Chelsea Sedoti fell in love with writing at a young age after discovering that making up stories was more fun than doing her schoolwork. (Her teachers didn’t always appreciate this.) She now focuses that passion by writing about flawed teenagers who are also afraid of growing up, like in her novels, The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett and As You Wish. She lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, where she avoids casinos but loves roaming the Mojave Desert. Her latest novel is It Came From The Sky and she recently talked about it with Daryl Maxwell for the LAPL Blog.
What was your inspiration for It Came From The Sky?
It’s odd, I usually find book inspiration from something concrete—a newspaper article, or maybe a snatch of overheard conversation. But It Came From The Sky…well, it might as well have come from the sky.
I was in the middle of writing a different book and struggling. Really struggling. I was so frustrated that I started to dread sitting down to work every day. One night, out of nowhere, it popped into my head that I wanted to write a book about an alien hoax. I made a note of it in a “book idea” document I keep, then pushed it out of my mind so I could concentrate on my current project.
But a few days later, I couldn’t sleep. I got up, sat at the computer, and wrote the first line of It Came From The Sky. Then I wrote the next line. And the next. And the next. I realized that I didn’t just want to write an alien hoax book, I wanted to write it now. Which is exactly what I did.
Are Gideon, Ishmael, Cass, Arden, Owen, Oz, or any of the other characters in the novel inspired by or based on specific individuals?
I’ll somewhat sheepishly admit that Gideon and Ishmael share traits with my brother and me. I’m not exactly like Gideon by any means. And even though my brother is the more charismatic, trouble-prone, Hawaiian-shirt wearing of the two of us, he’s not exactly like Ishmael. But let’s just say, it wasn’t hard to write their sibling dynamic.
How did the novel evolve and change as you wrote and revised it? Are there any characters or scenes that were lost in the process that you wish had made it to the published version?
I’m a notorious over-writer (for evidence of this, see how I respond to these interview questions with twice as many words as necessary). My first draft of It Came from the Sky was 120-thousand words. That’s about 30-thousand words longer than the finished version.
Here’s the thing: When I cut down the word count, I didn’t remove any characters or drastically change the plot. Thinking back now, I wonder what those 30-thousand words even were. This is how I know, beyond a doubt, that they were absolutely unnecessary.
Do you believe extraterrestrial life? Have you ever seen a UFO?
I claim I don’t believe in aliens and then I lay awake all night, frozen in terror, sure I’m about to be abducted. Needless to say, I’m a bit conflicted on the issue. I believe that something else must exist in this universe. I’m not sure it’s something we’ve ever encountered, though. Would aliens look like the stereotypical grey? Is there secret extraterrestrial technology at Area 51? Probably not. But like my favorite truth seeker, Fox Mulder, I want to believe. Which is another contradiction—because while I want aliens to be real most of the time, when it’s three in the morning and there’s a weird light coming through my window I really, really hope they’re not.
What was the inspiration for the giant lava lamp at the center of town? Has anything like what you described ever existed or is it entirely your creation?
I have a lava lamp that I often gaze blankly into when I’m working through a scene. One day, while I was looking at it, I wondered about the biggest lava lamp in the world. Google told me that the biggest lamp was disappointingly small—I think less than ten feet.
But while I was researching, I found an article about a man whose dream was to build a 60-foot lava lamp in his small town. It was meant to be a tourist attraction, complete with an observation deck, like the lava lamp in It Came from the Sky. Of course, it’s much easier to put something like that in a book than building it in real life. So far, the lamp hasn’t been physically possible. The story inspired me, though. And if the giant lava lamp ever does get built, you better believe I’ll travel to see it.
What’s currently on your nightstand?
A huge pile of books that I’ll never be able to get to. To name a few: White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi, Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas, The Guest List by Lucy Foley, and Splinters of Scarlet by Emily Bain Murphy. I’m a slow reader these days, so my book stack only grows.
What was your favorite book when you were a child?
Anything by Christopher Pike. But if I had to pick a favorite of his, I’d say Fall into Darkness, which is about a girl who’s on trial for her best friend’s murder. I can’t say more than that, because it’s a pretty twisty book.
Was there a book you felt you needed to hide from your parents?
I’m sure you meant what book I needed to hide when I was a child. But…I should first say that I come from a very Catholic family. My mom believes that even talking about the devil invites evil into our lives. So you can imagine her absolute rage when she caught me sneaking a VHS of The Exorcist into our house. Fast forward to a few months ago. Despite my love of horror novels, I’d never read The Exorcist, so I decided to check it out from the library. That same week, my mom came over for dinner. And even though I’m an adult and it’s my house and I can read whatever I want to, I hid the book. I hid it. Because I knew exactly what my mom would have to say.
