Swamped down with the demands of a college schedule, most students could not even think about writing a full-length novel. Not College of Arts and Sciences senior Kaylee McHugh.
The AU senior turned her idea into a reality and published her first novel “Nightcrawlers” on Jan. 10. A book two years in the making, “Nightcrawlers” leads readers into a divided world. An outbreak of skin cancer has led fair-skinned people to relocate below ground into slums and those with darker complexions to thrive above ground.
With cover art by CAS senior Josh Mahan, “Nightcrawlers” presents a captivating and unforeseen dystopian society that challenges its readers to question race, poverty and acceptance.
The Eagle sat down with McHugh to discusses her book and how she managed the demands of being a full-time student and published author.
Eagle: How in the world did you find time to write a book as a student?
Kaylee McHugh: Thinking back on it, I really don’t know. I’ve been working on the book for two years. Two winters ago, I was home and I was bored and didn’t have much to do, but I had the idea in my head since high school. I’d written maybe two chapters over the semester, but then things got really busy and I just didn’t have time. So when I got home over break I just sat down and that’s when I decided that writing a book was what I was going to do to pass the time.
E: So after writing for two years, how did you go from just an idea to actually publishing a novel?
KM: I think the most important thing that I had to tell myself all of the time was that “I don’t care if it takes me five years, I don’t care if it takes me 10 years, I don’t care if it takes me a month, as long as I’m enjoying writing it.” Even if no one likes it, this way it’s worth it to write the story.
But then once I showed it to a bunch of family members and friends I was blown away by what they thought. When you have something in your head its just an idea and you don’t know if the idea is any good, but apparently they liked it. So after that I found a website that allows you to self-publish and asked a friend who does graphic design. After that I learned how to format, edited a lot and then I had a book.
E: The entire elaborate plot and setting of “Nightcrawlers” is really different than anything I’ve read. How did you think of the idea?
KM: Well, I’m glad you think that. I’m actually doing my senior thesis on dystopias and this story follows some very common dystopian themes. I think living in D.C. also has a lot to do with it, especially since we are such a racially segregated city. I think its really jarring, but I think it’s also something that people don’t really think about because they don’t really want to think about it.
So then I started thinking about all these different stereotypes that we have about all of the different races and just how silly they are and how cool it would be if I could just flip those stereotypes. Not just about different races, but about different jobs and classes. I did that for other people but mostly to allow myself to think a little bit more about what all these words really mean.
E: Was it hard for you to write something from so much about race relations from the standpoint of your main character Micah, who is described as darker-skinned?
KM: Yeah, and that was what I was most worried about. What I want people to understand is that I’m not writing about black culture and I’m not writing about white culture. Especially since it’s a book that is supposed to be set so far in the future and culture is such a fluid concept. I didn’t want to base anything off of what we know. But one thing that, unfortunately, has stayed so true for centuries is the economic conditions of different races. So I wanted to switch the economic and political conditions but I didn’t want to do much with culture, because it is such a personal and individual thing. I don’t think its something that I would have been able to accurately represent.
E: So how does this book fit into your plans for the future?
KM: I don’t know, I kind of just did it because I wanted to. It’s really hard to make a living as an author but I think if anything I want to work at a publishing house. I just really enjoyed writing it, like there was no part of the process that I ever sat down and was like ‘Oh, I don’t want to do this today.’ But I’m hoping that I find more time to write a second one too.
McHugh’s novel, “Nightcrawlers,” can be found on Amazon, on Kindle, Kobo and on its official website “nightcrawlersthenovel.com”:nightcrawlersthenovel.com.
kbreitman@theeagleonline.com