Old habits never die.
Can you name your top five favorite or most influential authors?
John Irving—for being able to perfectly balance comedy and tragedy.
Francesca Lia Block—for her beautiful, broken characters. Also because no one will ever be able to describe a city as vividly as she does LA.
Christopher Pike—for being my favorite childhood author and an early inspiration.
Stephanie Kuehn—for her ability to dive fully into a character’s psychology.
Tana French—for the great mystery plots and gorgeous writing.
What is a book you've faked reading?
Can you fake something by omission? If so, my answer is Harry Potter. As the books were coming out, I never had much interest in them. Obviously, I was in the minority. I constantly found myself surrounded by die-hard Harry Potter fans, and I knew they’d recoil in horror if I admitted that I hadn’t read the books or even seen the movies. So I kept quiet and nodded along with Harry Potter conversations like I knew what a Dumbledore was and found excuses to change the subject when someone asked me what house I was in. I feel like I can admit this now because a few years ago I finally did give in and read the books.
Can you name a book you've bought for the cover?
I haven’t bought it yet, but I just added Thornhill by Pam Smy to my to-read list. As soon as I saw the ghostly, Hill House-esque cover, I knew I had to have it.
Is there a book that changed your life?
One of my most cherished reading experiences is the first time I read Rebecca. I was astounded to find the main character I related to so deeply. Then I read an essay by the author, Daphne du Maurier, and found out the book came about after she became obsessed with an abandoned house (that she later lived in!) and I felt even more certain that Rebecca is my book soulmate. There’s something incredibly powerful about finding a book you didn’t write, yet it feels like it belongs completely to you.
Can you name a book for which you are an evangelist (and you think everyone should read)?
Okay. I’m about to get controversial. Let’s talk about The Shining. I love The Shining. I love it. And lots of other people say they love it too, but then they admit that they actually think the movie is better. Usually, that’s the point in the conversation where I embarrass myself by giving a too-long, too-passionate rant about why Kubrick didn’t really understand the book, and how the hotel wasn’t even its own character in the movie, and how the hedge maze was not cooler than the hedge animals. Everyone should forget the movie exists. Everyone should forget Jack Nicholson as the lead character. Look, I love Jack Nicholson too, he just wasn’t right for Jack Torrance. Everyone should forget about the ultra-70s version of the Overlook Hotel and instead picture The Stanley, which was the real-life inspiration. Everyone should just go read the book. It’s amazing. It’s really, really amazing.
Is there a book you would most want to read again for the first time?
Last year I read a book called The Ruins by Scott Smith. This is going to sound absurd, but it’s a literary horror novel about… killer vines. Yes, I just used “literary” and “killer vines” in the same sentence. I read it with growing horror and fascination, regularly stopping to shake my head with sheer wonder that a book with such a silly premise could work so brilliantly. I adore it. While I see many rereads in my future, I don’t think I’ll ever experience the same awe as that first read.
What is your idea of THE perfect day (where you could go anywhere/meet with anyone)?
My favorite place in the world is a little island off the coast of Washington. It’s foggy and tree-covered and just about as different as you can get from my home in Las Vegas. My perfect day would be spent there. It would be fall and leaves would be orange and red and pumpkins would decorate every porch. I’d get coffee and a pastry from Brown Bear Baking and then go across the street to Darvill’s bookstore to find something new to read. (My secret writer fantasy is one day going into that shop and seeing one of my books on their shelf.) After that, I’d ride the ferry—not to go anywhere, just to have the experience of being on it. I’d listen to the sound of the foghorn and look for orcas playing in the water. And I’d write. I’d write and write and write with nothing to distract me.
What is the question that you’re always hoping you’ll be asked, but never have been? What is your answer?
Two of my books feature a minor character named Robert Nash, the host of a paranormal—mostly alien-focused—radio show. I’d love for a reader to ask me if he’s based on Art Bell. Which he is, of course. Most people who read my books are too young to know who Art Bell is. Or maybe he would have been too niche even twenty years ago. But I’d love for someone to recognize it so we could then talk about how Coast to Coast AM was the absolute weirdest, creepiest, most wonderful radio program.
What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on a novel about a skeptical teen who travels the country with her famous ghost hunter uncle. When they’re called to investigate an allegedly haunted hotel on a mysterious island, she finds herself questioning her disbelief in ghosts.
